98 Facts About Benedict Cumberbatch

1.

Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch was born on 19 July 1976 and is an English actor.

2.

Benedict Cumberbatch began acting in Shakespearean theatre productions before making his West End debut in Richard Eyre's revival of Hedda Gabler in 2005.

3.

Benedict Cumberbatch gained wide recognition for portraying Sherlock Holmes in the series Sherlock from 2010 to 2017, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.

4.

Benedict Cumberbatch acted in the dramas Amazing Grace, Atonement, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, 12 Years a Slave, The Current War, 1917 and The Courier.

5.

Benedict Cumberbatch has said that by the time of his birth, most of the money had run out, and he grew up "definitely middle class", or upper middle class.

6.

Benedict Cumberbatch's great-grandfather, Henry Alfred Cumberbatch, was a diplomat who served as consul in Turkey and Lebanon, and his grandfather, Henry Carlton Cumberbatch, was a submarine officer of both World Wars, and a prominent figure of London high society.

7.

Benedict Cumberbatch is third cousin 16 times removed of King Richard III, whom he portrayed in The Hollow Crown.

8.

Benedict Cumberbatch attended Richard III's 2015 reburial and read a poem.

9.

Benedict Cumberbatch grew up in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

10.

Benedict Cumberbatch has a half-sister, Tracy Peacock, from his mother's first marriage.

11.

Benedict Cumberbatch attended boarding schools from the age of eight, attending Brambletye, a prep school near East Grinstead, West Sussex.

12.

Benedict Cumberbatch undertook secondary schooling as an arts scholar at Harrow School.

13.

Benedict Cumberbatch was a member of the Rattigan Society, Harrow's principal club for the dramatic arts, which was named after Old Harrovian and playwright Sir Terence Rattigan.

14.

Benedict Cumberbatch 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.

15.

Benedict Cumberbatch's first leading role was as Eliza Doolittle in Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, in a production by the Head of Classics, James Morwood, who observed that Cumberbatch "acted everyone else off the stage".

16.

Benedict Cumberbatch then attended the Victoria University of Manchester, where he studied drama.

17.

Benedict Cumberbatch continued his training as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, graduating with an MA in classical acting.

18.

In January 2018, Benedict Cumberbatch succeeded Timothy West as president of LAMDA.

19.

Since 2001, Benedict Cumberbatch has had major roles in a dozen classic plays at the Regent's Park Open Air, Almeida, Royal Court and Royal National Theatres.

20.

Benedict Cumberbatch was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for his role as George Tesman in Hedda Gabler, which he performed at the Almeida Theatre on 16 March 2005 and at the Duke of York's Theatre when it transferred to the West End on 19 May 2005.

21.

In June 2010, Benedict Cumberbatch led the revival of Sir Terence Rattigan's After the Dance directed by Thea Sharrock at the Royal National Theatre.

22.

Benedict Cumberbatch played 1920s aristocrat David Scott-Fowler to commercial and critical success.

23.

Benedict Cumberbatch acted in Danny Boyle's The Children's Monologues, a theatrical charity event at London's Old Vic Theatre on 14 November 2010 which was produced by Dramatic Need.

24.

In February 2011, Benedict Cumberbatch began playing, on alternate nights, both Victor Frankenstein and his creature, opposite Jonny Lee Miller, in Boyle's stage production of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein at the Royal National Theatre.

25.

Benedict Cumberbatch achieved the "Triple Crown of London Theatre" in 2011 when he received the Olivier Award, Evening Standard Award and Critics' Circle Theatre Award for his performance in Frankenstein.

26.

Benedict Cumberbatch was a part of a cast featuring members of the Royal National Theatre Company in 50 Years on Stage, the Royal National Theatre's landmark event for its 50th anniversary on 2 November 2013.

27.

Benedict Cumberbatch played Rosencrantz in a selected scene from Sir Tom Stoppard's play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

28.

Benedict Cumberbatch returned to theatre to play Shakespeare's Hamlet at London's Barbican Theatre.

29.

Benedict Cumberbatch earned his third Laurence Olivier Awards nomination for the role.

30.

Benedict Cumberbatch later provided Hawking's voice in the first episode of the television series Curiosity.

31.

Benedict Cumberbatch appeared in the BBC miniseries Dunkirk as Lieutenant Jimmy Langley.

32.

In 2005, Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed protagonist Edmund Talbot in the miniseries To the Ends of the Earth, based on Sir William Golding's trilogy; during filming he said he experienced a terrifying carjacking in South Africa, managing to escape.

33.

Benedict Cumberbatch made brief appearances in the comedy sketch show Broken News and the Channel 4 sitcom Nathan Barley in 2005 and featured alongside Tom Hardy in the television adaptation of Stuart: A Life Backwards, which aired on the BBC in September 2007.

34.

In 2008, Benedict Cumberbatch played the lead character in the BBC miniseries drama The Last Enemy, earning a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film.

35.

Benedict Cumberbatch played Bernard in the TV adaptation of Small Island, earning him a nomination for BAFTA Television Award for Best Supporting Actor.

36.

Benedict Cumberbatch featured in Michael Dobbs' play, The Turning Point, which aired as one of a series of TV plays broadcast live on Sky Arts.

37.

Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed Burgess; Churchill was played by Matthew Marsh, who had played a supporting role in Hawking.

38.

Benedict Cumberbatch narrated the 6-part series South Pacific, which aired from May to June 2009 on BBC 2.

39.

In 2010, Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed Vincent van Gogh in Van Gogh: Painted with Words.

40.

Benedict Cumberbatch won an Emmy as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for the third episode of the third series of the show entitled His Last Vow.

41.

Benedict Cumberbatch has one of the most aggressive fanbases to date, part of the 'Big Three' fandoms on the social media site Tumblr, called SuperWhoLock.

42.

Benedict Cumberbatch's performance earned Cumberbatch his second Emmy Award nomination for Best Actor in Miniseries or TV Movie.

43.

In February 2014, Benedict Cumberbatch appeared with Sesame Street characters Murray and Count von Count for PBS.

44.

In 2016, Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed Richard III in Shakespeare's play of the same name, as part of the second series of films for The Hollow Crown, which aired in both Britain and the United States.

45.

Benedict Cumberbatch has been a brand ambassador for Dunlop and Jaguar luxury cars since 2014.

46.

Benedict Cumberbatch starred in Patrick Melrose, a miniseries adaptation of the Edward St Aubyn novels, which began airing on Showtime on 12 May 2018.

47.

In 2019 Benedict Cumberbatch appeared as British political strategist Dominic Cummings in HBO and Channel 4's television film Brexit: The Uncivil War.

48.

Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed Peter Guillam, George Smiley's right-hand man, in the 2011 adaptation of the John le Carre novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

49.

Benedict Cumberbatch played Major Jamie Stewart in Steven Spielberg's War Horse in 2011.

50.

In 2012, Cumberbatch provided the voice and motion-capture for both Smaug the Dragon and the Necromancer in An Unexpected Journey, the first instalment of The Hobbit series based on the novel of the same name by JR R Tolkien.

51.

In 2013, Benedict Cumberbatch appeared in JJ Abrams' sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, as Khan, the film's antagonist.

52.

Benedict Cumberbatch had a voice role in DreamWorks Animation's feature film Penguins of Madagascar, which was released in November 2014.

53.

Benedict Cumberbatch then starred in the historical drama The Imitation Game as British cryptographer Alan Turing, released in November 2014.

54.

Benedict Cumberbatch starred as Doctor Strange in both the eponymous film released in November 2016, in Avengers: Infinity War in April 2018, and in Avengers: Endgame in April 2019.

55.

Benedict Cumberbatch starred as electricity titan Thomas Edison in the film The Current War in September 2017.

56.

In 2018, Benedict Cumberbatch voiced the title character in the film The Grinch, and provided the voice and did performance capture for the tiger Shere Khan in Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, Netflix film adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, starring alongside Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett.

57.

In 2021, Benedict Cumberbatch starred in the drama The Power of the Dog, written and directed by Jane Campion.

58.

Benedict Cumberbatch will appear opposite Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel and Ben Kingsley.

59.

Benedict Cumberbatch has repeatedly expressed his affection for radio and has done numerous productions for the BBC.

60.

Benedict Cumberbatch played Young Rumpole, and went on to play the part in nine more adaptations of Mortimer's works.

61.

Benedict Cumberbatch then went on to play the Angel Islington in the 2013 BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere.

62.

Benedict Cumberbatch has narrated numerous documentaries for the National Geographic and Discovery channels.

63.

Benedict Cumberbatch has read for several audiobooks, including Casanova, The Tempest, The Making of Music, Death in a White Tie, Artists in Crime, Tom and Viv, and Sherlock Holmes: The Rediscovered Railway Mysteries and Other Stories.

64.

Benedict Cumberbatch has done voice-overs for several commercials, including for major names Jaguar, Sony, Pimms, and Google+, performing the Seven Ages of Man monologue.

65.

Benedict Cumberbatch made appearances for two Cheltenham Festivals, in July 2012 for Music when he read World War I poetry and prose accompanied by piano pieces and in October 2012 for Literature when he discussed Sherlock and Parade's End at The Centaur.

66.

In 2013, Benedict Cumberbatch narrated the documentary film Jerusalem about the ancient city.

67.

Benedict Cumberbatch narrated the documentary Cristiano Ronaldo: The World at His Feet about the Portuguese footballer for Vimeo and Vision Films in 2014.

68.

On 28 September 2016, Benedict Cumberbatch appeared on stage with Pink Floyd member David Gilmour during one of the musician's shows in London held at the Royal Albert Hall.

69.

Benedict Cumberbatch sang lead vocals on the song "Comfortably Numb", singing the verse sections originally sung by Roger Waters.

70.

Adept at impersonating others, Benedict Cumberbatch was referred to as the "New King of Celebrity Impressionists" by Vulture magazine.

71.

Benedict Cumberbatch has imitated celebrities on a number of chat shows, such as The Graham Norton Show on the BBC, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC, and in general interviews on channels such as MTV.

72.

Benedict Cumberbatch's impersonations include Alan Rickman, Sean Connery, Jack Nicholson, Tom Hiddleston, Michael Caine, Christopher Walken, Tom Holland, Bane, John Malkovich, Matthew McConaughey, Taylor Swift and Chewbacca.

73.

Benedict Cumberbatch is a supporter and patron of organisations focused on using the arts to help disadvantaged young people including Odd Arts, Anno's Africa and Dramatic Need.

74.

Benedict Cumberbatch set up a recovery fund for the benefit of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association.

75.

Benedict Cumberbatch has donated artworks for charities and fundraisers including the Willow Foundation, and Thomas Coram Foundation for Children.

76.

Together with Prince Philip, Benedict Cumberbatch presented 85 young people with the Duke of Edinburgh's Award at St James's Palace on 19 March 2014.

77.

In September 2015, Benedict Cumberbatch condemned the UK government's response to the migrant crisis in a speech to theatregoers during a curtain call at a performance of Hamlet, for which he stars.

78.

Benedict Cumberbatch fronted a video campaign to help the charity Save The Children in its mission to aid young Syrian refugees.

79.

Benedict Cumberbatch was one of the signatories of an open letter, published in The Guardian, criticising the government for its actions regarding the refugee problem.

80.

Benedict Cumberbatch gave nightly speeches after his curtain call as Hamlet at the Barbican in London, asking for donations to help Syrian refugees.

81.

Benedict Cumberbatch faced criticism for not taking in refugees himself, responding "I do have a house, but it's empty, it's gutted, there's no electricity or water, so that wouldn't work, and I have a baby in my flat, there are no spare rooms".

82.

In May 2020, Benedict Cumberbatch was among the ten celebrities who read an instalment of Roald Dahl's children's fantasy novel James and the Giant Peach.

83.

In 2003, Benedict Cumberbatch joined the Stop the War Coalition protest in London against the Iraq War.

84.

Benedict Cumberbatch addressed activists in a 2010 protest sponsored by the Trade Union Congress in Westminster on the suggested risks to the arts due to spending cuts expected in the Spending Review.

85.

Benedict Cumberbatch is a supporter of LGBT+ rights and in July 2013 officiated at the same-sex marriage of friends.

86.

In 2016, Benedict 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.

87.

Benedict Cumberbatch was appointed a CBE in the 2015 Birthday Honours for services to the performing arts and to charity.

88.

Benedict Cumberbatch received the honour from the Queen at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 10 November 2015.

89.

In February 2016, Benedict Cumberbatch was appointed visiting fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University.

90.

Benedict Cumberbatch achieved international recognition with the first series of Sherlock in 2010.

91.

Benedict Cumberbatch has since been called "The Thinking Woman's Crumpet" and has been a mainstay in numerous "Sexiest Man Alive" lists including those of Empire and People.

92.

In 2013, Benedict Cumberbatch was ranked fifth in the Tatlers "Most Fascinating People in Britain" list, higher than the Duchess of Cambridge and just below Queen Elizabeth II.

93.

Benedict Cumberbatch has appeared on the covers of GQ, Time and The Hollywood Reporters "New A-list" issue.

94.

In 2014, Benedict Cumberbatch was included in The Sunday Times "100 Makers of the 21st Century", cited as this generation's Laurence Olivier.

95.

Cumberbatch was the inspiration and focus of the play Benedict Cumberbatch Must Die which, despite its title, was a "love letter" and portrait of the fan obsession surrounding the actor.

96.

Benedict Cumberbatch subscribes to Buddhist philosophy and has expressed affinity for meditation and mindfulness.

97.

Benedict Cumberbatch was in a twelve-year-long relationship with actress Olivia Poulet, from his time at Manchester University until 2010.

98.

Benedict Cumberbatch is married to English theatre and opera director Sophie Hunter.