Benedict Cumberbatch
Acting

Benedict Cumberbatch

July 19, 1976 (49 years old) Hammersmith, London, England, UK

Also known as: Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch

Biography

Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born July 19, 1976) is an English actor. Known for his roles on the screen and stage, he has received various accolades throughout his career, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a British Academy Television Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award. Cumberbatch won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for Frankenstein and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for Sherlock. His performances in the dramas The Imitation Game (2014) and The Power of the Dog (2021) earned him nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award, all for Best Actor in a Leading Role. For playing the title role in five-part drama miniseries Patrick Melrose, he won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

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. A 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. 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. Since then, he has starred in the Royal National Theatre productions After the Dance (2010) and Frankenstein (2011). In 2015, he played the title role in Hamlet at the Barbican Theatre.

Cumberbatch’s television work includes his performance as Stephen Hawking in the television film Hawking in 2004. He gained worldwide recognition for his performance as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series Sherlock from 2010 to 2017. 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). 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 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). From 2012 to 2014, through voice and motion capture, he played the characters of Smaug and Sauron in The Hobbit film series. Cumberbatch portrays Dr. 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).

Known For

The Simpsons

The Simpsons

1989 • TV

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

2014 • TV

The Daily Show

The Daily Show

1996 • TV

Late Night with Seth Meyers

Late Night with Seth Meyers

2014 • TV

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

2014 • Movie

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2012 • Movie

Movie Credits (59)

Acting

2014

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

as Smaug / Sauron (voice)

2012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

as Necromancer

2013

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

as Smaug / Sauron

2014

The Imitation Game

as Alan Turing

2014

Penguins of Madagascar

as Classified (voice)

2011

War Horse

as Maj. Jamie Stewart

2013

12 Years a Slave

as William Ford

2025

The Thing with Feathers

as Dad

2007

Atonement

as Paul Marshall

2013

Star Trek Into Darkness

as John Harrison / Khan

2015

Black Mass

as Billy Bulger

2023

Poison

as Harry Pope

2011

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

as Peter Guillam

2008

The Other Boleyn Girl

as William Carey

2009

Creation

as Joseph Dalton Hooker

2010

The Whistleblower

as Nick Kaufman

2010

Burlesque Fairytales

as Henry Clark

2023

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

as Henry Sugar / Make-Up Artist

2004

Hawking

as Stephen Hawking

2011

Wreckers

as David

Crew

2023

The End We Start From

Executive Producer

Rogue Male

Producer

2018

The Child in Time

Executive Producer

2024

We Live in Time

Executive Producer

2020

The Courier

Executive Producer

2021

The Mauritanian

Producer

Migrations

Producer

2025

The Roses

Executive Producer

2021

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

Executive Producer

TV Credits (52)

Acting

1989

The Simpsons

as Severus Snape / Prime Minister (voice)

1 episodes

2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

as Self - Guest

3 episodes

1996

The Daily Show

as Self

1 episodes

2014

Late Night with Seth Meyers

as Self

1 episodes

2019

The Kelly Clarkson Show

as Self

1 episodes

2007

The Graham Norton Show

as Self

8 episodes

2007

The Graham Norton Show

as Self - Guest

2 episodes

2006

The One Show

as Self - Guest

1 episodes

1975

Saturday Night Live

as Self - Host

2 episodes

1975

Saturday Night Live

as Self - Cameo (uncredited)

1 episodes

2010

Sherlock

as Sherlock Holmes

12 episodes

2004

Agatha Christie's Marple

as Luke Fitzwilliam

1 episodes

2021

What If...?

as Doctor Strange (voice)

3 episodes

2021

What If...?

as Doctor Strange / Strange Supreme (voice)

1 episodes

2021

What If...?

as Doctor Strange / Strange-Supreme (voice)

1 episodes

2021

What If...?

as Strange Supreme / Demon Strange (voice)

1 episodes

1996

Silent Witness

as Warren Reid

2 episodes

1992

Heartbeat

as Toby Fisher

1 episodes

1992

Heartbeat

as Charles

1 episodes

2002

Spooks

as Jim North

1 episodes

Crew

2018

Patrick Melrose

Executive Producer

2024

Eric

Executive Producer

Personal Info

Known For
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
July 19, 1976 (49 years old)
Place of Birth
Hammersmith, London, England, UK
Popularity
5.4

Career Stats

59
Movies
52
TV Shows