{"id":305602,"date":"2026-01-27T05:12:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T05:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/305602\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T05:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T05:12:11","slug":"how-the-night-manager-star-hugh-laurie-maintains-action-ready-fitness-at-66","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/305602\/","title":{"rendered":"How The Night Manager Star Hugh Laurie Maintains Action-Ready Fitness at 66"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hugh Laurie has returned as Richard Roper for the second series of The Night Manager<\/a> and, at 66, remains a lithe, imposing presence on screen. While the three-time Golden Globe winner isn\u2019t typically associated with overt physicality, his sporting background more than holds its own against many of his peers. These are the fitness<\/a> and wellness approaches Laurie has leaned on throughout his life to stay healthy.<\/p>\n

Hugh Laurie\u2019s Boxing Focus<\/p>\n

Boxing<\/a> has played a key role in Laurie\u2019s training. In 2016, while preparing to play arms dealer Roper, he trained alongside Spanish heavyweight boxer Hovik Keuchkerian, who also appeared in the series as one of Roper\u2019s bodyguards. The goal was simple: add physical credibility to a character described as \u2018the worst man in the world\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018He is just enormous,\u2019 Laurie told The Telegraph<\/a> of Keuchkerian. \u2018When you see him training and hitting a bag it\u2019s an awesome sight. But I discovered that boxing and piano playing don\u2019t go well together. Not good for the hands.\u2019<\/p>\n

Laurie first took up boxing after moving to Los Angeles to play Dr Gregory House in the long-running medical drama House. Despite filming days that could stretch to 16 hours, he still made time for a weekly boxing and strength session.<\/p>\n

\u2018It is fascinating,\u2019 he said. \u2018I swank around thinking I am a big cheese, but you do not feel like that when you are in the ring with a chap who knows what he is doing.\u2019<\/p>\n

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\"mens<\/a>Impressive Rowing<\/a> Background<\/p>\n

Laurie\u2019s athletic background extends well beyond boxing. An accomplished rower in his youth, he finished fourth in the coxless pairs at the 1977 Junior World Championships before heading to Cambridge University largely to continue rowing.<\/p>\n

\u2018I went there to row. I\u2019ll be blunt with it,\u2019 he later admitted. \u2018It\u2019s been ten years, and I think the admissions tutor can take it now, but that\u2019s really what I went for, and anthropology was the most convenient subject to read while spending eight hours a day on the river.\u2019<\/p>\n

Laurie went on to compete in the annual Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, which Cambridge lost in one of the tightest finishes in the event\u2019s history. Training was relentless. He rose early for rowing sessions, followed by running, gym work, and more time on the water later in the day.<\/p>\n

He no longer rows, with the sport eventually giving way to comedy and acting, but his respect for it hasn\u2019t faded.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s a miserable sport,\u2019 he once said<\/a>. \u2018Absolutely miserable. I will say though, the great thing about it is there\u2019s nothing like winning a rowing race. It\u2019s intense. My theory is that you\u2019re facing backwards, so you\u2019re looking at the people you\u2019re beating, and there\u2019s something very intense about that.\u2019<\/p>\n

Wellness Habits <\/p>\n

These days, Laurie\u2019s main passion outside of work is riding motorcycles. For him, it\u2019s less about speed and more about sensation.<\/p>\n

\u2018I honestly think it\u2019s more like flying than being on an airplane,\u2019 he told Men’s Journal<\/a>. \u2018When you lean a bike over at a corner, you\u2019re taking on gravity. In an airplane, that sensation comes only for a few moments when you leave the runway. Riding a motorcycle gives you that feeling consistently. There\u2019s just nothing like it.\u2019<\/p>\n

If Laurie has one indulgence, it\u2019s a well-made cocktail. Alcohol, he says, wasn\u2019t a major presence for much of his life.<\/p>\n

\u2018Alcohol wasn\u2019t a thing for the first half of my life, and I never took a lot of drugs, but I think there\u2019s some biological change that takes place in your early fifties that makes a martini a much more interesting prospect,\u2019 he said. \u2018A good martini when the sun goes down has taken on a more prominent role in my life. But I don\u2019t allow myself to get very drunk. I enjoy that sort of gentle breeze, but not a full-on tornado.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Related Stories\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men\u2019s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.<\/p>\n

During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.<\/p>\n

Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running \u2013 he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark\u2026<\/p>\n

You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs<\/a> or on X @ryandabbs_<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n