Actor and writer Hugh Laurie has been made an OBE for his services to drama, in recognition of his more than 20 years in showbusiness.
Hugh Laurie won a Golden Globe in 2006
The 47-year-old has long been part of the British comedy establishment alongside writing partner Stephen Fry, in shows such as Blackadder.
Last year he took the US by storm in the hugely popular drama House, playing the eccentric doctor Gregory House.
His performance won him a Golden Globe this year.
And he hopes to repeat the success in 2007 as he competes for his second US TV Globe honour.
House, one of US TV's most critically acclaimed shows of late, has introduced Laurie to a whole new audience, and he surprised fans with his convincing American accent.
Hugh Laurie stars as a doctor with questionable social skills in House
Influential US magazine TV Guide called him "TV's sexiest man" when it put him on the cover.
Previous to this, Laurie was known for playing quintessentially British characters, albeit usually extremely quirky ones.
Laurie was educated at Eton and Cambridge, where he was a member of the famous Footlights theatre review troupe.
It was there he met actress Emma Thompson, who introduced him to Stephen Fry, who was to become his long-term comedy partner.
The pair's first sketch show, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, aired in 1986, and ran on and off for nine years.
Laurie appeared in three Blackadder series, playing various posh but dim-witted characters.
As well as appearing in successful TV series, Laurie also notched up a number of film roles including Peter's Friends, 101 Dalmatians, Maybe Baby and Stuart Little.
Laurie (L) has had a long comedy partnership with Stephen Fry
His most recent British TV outings were in Fortysomething, which he starred in and directed, and The Young Visiters.
He was also one of the stars of the remake of Flight of the Phoenix, about survivors of a plane crash in the Mongolian desert who work together to build a new plane.
During the filming of House, Laurie rented an apartment in Los Angeles and travelled back to the UK to see his wife and three children when filming would allow.
Such was the instant impact of House that the Fox network quickly signed him up for a second season, making him one of the highest-paid actors on TV.