Biography - Benedict Cumberbatch

Who is Benedict Cumberbatch?

Benedict Cumberbatch is an actor by profession and British by nationality. The Emmy Award-winning actor is famous for starring in Sherlock, The Imitation Game, The Hobbit, Doctor Strange, Avengers, etc.

Benedict Cumberbatch – Age, Parents, Siblings

Benedict Cumberbatch’s birth took place on 19 July 1976 in London, England. He was born as Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch to father Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch and mother Wanda Ventham, who are both actors. 

Although he is the only child of his parents, he has an older half-sister named Tracy Peacock from his mother’s first marriage to James Tabernacle.

Education, Ethnicity

For education, Benedict Cumberbatch attended boarding school Brambletye School in West Sussex and public school Harrow School where he was an art scholar. After graduation, he took a break from education and volunteered as an English teacher at the Tibetan monastery in Darjeeling, India.

A year later, he attended the University of Manchester to study drama. Cumberbatch then joined the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) where he earned a Master of Arts in Classical Acting. 

His ethnicity is mostly European - English, Welsh, Scottish, Cornish, French, Swiss, Swedish, German, and Dutch.

Benedict Cumberbatch – Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Divorce

He dated actress Olivia Poulet in 2001 but soon split.

Benedict Cumberbatch married his longtime girlfriend Sophie Hunter, an English theater and opera director. They tied the knot on 14 February 2015, having announced their engagement on 5 November 2014 after 17 years of friendship.

He and his wife have three children together- sons Christopher Carlton Cumberbatch (born June 1, 2015) Hal Auden Cumberbatch (born March 3, 2017), and Finn Cumberbatch (born January 11, 2019).  As of 2020, the couple is living without rumors of extra-marital affairs and divorce.

Benedict Cumberbatch – Abduction, Near Death

In 2005 Cumberbatch was in South Africa with two friends Theo and Denise Black when their tire burst. They were abducted and held at gunpoint by a group of locals. Their abductors eventually drove them into unsettled territory and set them free. They had not explained the reason for the abduction and eventual release. 

The actor spoke of his near-death experience, “It taught me that you come into this world as you leave it, on your own. It's made me want to live a life less ordinary." 

Related: Domhnall Gleeson played Bill Wesley in Harry Potter

Benedict Cumberbatch – Career

Theater 

In the initial years of his career, Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed major roles in theaters. He acted in the theater productions of Hedda Gabler (2005), After the Dance (2010), Frankenstein (2011), and Hamlet (2015), among many others.

Films, Series

Benedict Cumberbatch made his debut film appearance in the 1999 film Topsy-Turvy but was uncredited. He then had a series of minor roles in the films To Kill a King (2003), Hawking (2004), and Starter for 10 (2006). His role in Amazing Grace as William Pitt the Younger gathered international attention.

Since then he has portrayed major characters in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), 12 Years a Slave (2013), The Fifth Estate (2013), The Imitation Game (2014), The Hobbit film series, and as Dr. Stephen Strange in Marvel films Doctor Strange (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). 

Cumberbatch is also known for starring in the TV series Silent Witness (2002), Fortysomething (2003), Sherlock (2010-2017), Parade's End (2012), Patrick Melrose (2018), etc.

Co-stars

In the TV series Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch starred alongside Andrew Scott, Rupert Graves, and Tanya Moodie.

Benedict Cumberbatch – Awards, Nominations

Over the years Benedict Cumberbatch has received numerous prestigious award nominations for Academy Awards, seven Emmy Awards, two Laurence Olivier Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, six SAG Awards, and four Satellite Awards. 

Among the nominations, he has won an Emmy Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Satellite Award.

Related: Naomie Harris stars in James Bond films

Benedict Cumberbatch – Net Worth, Salary

He has a net worth of $40 million while the figure on his annual salary is not shared with the public. 

Benedict Cumberbatch – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

On social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, Benedict Cumberbatch is absent, at least publicly.

Related: British actor David Oyelowo