Benedict Cumberbatch
Biography
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
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
The Simpsons
1989
The Simpsons
1989
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
The Daily Show
1996
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
Conan
2010
Saturday Night Live
1975
Saturday Night Live
1975
The Colbert Report
2005
The Graham Norton Show
2007
Filmography
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
as Self - Guest · 2014
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self - Guest · 2015
The Simpsons
as Severus Snape / Prime Minister (voice) · 1989
The Simpsons
as Quilloughby (voice) · 1989
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self - Guest · 2014
The Daily Show
as Self - Guest · 1996
The Kelly Clarkson Show
as Self · 2019
Conan
as Self - Guest · 2010
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host · 1975
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Cameo (uncredited) · 1975
The Colbert Report
as Smaug (voice) · 2005
The Graham Norton Show
as Self · 2007
The Graham Norton Show
as Self - Guest · 2007
The View
as Self - Guest · 1997
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self - Guest · 2003
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
as Self · 1988
Leute heute
as Self · 1997
Avengers: Endgame
as Doctor Strange · 2019
Avengers: Infinity War
as Doctor Strange · 2018
The One Show
as Self - Guest · 2006
Silent Witness
as Warren Reid · 1996
Have I Got News for You
as Self - Host · 1990
The South Bank Show
· 1978
Have I Got a Bit More News for You
as Self - Presenter
Top Gear
as Self · 2002
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) · 2021
Heartbeat
as Toby Fisher · 1992
Heartbeat
as Charles · 1992
The Imitation Game
as Alan Turing · 2014
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
as Self · 2014
Spooks
as Jim North · 2002
Sherlock
as Sherlock Holmes · 2010
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
as Smaug / Sauron (voice) · 2014
GMTV
as Self · 1993
Agatha Christie's Marple
as Luke Fitzwilliam · 2004
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
as Doctor Stephen Strange · 2022
Thor: Ragnarok
as Doctor Strange · 2017
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
as Necromancer · 2012
The Jonathan Ross Show
as Self · 2011
Doctor Strange
as Dr. Stephen Strange · 2016
Good Omens
as Satan (voice) · 2019
Glastonbury
as Self · 1997
The Oscars
as Self · 1953
Marvel Studios Legends
as Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange (archive footage) (uncredited) · 2021
1917
as Colonel MacKenzie · 2019
The Grinch
as The Grinch (voice) · 2018
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
as Smaug / Sauron · 2013
Penguins of Madagascar
as Classified (voice) · 2014
Parade's End
as Christopher Tietjens · 2012
Timeshift
as self · 2002
12 Years a Slave
as William Ford · 2013
Star Trek Into Darkness
as John Harrison / Khan · 2013
Black Mass
as Billy Bulger · 2015
The Hollow Crown
as Richard · 2012
The Hollow Crown
as Richard III · 2012
The Roses
as Theo Rose · 2025
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
as Self - Guest · 2025
Atonement
as Paul Marshall · 2007
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
as Shere Khan (voice) · 2018
The Phoenician Scheme
as Uncle Nubar · 2025
Patrick Melrose
as Patrick Melrose · 2018
War Horse
as Maj. Jamie Stewart · 2011
Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge
as Self · 2022
The Courier
as Greville Wynne · 2020
Why did you come to Japan?
as Self · 2012
The Mauritanian
as Lt. Stuart Couch · 2021
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
as Henry Sugar / Make-Up Artist · 2023
The Power of the Dog
as Phil Burbank · 2021
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
as Peter Guillam · 2011
Zoolander 2
as All · 2016
The Other Boleyn Girl
as William Carey · 2008
The Book of Clarence
as Benjamin · 2024
Eric
as Vincent · 2024
August: Osage County
as Little Charles Aiken · 2013
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
as Sherlock Holmes · 2016
The Fifth Estate
as Julian Assange · 2013
The Current War
as Thomas Edison · 2018
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
as Louis Wain · 2021
Nathan Barley
as Robin · 2005
Small Island
as Bernard · 2009
South Pacific
as Self - Narrator (voice) · 2009
Tipping the Velvet
as Freddy · 2002
Minions & More Volume 1
as The Grinch (voice) · 2022
The Whistleblower
as Nick Kaufman · 2010
To the Ends of the Earth
as Edmund Talbot · 2005
Cambridge Spies
as Edward Hand · 2003
The Last Enemy
as Stephen Ezard · 2008
Fortysomething
as Rory Slippery · 2003
The Thing with Feathers
as Dad · 2025
Four Lions
as Negotiator · 2010
Broken News
as Will Parker · 2005
Super/Natural
as Self - Narrator (voice) · 2022
Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home
as Self (archive footage) · 2022
Poison
as Harry Pope · 2023
The End We Start From
as AB · 2023
Starter for 10
as Patrick Watts · 2006
Between Two Ferns: The Movie
as Benedict Cumberbatch · 2019
Wife & Dog
· 2027
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More
as Henry Sugar / Max Engelman / Harry (archive footage) · 2024
Dunkirk
as Lt Jimmy Langley · 2004
Brexit: The Uncivil War
as Dominic Cummings · 2019
Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
as Self - Doctor Stephen Strange · 2022
Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking
as Stephen Hawking · 2010
The Child in Time
as Stephen Lewis · 2018
Stephen Hawking's Grand Design
as Narrator (voice) · 2012
David Attenborough's 100 Years on Planet Earth
as Self · 2026
Creation
as Joseph Dalton Hooker · 2009
Stuart: A Life Backwards
as Alexander Masters · 2007
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
as Self · 2020
To Kill a King
as Royalist · 2003
Confessions II – The Film
as Self · 2026
Marvel Studios' 2021 Disney+ Day Special
as Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange (voice) (archive footage) · 2021
Amazing Grace
as William Pitt · 2007
National Theatre Live: Frankenstein
as The Creature / Victor Frankenstein · 2011
The Tiger Who Came to Tea
as Daddy (voice) · 2022
The Dog Days of Winter
as The Grinch (voice) · 2019
Van Gogh: Painted with Words
as Vincent Van Gogh · 2010
Walk with Me
as Narrator (voice) · 2017
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
as Self - Performer · 2016
Wreckers
as David · 2011
Hawking
as Stephen Hawking · 2004
National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage
as Rosencrantz · 2013
Behind the Scenes with Jane Campion
as Self (archive footage) · 2022
Third Star
as James · 2010
National Theatre Live: Hamlet
as Hamlet · 2015
The Penguins of Madagascar - Operation: Penguin Takeover
as Agent Classified (voice) · 2014
Together for Palestine
as Self · 2025
Cristiano Ronaldo: World at His Feet
as Narrator · 2014
9 Kisses
as Man at Costume Party · 2014
Frankenstein: A Modern Myth
as Self / Frankenstein / The Monster · 2012
Mog's Christmas
as Mr. Thomas (voice) · 2023
Unlocking Sherlock
as Himself / Sherlock Holmes · 2014
Letters Live from the Archive: Freemasons’ Hall
· 2021
Blood on Snow
as The Fisherman
James Blunt: One Brit Wonder
as Self (archive footage) · 2023
Letters Live from the Archive: Union Chapel
as Self · 2021
Jerusalem
as Narrator (voice) · 2013
Mark Gatiss: A Study in Sherlock
as Himself · 2016
Arctic: Our Frozen Planet
as Narrator · 2023
Girlfriend in a Coma
as Dante (voice) · 2012
Fields of Gold
as Jeremy · 2002
Inseparable
as Joe / Charlie · 2007
Antarctica
as Self - Narrator · 2020
How to Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective
as Self · 2014
Sherlock: Many Happy Returns
as Sherlock Holmes · 2013
Walking with Dinosaurs: Prehistoric Planet 3D
as Narrator (Voice) · 2014
Naples '44
as Norman Lewis (voice) · 2016
How to Live on Earth
as Self · 2026
The Man Who Predicted 9/11
as Narrator (voice) · 2005
Burlesque Fairytales
as Henry Clark · 2010
Morning
as Frank
The Dreams of William Golding
as Reader · 2012
WWI's Tunnels of Death: The Big Dig
as Narrator (Voice) · 2012
Little Favour
as Wallace · 2013
Sherlock: Uncovered
as Sherlock, Self · 2012
Reframing the West: Behind the Scenes of Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog
· 2022
Hills Like White Elephants
as The Man · 2002
Cindy-Lou's Yule Log
as The Grinch · 2019
Last Flight
as Kirk Wallace Johnson
Unlocking Sherlock
as Himself · 2010
Tilda Swinton: The Wildcards
as Self · 2025
The Turning Point
as Guy Burgess · 2009
The Rattigan Enigma by Benedict Cumberbatch
· 2011
Placebo: This Search for Meaning
as Self · 2024
Untitled Doctor Strange Movie
as Doctor Stephen Strange