The Ultimate Guest Star Showdown: Who Ruled the Roost on House, MD?
House fans choose the guest star that impressed them the most.
House has become a cultural phenomenon of its time. The show starring Hugh Laurie as Sherlock of infectious diseases, Dr. Gregory House, had a fresh take on medical dramas.
Each episode contained an impossible case that Dr. House cracked with the help of his brilliant brain. The Fox series run for eight seasons, from 2004 to 2012, becoming the most-watched TV program globally in 2008.
Like any other medical show, House had many one-episode roles of patients, family members, or the clinic staff, which required many actors and created an array of celebrities briefly visiting Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Some of these guest celebrities were more popular than others, some became famous later in their careers. Anyway, it is always exciting to spot a familiar face amid rewatching the show.
That's what House long-term fans came to Reddit to discuss. One of the fans asked who the best guest actor on House was and it led to a lively discussion. Among such big names as James Earl Jones, David Morse, Beau Garrett, John Larroquette, and Harry Lennix, one actor caused the biggest reaction.
"Dave Matthews in the Half-Wit episode was one of my favorites," one of the fans wrote and others agreed.
Half-Wit is Episode 15 of Season 3 featuring savant Patrick played by Dave Matthews. In the past, Patrick was in a bus accident that killed his mother and damaged his brain. As a result, the savant lost the ability to live normally but became a piano prodigy. In the episode, House finds the reason for Patrick miraculously gaining musical abilities and lets his father decide whether to make an operation that would allow Patrick to live a normal life but prevent him from playing piano ever again.
The viewers of the episode were impressed by the plot and Dave Matthews' performance. Despite having little acting experience, the Grammy-winning musician did a wonderful job playing such a challenging role.
"I didn't even KNOW it was Dave Matthews," one of the fans wrote. "I happen to be a fan of most of his music, but that didn't change my opinion of his performance in the episode after the fact. As a sister to a mentally handicapped individual, I tend to have high standards for actors trying to portray delayed development, and I found most of the ones in House to be well done."