Benedict Cumberbatch
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
Credits
- 2025 · The Thing with Feathers as Dad
- 2025 · The Roses as Theo Rose
- 2022 · Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Doctor Stephen Strange
- 2021 · Spider-Man: No Way Home as Doctor Strange
- 2021 · What If...? as Doctor Strange (voice)
- 2021 · What If...? as Doctor Strange / Strange Supreme (voice)
- 2021 · What If...? as Doctor Strange / Strange-Supreme (voice)
- 2021 · What If...? as Strange Supreme / Demon Strange (voice)
- 2019 · The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self
- 2019 · Good Omens as Satan (voice)
- 2019 · Avengers: Endgame as Doctor Strange
- 2018 · The Grinch as Grinch (voice)
- 2018 · Avengers: Infinity War as Doctor Strange
- 2014 · Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- 2014 · The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as Smaug / Sauron (voice)
- 2014 · The Imitation Game as Alan Turing
- 2014 · Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self
- 2014 · The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
- 2012 · The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as Necromancer
- 2011 · The Jonathan Ross Show as Self
- 2010 · Sherlock as Sherlock Holmes
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self - Guest
- 2006 · The One Show as Self - Guest
- 2004 · Agatha Christie's Marple as Luke Fitzwilliam
- 2003 · Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
- 2002 · Top Gear as Self
- 2002 · Spooks as Jim North
- 1997 · The View as Self
- 1997 · Leute heute as Self
- 1996 · The Daily Show as Self
- 1996 · Silent Witness as Warren Reid
- 1993 · GMTV as Self
- 1992 · Heartbeat as Toby Fisher
- 1992 · Heartbeat as Charles
- 1990 · Have I Got News for You as Self - Host
- 1989 · The Simpsons as Severus Snape / Prime Minister (voice)
- 1989 · The Simpsons as Quilloughby (voice)
- 1988 · LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
- Future · Have I Got a Bit More News for You as Self - Presenter
- 2025 · The Phoenician Scheme as Uncle Nubar
- 2024 · The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More as Henry Sugar / Max Engelman / Harry (archive footage)
- 2024 · The Book of Clarence as Benjamin
- 2023 · The End We Start From as AB
- 2022 · Super/Natural as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2022 · The Tiger Who Came to Tea as Daddy (voice)
- 2022 · Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge as Self
- 2022 · Behind the Scenes With Jane Campion as Self (archive footage)
- 2021 · Marvel Studios' 2021 Disney+ Day Special as Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange (voice) (archive footage)
- 2019 · Brexit: The Uncivil War as Dominic Cummings
- 2018 · The Grinch Mini-Movies as Grinch (voice)
- 2018 · The Child in Time as Stephen Lewis
- 2017 · Walk with Me as Narrator (voice)
- 2016 · Shakespeare Live! From the RSC as Self - Performer
- 2016 · Zoolander 2 as All
- 2016 · Sherlock: The Abominable Bride as Sherlock Holmes
- 2015 · National Theatre Live: Hamlet as Hamlet
- 2014 · Unlocking Sherlock as Himself / Sherlock Holmes
- 2013 · August: Osage County as Little Charles Aiken
- 2013 · Sherlock: Many Happy Returns as Sherlock Holmes
- 2012 · Girlfriend in a Coma as Dante (voice)
- 2010 · Burlesque Fairytales as Henry Clark
- 2009 · Creation as Joseph Dalton Hooker
- Future · Blood on Snow as The Fisherman
- 2013 · Little Favour as Wallace
- 2012 · Frankenstein: A Modern Myth as Self / Frankenstein / The Monster
- 2012 · Parade's End as Christopher Tietjens
- 2010 · Four Lions as Negotiator
- 2009 · Small Island as Bernard
- 2008 · The Last Enemy as Stephen Ezard
- 2007 · Stuart: A Life Backwards as Alexander Masters
- 2007 · Inseparable as Joe / Charlie
- 2006 · Starter for 10 as Patrick Watts
- 2005 · Broken News as Will Parker
- 2005 · Nathan Barley as Robin
- Future · Morning as Frank
- 2005 · To the Ends of the Earth as Edmund Talbot
- 2003 · Fortysomething as Rory Slippery
- 2003 · Cambridge Spies as Edward Hand
- 2002 · Tipping the Velvet as Freddy
- Future · The War Magician as Jasper Maskelyne
- 2024 · Placebo: This Search For Meaning as Self
- 2024 · Eric as Vincent
- 2023 · Mog's Christmas as Mr. Thomas (voice)
- 2023 · James Blunt: One Brit Wonder as Self (archive footage)
- 2023 · Arctic: Our Frozen Planet as Narrator
- 2023 · Poison as Harry Pope
- 2023 · The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar as Henry Sugar / Make-Up Artist
- 2022 · Minions & More Volume 1 as The Grinch (voice)
- 2022 · Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Self - Doctor Stephen Strange
- 2022 · Reframing the West: Behind the Scenes of Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog as
- 2021 · M4's The Hobbit Book Edit as Smaug
- 2021 · The Power of the Dog as Phil Burbank
- 2021 · The Electrical Life of Louis Wain as Louis Wain
- 2021 · Letters Live from the Archive: Union Chapel as Self
- 2021 · Letters Live from the Archive: Freemasons’ Hall as
- 2021 · The Mauritanian as Lt. Stuart Couch
- 2021 · Marvel Studios Legends as Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2020 · Antarctica as Self - Narrator
- 2020 · Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King as Self
- 2020 · The Courier as Greville Wynne
- 2019 · 1917 as Colonel MacKenzie
- 2019 · Between Two Ferns: The Movie as Benedict Cumberbatch
- 2019 · The Dog Days of Winter as The Grinch (voice)
- 2019 · Cindy-Lou's Yule Log as The Grinch
- 2018 · Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle as Shere Khan (voice)
- 2018 · Patrick Melrose as Patrick Melrose
- 2018 · The Current War as Thomas Edison
- 2017 · Thor: Ragnarok as Doctor Strange
- 2016 · Naples '44 as Norman Lewis (voice)
- 2016 · Doctor Strange as Dr. Stephen Strange
- 2016 · Mark Gatiss: A Study in Sherlock as Himself
- 2015 · Black Mass as Billy Bulger
- 2014 · Penguins of Madagascar as Classified (voice)
- 2014 · Walking with Dinosaurs: Prehistoric Planet 3D as Narrator (Voice)
- 2014 · The Penguins of Madagascar: Operation Search and Rescue as Agent Classified (voice)
- 2014 · Cristiano Ronaldo: World at His Feet as Narrator
- 2014 · How to Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective as Self
- 2013 · The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug as Smaug / Sauron
- 2013 · Jerusalem as Narrator (voice)
- 2013 · National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage as Rosencrantz
- 2013 · 12 Years a Slave as William Ford
- 2013 · The Fifth Estate as Julian Assange
- 2013 · Star Trek Into Darkness as John Harrison / Khan
- 2013 · Solar Superstorms as Narrator
- 2012 · WWI's Tunnels of Death The Big Dig as Narrator (Voice)
- 2012 · Stephen Hawking's Grand Design as Narrator (voice)
- 2012 · Why did you come to Japan? as Self
- 2012 · The Hollow Crown as Richard
- 2012 · The Hollow Crown as Richard III
- 2012 · Sherlock: Uncovered as Sherlock, Self
- 2012 · The Dreams of William Golding as Reader
- 2011 · War Horse as Maj. Jamie Stewart
- 2011 · Wreckers as David
- 2011 · Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as Peter Guillam
- 2011 · The Rattigan Enigma by Benedict Cumberbatch as
- 2011 · National Theatre Live: Frankenstein as The Creature / Victor Frankenstein
- 2010 · The Whistleblower as Nick Kaufman
- 2010 · Unlocking Sherlock as Himself
- 2010 · Third Star as James
- 2010 · Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking as Stephen Hawking
- 2010 · Van Gogh: Painted with Words as Vincent Van Gogh
- 2009 · The Turning Point as Guy Burgess
- 2009 · South Pacific as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2008 · The Other Boleyn Girl as William Carey
- 2007 · Atonement as Paul Marshall
- 2006 · Amazing Grace as William Pitt
- 2005 · The Man Who Predicted 9/11 as Narrator (voice)
- 2004 · Hawking as Stephen Hawking
- 2004 · Dunkirk as Lt Jimmy Langley
- 2002 · Fields of Gold as Jeremy
- Future · Wife & Dog as
- Future · Poison as
- 2003 · To Kill a King as Royalist
- 2002 · Timeshift as self
- Future · How to Stop Time as Tom
- Future · Gypsy Boy as
- Future · Rogue Male as
- 2002 · Hills Like White Elephants as The Man
- 1953 · The Oscars as Self
- Future · Supermarket slave trail as Narrator