Claim: Robert Chase worked under a fictional character.

Gregory House , M.D. , commonly referred to by his surname House , is the title character of the American medical drama series House . Created by David Shore and portrayed by English actor Hugh Laurie , he leads a team of diagnosticians as the Head of Diagnostic Medicine at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in Princeton , New Jersey -LRB- based on the real-life Yale -- New Haven Hospital in New Haven , Connecticut -RRB- .   House 's character has been described as a misanthrope , cynic , narcissist , and curmudgeon , the last of which was named one of the top television words of 2005 in honor of the character . He is the only character to appear in all 177 episodes and , except for Wilson 's brief appearance , is the only regular character to appear in the season six premiere .   In the series , the character 's unorthodox diagnostic approaches , radical therapeutic motives , and stalwart rationality have resulted in much conflict between him and his colleagues . House is also often portrayed as lacking sympathy for his patients , a practice that allots him time to solve pathological enigmas . The character is partly inspired by Sherlock Holmes . A portion of the show 's plot centers on House 's habitual use of Vicodin to manage pain stemming from a leg infarction involving his quadriceps muscle some years earlier , an injury that forces him to walk with a cane . This addiction is also one of the many parallels to Holmes , who was a habitual user of cocaine .   Throughout the series ' run , the character received generally positive reviews and was included in several best lists . Tom Shales of The Washington Post called House `` the most electrifying character to hit television in years '' . For his portrayal , Laurie has won various awards , including two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Television Series -- Drama , two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Actor from Drama Series , two Satellite Awards for Best Actor in a Television Series -- Drama , two TCA Awards for Individual Achievement in Drama , and a total of six Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series .