His grandfather, Henry Carlton Cumberbatch, was a submarine officer of both World Wars, and a prominent figure of London high society. He has a half-sister, Tracy Peacock, from his mother's first marriage. He grew up in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Stephen Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, beginning with Doctor Strange (2016), and also voiced the character in the animated series What If.? (2021).īenedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch was born on 19 July 1976 at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in the London district of Hammersmith, to actors Timothy Carlton (born Timothy Carlton Congdon Cumberbatch) and Wanda Ventham. From 2012 to 2014, through voice and motion capture, he played the characters of Smaug and Sauron in The Hobbit film series. He also acted in the historical dramas The Current War (2017), 1917 (2019) and The Courier (2020), and received critical acclaim for his performance in Jane Campion's Western drama The Power of the Dog (2021). In films, Cumberbatch has starred in Amazing Grace (2006) as William Pitt the Younger, Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) as Khan, 12 Years a Slave (2013) as William Prince Ford, The Fifth Estate (2013) as Julian Assange, and The Imitation Game (2014) as Alan Turing. He has also headlined Tom Stoppard's adaptation of Parade's End (2012), The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (2016), Patrick Melrose (2018), and Brexit: The Uncivil War (2019). He gained worldwide recognition for his performance as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series Sherlock from 2010 to 2017. In 2015, he played the title role in Hamlet at the Barbican Theatre.Ĭumberbatch's television work includes his performance as Stephen Hawking in the television film Hawking in 2004. Since then, he has starred in the Royal National Theatre productions After the Dance (2010) and Frankenstein (2011).
He first performed at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park in Shakespearean productions and made his West End debut in Richard Eyre's revival of Hedda Gabler in 2005. In 2014 Time magazine included him in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2015 he was appointed a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2015 Birthday Honours for services to the performing arts and to charity.Ī graduate of the Victoria University of Manchester, Cumberbatch continued his training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, obtaining a Master of Arts in Classical Acting. His performances in the dramas The Imitation Game (2014) and The Power of the Dog (2021) earned him nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award, all for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Cumberbatch won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for Sherlock and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for Frankenstein.
He won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for playing the title role in the five-part drama miniseries Patrick Melrose. Known for his roles on the screen and stage, he has received various accolades throughout his career, including a British Academy Television Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award and a Laurence Olivier Award. Programme Front Row, 23 December 2010 īenedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch CBE (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor.