He is very, very good at House.
My dad, who was also an actor, had severe arthritis, which affected his knee and legs particularly badly. He moved EXACTLY the way Hugh Laurie does when playing House, favouring leg more when getting up, grimacing slightly when putting weight on it, easing up slightly as he moves. He has really done his research as it spooked me the first time I saw House, how similar their movement was!
I thought he was good, but not exceptional in other roles, but he was definitely born to play House. And yes, he is surprisingly sexy!