Known for his unique, baritone voice and a celebrated television, movie, and stage career, Benedict Cumberbatch is a British actor whose portrayal of Sherlock, on the BBC television show of the same name, earned him worldwide recognition. Cumberbatch also did starring roles in films like Atonement (2007), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), 12 Years a Slave (2013), and Imitation Game (2014). For his portrayal of Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, Cumberbatch received both Golden Globe and Oscar nomination, in 2014. In June 2015, for his contribution to the performing arts, and humanitarian causes, the actor was felicitated with Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.

Early Life
Born to famous TV actors Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham, Benedict Cumberbatch had a talent for performing arts in his blood. He was raised in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, England and paternal grandfather, Henry Carlton Cumberbatch, was an important member of the London elites, and his great grandfather was a rank holder and diplomat under Queen Victoria.

The Imitation Game actor attended school at Brambletye School, and Harrow School. While at Harrow School, he received a scholarship in arts and displayed hints of interest in rugby and painting oil canvases. With time, his covert passion for acting got attention and he played Titania, Queen of the Faeries, in the school production of the William Shakespeare play A Midsummer`s Night Dream. Post his studies, he took a gap year to teach English at a Tibetan monastery in Darjeeling, India. Cumberbatch then graduated with a degree in Drama from the University of Manchester and majored in Classical Acting from London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Personal Life
Benedict Cumberbatch had an on and off affair with the British actress and screenwriter Olivia Poulet for several years, before calling it quits in 2011. He then got secretly engaged to Sophie Hunter, avant-garde the Isle of Wight in England on February 14, 2015. Their son, Christopher Carlton Cumberbatch was born in June 2015.

Stage Career
At the onset of his career, Cumberbatch used his father`s stage name, Carlton, but soon changed it to his "unusual" surname in order to gain more professional attention. He started his theatre career with the New Shakespeare Company in London`s Regent Park in 2001 and 2002. In the subsequent years, he performed in classics such as Henrik Ibsen`s Hedda Gabler (2005; nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for best supporting actor) and Eugene Ionesco`s Rhinoceros (2007).

In 2010, Cumberbatch acted with Sir Ben Kingsley in Danny Boyle`s charity theatre play The Children`s Monologues, and in 2011, he appeared in yet another Danny Boyle`s play Frankenstein.

Television Career
After doing appearances in TV shows like Heartbeat, Silent Witness, Cambridge Spies, and Fortysomething, Cumberbatch, in 2004 did a starring role in a BBC TV movie Hawking, based on Stephen Hawking days at Cambridge University, where he was a student. Cumberbatch bagged the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor, for his portrayal of the titular character and was also the first-ever portrayal of the physicist on screen. In the coming years, he played important roles in series like Curiosity, Dunkirk, The Last Enemy, and Small Island.

The year 2010 proved to be a breakthrough year for the talented actor when he essayed Sherlock Holmes in the TV series Sherlock. The series received worldwide critical acclaim, catapulting Cumberbatch to instant stardom. For his character of an odd but brilliant detective, Sherlock received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (2014). After the success of the show, the series returned with a second and third season in 2012, and 2014, respectively.

Movie Career
In 2006, Benedict Cumberbatch featured in the biographical drama film Amazing Grace, about the campaign against the slave trade in the British Empire. The movie was first screened at the Toronto International film festival and received a positive response. He then starred in a minor role in the critically acclaimed movie Atonement (2007).

In The Hobbit film series ( The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ) , Cumberbatch provided the voice for the Necromancer, and the dragon, Smaug. He also played the villain in J.J. Abrams` Star Trek sequel, Star Trek: Into the Darkness (2013). Cumberbatch next starred in the Academy Award-winning film 12 Years a Slave. Based on the true story of Solomon Northup, an African American who was sold into slavery, the movie along with Cumberbatch starred Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong`o, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, and Alfre Woodard.

In 2014, he received an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination for playing the genius mathematician Alan Turing in the WWII drama The Imitation Game. Benedict Cumberbatch`s 2016 release includes the American superhero film, Doctor Strange. Alongside him, the film also stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benjamin Bratt, Scott Adkins, Mads Mikkelsen, and Tilda Swinton. His 2019 releases include Avengers: Endgame , The Current War and 1917. His 2021 project includes The Courier and Spiderman: No Way Home.