I'm Married to House - Cuddy is a Home Wrecker!

I, like most women, have a list of celebrity men I crush on a bit. The list is fairly short, but here it is:

• Hugh Laurie
• Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
• Karl Urban
• Sam Elliott
• Michael Clarke Duncan
• Mark Valley
• Chi McBride
• Denzel Washington
• Gregory Peck

What an odd assortment, you may be saying to yourself. These men are all quite different in physical appearance, so it’s difficult to see any common thread as far as that aspect is concerned. The only two that have ever appeared together in a film are Dwayne Johnson and Karl Urban (Doom). And (EGADS!), the first one on the list is British, the third is Australian. I mean, if I was going to choose a sexy British actor there are others I might choose from – I mean, let’s talk about Colin Firth. The man has enormous sex appeal among British woman, from what I understand. Among Australians, there are men like Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman. Shouldn’t they have made my list? Mark Valley is Canadian. Why wouldn’t I have chosen someone more obvious, like Ryan Reynolds?

Let me explain. I find Hugh Laurie amazingly sexy for two reasons. As himself, with his real British accent, he’s funny and charming. The man is an amazing talent. But, as Gregory House, I can only say this: Oh, my God! Yes, I admit, my celebrity crush on Hugh Laurie has more to do with his role as Gregory House than anything else.

Dwayne Johnson was a complete unknown to me until I saw him in the movie “Walking Tall.” I watched the opening scene with the panoramic view of trees, sky, and water from the deck of the ship he was on, and I remember thinking how absolutely beautiful the scenery was. Then, the camera settled on the movie’s central character, Chris Vaughn (played by Dwayne Johnson). My girlfriend, amused by the power of my reaction to his appearance, chuckled a bit and said, “That’s the Rock.” I had no idea who that was, so she educated me about the Rock and how Dwayne Johnson had come to be known by that title. I was instantly in lust. As I watched the movie, I became even more infatuated, and my affection for Dwayne has grown exponentially since then, primarily because of the characters he’s played.

My first encounter with Karl Urban was as the Horsemaster in the second installment of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Not a huge role for him, but enough to make me sit up and take notice. In “Doom,” as Reaper, he won my heart forever.

Sam Elliott first came to my notice in Mask, then Road House, of course, but didn’t win my undying devotion until I saw him in Tombstone, and then later in We Were Soldiers alongside Mel Gibson.

The first time I actually noticed Michael Clarke Duncan was as John Coffey in The Green Mile. Oddly enough, Armageddon is among my favorite movies of all time, but John Coffey was a far more powerful character than Bear, so this was the first time I actually really noticed the genius of Michael Clarke Duncan’s acting ability.

I had absolutely no idea who MarkValley was until Human Target hit the television lineup. There was no chance of his ever leaving my radar after I became acquainted with Christopher Chance. Chi McBride’s been on the scene for quite some time as a character actor, even with a short-lived role on House with Hugh Laurie, but he’s another treasure I discovered on Human Target, in his role as Winston.

Denzel Washington has played several bazillion roles over my lifetime. I’m too young for St. Elsewhere, but I was in high school when he starred with Tom Hanks in Philadelphia. Later came my four favorites of his, in no particular order: Fallen, Crimson Tide, Man on Fire, and Book of Eli. Gregory Peck was Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. No further explanation is needed.

Now, I admit that the affection I feel for each of these actors has more to do with the characters they’ve portrayed than anything else. Most memorably for each:

• Gregory House (Hugh Laurie)
• Chris Vaughn (Dwayne Johnson)
• Reaper (Karl Urban)
• Virgil Earp (Sam Elliott)
• John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan)
• Christopher Chance (Mark Valley)
• Winston (Chi McBride)
• John Creasy (Denzel Washington)
• Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck)

For me, the common thread that connects all these men and their various roles is that each of them, over time, has played the role of my husband. You may be wondering what the heck that means. Well, I’ll tell you. As a young woman, I had no intention of ever getting married. There were two reasons for this. I had no example of what a good marriage should actually look like. I figured that if marriage was what I saw around me on a daily basis, then I wanted no part of it at all, ever. I was also surrounded in my daily life by men who weren’t necessarily bad men, but didn’t show a great deal of commitment, integrity, or seriousness. Every man I knew was carefree (read, careless), superficial, and just a bit on the flighty side. Yup, I was better off on my own than hooked up with anyone of that sort. At least, that’s how I looked at it then.

In movies and television, I saw men that possessed all of the characteristics I thought a good man should. They were men of intelligence, integrity, strength, commitment, and passion. They were fueled by righteous indignation to pursue justice and make things right in a really wrong world. Some of them were quiet and serious, but each was able to see the lighter side of things and bring humor into situations that were overwhelmingly tense and difficult. They were real men, albeit fictional characters. I concluded that real men did not exist in real life. It just so happened that I was wrong. In 2008, I met the man who changed my mind.

First, let me say that no man is perfect. My husband is a real man, though an imperfect one. But, those things that make him a real man make him perfect – for me . We watch House together all the time. There are often episodes of that show that make me wonder if the show’s creator and writers actually stalk my husband. Gregory House IS my husband, minus the atheist thing. He is frighteningly intelligent; desperate for everything to make sense, and be logical and relentless in his pursuit of puzzling things out until there’s a complete picture that provides a complete answer. He’ll logic you to death, until you either give up because his logic is irrefutable or because your brain is ready to explode.

He thrives on drama because, whether he’ll admit it or not, people are the ultimate puzzle for him, and he is fascinated by trying to figure them out. Chris Vaughn IS my husband, because he refuses to let bullies run the world, and if he is the only one with the conviction to stand up to them, he’ll do so – maybe even with a 2X4 in hand. Reaper IS my husband. He is a man who has struggled to come to terms with his past and his family and forgiving others and himself. Virgil Earp IS my husband. While the battle for law and order might have left him without one arm, he did not harbor bitterness about it and give up. He assured the woman he loved that he would still hold and protect her with his one, good arm.

John Coffey IS my husband. He’s been given miraculous, healing power, but feels deeply within his heart the pain we inflict on each other every day and his fragile, broken heart cannot bear the burden any longer. Christopher Chance IS my husband. He’s spent a lifetime doing what he believed was right, but came to the realization that it wasn’t. He was an assassin, a killer for hire. Rather than give up completely, he has vowed to make reparation through doing good and protecting others from certain death, because he believes that everyone deserves to live, and deserves another chance to make things right. Winston IS my husband. He acknowledges that even the strongest of men feel , hurt, love, and can be redeemed through the practice of acts of love, goodness, and sacrifice.

John Creasy IS my husband. He believes that he will answer for the things he has done that are contrary to what his God commanded, but he pursues justice with a sometimes violent passion born of righteous indignation and a belief that even one life is worth the sacrifice of his own. Atticus Finch IS my husband. He is one of those men “born to do our unpleasant jobs for us,” and more often than not, willing to do them without complaint.

Each of these actors has played a role that in some way contains an element in the compound mixture that is my husband. I think that aside from the fact that they’re all sexy as all get out in their own right, they’re brilliant actors who portray real people.

Although he’s never actually said so, I think they’ve each consulted my husband at one time or another about how to play these characters. Sort of an actor’s version of, “What would Michael do?” if you will. I respect these men as actors. I’ve never studied their behavior or biographies well enough to know if they themselves are anything like my husband, but I’ve seen enough of their films to know that their characters sure are.

Individually, they are attractive, talented men. Melded together, they are my husband – hot, intelligent, serious, devoted, convicted, passionate, justice driven, deeply sensitive and intuitive, and self-sacrificing. That’s what makes each of these men one I crush on. Now, which of these celebrities butter your biscuits, and how come? Take the poll!