Benedict Cumberbatch – One of the best things about being an actor is that it’s a meritocracy: Birthday Special
Benedict Cumberbatch was born on 19th July 1976 at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in the district of West London’s Hammersmith and Fulham borough, to actors Timothy Carlton (born Timothy Carlton Congdon Cumberbatch) and Wanda Ventham. He grew up in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. He has a half-sister, Tracy Peacock, from his mother’s first marriage. His grandfather, Henery Carlton Cumberbatch, was a submarine officer of both World Wars, and a prominent figure of London high society. His great-grandfather, Henry Arnold Cumberbatch, was a diplomat who served as consul in Turkey and Lebanon, and his great-great-grandfather, Robert William Cumberbatch, also was a British consul in Turkey and the Russian Empire.
Cumberbatch graduate from the Victoria University of Manchester, he continued his training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, obtaining a Master of Arts in Classical Acting.
Benedict Cumberbatch is an English actor who has performed in films, television, theatre, and radio. Cumberbatch’s television work includes appearances in Silent Witness (2002) and Fortysomething (2003) before playing Stephen Hawkins in the television film Hawking in 2004. He has starred as Sherlock Holmes in the series Sherlock since 2010. He has also headlined Tom Stoppard’s adaptation of Parade’s End (2012), The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (2016) and Patrick Melrose (2018). In the film, 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. From 2012 to 2014, through voice and motion capture, he played the characters of Smaug and the Necromancer in The Hobbit film series. In superhero films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he has played Dr. Stephen Strange in Docter Strange (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
The following is a list of awards and nominations received by English actor Benedict Cumberbatch. He has earned three Laurence Oliver Award nominations, winning Best Actor Play for Frankenstein. He has also received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Sherlock. His portrayal of Alan Turing in The Imitation Game earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
In addition, he has received seven British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominations, five Screen Actor Guild Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations among others. In 2014, Time magazine included him in its annual Time 100 as one of the “Most Influential People in the World”. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in June 2015 for his services to the performing arts and to charity.