
Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 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 Roses as Theo
- 2025 · The Phoenician Scheme as Uncle Nubar
- 2025 · The Thing with Feathers as Dad
- 2024 · The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: 10th Anniversary Special as Self (archive footage)
- 2024 · The Book of Clarence as Benjamin
- 2023 · Poison as Harry Pope
- 2022 · Super/Natural as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2022 · Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Self - Doctor Stephen Strange
- 2022 · Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Doctor Stephen Strange
- 2022 · Behind the Scenes With Jane Campion as Self (archive footage)
- 2021 · Spider-Man: No Way Home as Doctor Strange
- 2021 · Marvel Studios' 2021 Disney+ Day Special as Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange (voice) (archive footage)
- 2021 · The Electrical Life of Louis Wain as Louis Wain
- 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)
- 2021 · The Mauritanian as Lt. Stuart Couch
- 2020 · Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King as Self
- 2019 · Between Two Ferns: The Movie as Benedict Cumberbatch
- 2019 · The Kelly Clarkson Show as
- 2019 · Avengers: Endgame as Doctor Strange
- 2019 · Brexit: The Uncivil War as Dominic Cummings
- 2018 · The Grinch Mini-Movies as Grinch (voice)
- 2018 · The Child in Time as Stephen Lewis
- 2018 · Patrick Melrose as Patrick Melrose
- 2018 · Avengers: Infinity War as Doctor Strange
- 2017 · Thor: Ragnarok as Doctor Strange
- 2014 · Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- 2014 · 9 Kisses as Man at Costume Party
- 2014 · The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as Smaug / Sauron (voice)
- 2014 · The Penguins of Madagascar: Operation Search and Rescue as Agent Classified (voice)
- 2014 · Cristiano Ronaldo: World at His Feet as Narrator
- 2014 · Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self
- 2014 · The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
- 2014 · The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as
- 2013 · August: Osage County as Little Charles Aiken
- 2013 · National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage as Rosencrantz
- 2013 · The Fifth Estate as Julian Assange
- 2012 · The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as Necromancer
- 2012 · WWI's Tunnels of Death The Big Dig as Narrator (Voice)
- 2012 · Why did you come to Japan? as Self
- 2012 · 빈센트 반 고흐: 편지로 만나는 그의 삶과 그림 as
- 2011 · Wreckers as David
- 2011 · The Jonathan Ross Show as Self
- 2011 · National Theatre Live: Frankenstein as The Creature / Victor Frankenstein
- 2010 · The Whistleblower as Nick Kaufman
- 2010 · Sherlock as Sherlock Holmes
- 2010 · Sherlock as Self
- 2010 · Sherlock as Self / Sherlock Holmes
- 2010 · Third Star as James
- 2010 · Four Lions as The Negotiator
- 2010 · Van Gogh: Painted with Words as Vincent Van Gogh
- 2009 · Creation as Joseph Dalton Hooker
- 2009 · South Pacific as Narrator (voice)
- 2008 · The Last Enemy as Stephen Ezard
- 2007 · Stuart: A Life Backwards as Alexander Masters
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self - Guest
- 2006 · Amazing Grace as William Pitt
- 2006 · Starter for 10 as Patrick Watts
- 2006 · The One Show as Self - Guest
- 2005 · Broken News as Will Parker
- 2005 · Nathan Barley as Robin
- 2004 · Agatha Christie's Marple as Luke Fitzwilliam
- 2003 · Jimmy Kimmel Live! as
- 2002 · Top Gear as Self
- 2002 · Timeshift as self
- 2002 · Spooks as Jim North
- 1996 · The Daily Show as Self
- 1989 · The Simpsons as Severus Snape / Prime Minister (voice)
- 1988 · LIVE with Kelly and Mark as
- Future · Have I Got a Bit More News for You as Self - Presenter
- 2027 · Avengers: Secret Wars as Doctor Strange
- 2024 · Eric as Vincent
- 2024 · The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More as Henry Sugar / Max Engelman / Harry (archive footage)
- 2023 · The End We Start From as AB
- 2023 · The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar as Henry Sugar / Make-Up Artist
- 2022 · Minions & More Volume 1 as The Grinch (voice)
- 2022 · Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge as Self
- 2022 · Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home as Self (archive footage)
- 2021 · The Power of the Dog as Phil Burbank
- 2021 · Marvel Studios Legends as Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2020 · The Courier as Greville Wynne
- 2019 · 1917 as Colonel MacKenzie
- 2019 · Good Omens as Satan (voice)
- 2018 · Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle as Shere Khan (voice)
- 2018 · The Grinch as Grinch (voice)
- 2018 · The Current War as Thomas Edison
- 2016 · Doctor Strange as Dr. Stephen Strange
- 2016 · Zoolander 2 as All
- 2016 · Sherlock: The Abominable Bride as Sherlock Holmes
- 2015 · Black Mass as Billy Bulger
- 2014 · Penguins of Madagascar as Classified (voice)
- 2014 · The Imitation Game as Alan Turing
- 2013 · Walking with Dinosaurs as Narrator (Prehistoric Planet 3D Version)
- 2013 · The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug as Smaug / Sauron
- 2013 · 12 Years a Slave as William Ford
- 2013 · Star Trek Into Darkness as John Harrison / Khan
- 2012 · Stephen Hawking's Grand Design as Narrator (voice)
- 2012 · Parade's End as Christopher Tietjens
- 2012 · The Hollow Crown as Richard
- 2012 · The Hollow Crown as Richard III
- 2011 · War Horse as Maj. Jamie Stewart
- 2011 · Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as Peter Guillam
- 2010 · Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking as Stephen Hawking
- 2009 · Small Island as Bernard
- 2008 · The Other Boleyn Girl as William Carey
- 2007 · Atonement as Paul Marshall
- 2005 · To the Ends of the Earth as Edmund Talbot
- 2004 · Dunkirk as Lt Jimmy Langley
- 2003 · Fortysomething as Rory Slippery
- 2003 · Cambridge Spies as Edward Hand
- 2002 · Tipping the Velvet as Freddy
- 1997 · The View as Self
- 1997 · Leute heute as Self
- 1996 · Silent Witness as Warren Reid
- 1993 · GMTV as Self
- 1992 · Heartbeat as Toby Fisher
- 1992 · Heartbeat as Charles
- 1989 · The Simpsons as Quilloughby (voice)
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
- 1953 · The Oscars as Self
- Future · Doctor Strange 3 as Doctor Stephen Strange
- Future · How to Stop Time as Tom
- 2004 · Hawking as Stephen Hawking
- 2003 · To Kill a King as Royalist
- Future · Magik as Lewis
- 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
- 2022 · The Tiger Who Came to Tea as Daddy (voice)
- 2022 · Reframing the West: Behind the Scenes of Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog as
- 2021 · Letters Live from the Archive: Union Chapel as Self
- 2021 · Letters Live from the Archive: Freemasons’ Hall as
- 2020 · Antarctica as Self - Narrator
- 2019 · The Dog Days of Winter as The Grinch (voice)
- 2019 · Cindy-Lou's Yule Log as The Grinch
- 2018 · Walking to Nam Kok Hotel as Doctor Strange (archive footage)
- 2017 · Walk with Me as Narrator (voice)
- 2016 · Naples '44 as Norman Lewis (voice)
- 2016 · Shakespeare Live! From the RSC as Self - Performer
- 2016 · Mark Gatiss: A Study in Sherlock as Himself
- 2015 · National Theatre Live: Hamlet as Hamlet
- 2014 · Walking with Dinosaurs: Prehistoric Planet 3D as Narrator (Voice)
- 2014 · Unlocking Sherlock as Himself / Sherlock Holmes
- 2013 · Sherlock: Many Happy Returns as Sherlock Holmes
- 2013 · Jerusalem as Narrator (voice)
- 2012 · Girlfriend in a Coma as Dante (voice)
- 2012 · Frankenstein: A Modern Myth as Self / Frankenstein / The Monster
- 2007 · Inseparable as Joe / Charlie
- 2002 · Fields of Gold as Jeremy
- Future · Wife & Dog as
- Future · Blood on Snow as The Fisherman
- 2014 · How to Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective as Self
- 2013 · Little Favour as Wallace
- 2013 · Solar Superstorms as Narrator
- 2012 · Sherlock: Uncovered as Sherlock, Self
- 2005 · The Man Who Predicted 9/11 as Narrator (voice)
- 2002 · Hills Like White Elephants as The Man
- Future · The War Magician as Jasper Maskelyne
- 2010 · Burlesque Fairytales as Henry Clark
- Future · Rogue Male as
- Future · Morning as Frank
- 2010 · Unlocking Sherlock as Himself
- Future · Gypsy Boy as
- 2009 · The Turning Point as Guy Burgess