Benedict Cumberbatch is an English actor. Benedict has been part of major theatre productions from his early days and became famous for playing the role of Titania at a very young age. 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. He has starred in the Royal National Theatre productions After the Dance and Frankenstein. In 2015, he played William Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Barbican Theatre. His movie Dr. Strange, which was produced by Marvel Studios, became a huge hit worldwide. Benedict portrayal of the iconic character Sherlock Holmes in the hit TV series Sherlock was appreciated by critics around the world.
Birth Name
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch
Nickname
The Batch, Ben, BC
Profession
Actor, Film Producer, Voice artist
Nationality
American
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Benedict Cumberbatch was born on the 19th of July 1976, in London, England, United Kingdom.
Age
He is currently 47 years old.
Sun Sign
Cancer
Ethnicity
White
Religion
Buddhism
Education
Cumberbatch attended boarding schools from the age of eight he was educated at Brambletye School in West Sussex and was an arts scholar at Harrow School. He was a member of The Rattigan Society, Harrow’s principal club for the dramatic arts, which was named after Old Harrovian and playwright Terence Rattigan. He was involved in numerous Shakespearean works at school and made his acting debut as Titania, Queen of the Fairies, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream when he was 12. Cumberbatch’s drama teacher, Martin Tyrell called him the best schoolboy actor he had ever worked with. After leaving Harrow, Cumberbatch took a gap year to volunteer as an English teacher at a Tibetan Monastery in Darjeeling, India. He then attended the Victoria University of Manchester (now the University of Manchester), where he studied Drama. He continued his training as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), graduating with an MA in Classical Acting.
Family Details
- Father – Timothy Carlton (Actor)
- Mother – Wanda Ventham (Actress)
- Siblings – Tracy Peacock (Step-Sister)
- Relatives – Henry Carlton Cumberbatch (Participated in both World Wars as Submarine Officer) (Paternal Grandfather), Henry Arnold Cumberbatch (Consul General for Queen Victoria in Turkey and Lebanon) (Paternal Great Grandfather)
Marital Status
Married
Girlfriend / Spouse
Benedict Cumberbatch has dated –
- Olivia Poulet (1999-2011) – In 1999, Benedict first met actress and screenwriter Olivia Poulet at the University of Manchester where Benedict was studying drama. Subsequently they fell in love and started dating each other. Together, the duo appeared in a TV show namely, Sherlock. The couple announced their breakup in 2011, after having been in a 12-year long relationship.
- Anna Jones (2011-2012) – Cumberbatch dated fashion designer Anna Jones from 2011 to 2012.
- Charlotte Asprey (2013) – Benedict had an encounter with Charlotte Asprey when they met during his birthday bash at London’s swanky club Cirque Le Soir.
- Sophie Hunter (2014–Present) – In 2009, Benedict met theater director Sophie Hunter on the set of Burlesque Fairytales. Their actual romance started in 2014 when Benedict was busy shooting for various films. The couple got engaged in a private ceremony in November 2014. They finally tied the knot on February 14, 2015, at the 12th century Church of St. Peter and St. Paul on the Isle of Wight and subsequently welcomed their first child in June 2015.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 6 feet 0 inches
- In centimeters – 183 cm
- In meters – 1.83 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 78 kg
- In Pounds – 172 lbs
Body Build
Athletic
Eye Color
Blue-Green
Hair Color
Dyed Brown
Shoe Size
His shoe size is 11.5 (US).
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Benedict portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the hit BBC TV series, Sherlock (2010-Present), as the villain Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek into Darkness (2013) and as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game (2014).
Film Debut
In 2002, Cumberbatch appeared in the short film, Hills Like White Elephants for his role as The Man. He then played as The Royalist in his next film To Kill a King (2003).
Producer Debut
In 2013, Benedict starred as well as produced the short film, Little Favour which was made on a budget of $870,000. It is currently available on iTunes.
Television Debut
In 1998, Cumberbatch portrayed the role as Charles / Party Guest / Toby Fisher on ITV’s police drama series Heartbeat in just 3 episodes.
Brand Endorsements
He has appeared and narrated several TV commercials such as MG GS Chinese Car Advertisement (2015), Dunlop (2014), Google + Tom Campaign (2012), Jaguar Alive (2012), Sony Handycam NEX-5N (2012), Jaguar XFR Growler (2011) and Hiscox There is a light (2012).
Benedict Cumberbatch Net worth
Benedict Cumberbatch has an estimated net worth of $40 million dollars as of 2024.
Social Media Profiles
- Twitter – Benedict Cumberbatch
Some Lesser Known Facts About Benedict Cumberbatch
- When he was 12, he played the role of Titania, Queen of the Fairies, in the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
- He suffers from a disease called heterochromia. Therefore, his eyes have different colors. It generally changes from blue to green.
- He captured his audition on an iPhone in his friend’s kitchen for his role as Khan in Star Trek into Darkness.
- He almost rejected to star as Sherlock Holmes because he believed that the remake would be Cheap and Cheesy.
- Before becoming an actor, he was thinking to become a lawyer.
- Benedict couldn’t believe when Harrison Ford expressed that he is a big fan of him.
- His real parents appeared in one of the episodes in the Sherlock TV series.
- There are more than 100 million words of Fan Fiction dedicated to him.
- His female fans were called Cumberbitches which Benedict didn’t like and felt it insulted them, he then subsequently softened it to a more appropriate term Cumberpeople.
- He has been voted as the Sexiest Man Alive in Empire and People magazine’s annual list on many occasions.
- His life’s principle is Nothing is Impossible. The word Impossible itself says, I’m possible.
- He likes to paint large oil canvases and is known to be a prolific painter. He has recently donated his artworks to various charities and organizations.
- In 2003, Cumberbatch joined the Stop the War Coalition protest in London against the Iraq War.
- In 2007, Benedict Cumberbatch starred alongside Tom Hardy in the TV adaptation of Stuart: A Life Backwards. The show aired on BBC in September 2007.
- In 2008, he played the lead role in the hit BBC miniseries The Last Enemy. His performance as the lead character earned him a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film.
- In 2009, Benedict starred as Luke Fitzwilliam in the TV show Maple: Murder is Easy. He also played the role of Bernard in the TV adaptation of Andrea Levy’s novel Small Island. His performance as Bernard earned him another BAFTA Television Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
- In 2012, he Cumberbatch was cast as Smaug and the Necromancer in the first instalment of the Hobbit movie series: An Unexpected Journey.
- In 2012, Benedict was cast in the BBC and HBO co-produced miniseries Parade’s End. The miniseries was filmed for just five episodes and was directed by Susana White. His performance in the miniseries earned him his second Emmy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV movie.
- In February 2013, he has voiced two characters in the American TV show, The Simpsons. He voiced the UK prime minister as well as Alan Rickman for the special Valentine episode that aired.
- He is a huge fan of Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr.
- In 2013, he protested against what he perceived were civil liberties violations by the UK Government.
- He was featured in Time magazine’s annual list of 100 Most Influential People in the World for the year 2014.
- He was featured on the list of 100 Makers of the 21st Century by The Sunday Times in 2014 and the publication has heralded him as this generation’s Sir Laurence Olivier.
- He is close friends with Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Tom Hardy, Matthew Goode, Zachary Quinto and Eddie Redmayne.
- He is a Social Worker who represents The Prince’s Trust as its ambassador and supports various philanthropic activities that involve in helping deprived young people.
- In May 2014, he was cast in the film, Black Mass alongside Johnny Depp. In the month of August, he voiced a character named Shere Khan in the 2015 film adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic, The Jungle Book.
- In 2015, he acted in Shakespeare’s Hamlet at London’s Barbican Theatre and earned his third Laurence Olivier Award nomination for his role.
- In June 2015, for his contribution to the performing arts and charity he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II during the Birthday Honours.
- In 2016, Cumberbatch was one of over 280 figures from the arts world who backed a vote for the United Kingdom to stay in the European Union with regard to the June 2016 referendum on that issue.
- In February 2017, Benedict was cast to star in Patrick Melrose, a miniseries adaptation of Edward St Aubyn’s novels.
- In 2018, he voiced the title character in the film, The Grinch.
- In 2021, Cumberbatch starred in the drama, The Power of the Dog written and directed by Jane Campion.
