Benedict Cumberbatch

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

Avengers: Infinity War Not in library

Avengers: Infinity War

2018

Avengers: Endgame Not in library

Avengers: Endgame

2019

Doctor Strange Not in library

Doctor Strange

2016

Thor: Ragnarok Not in library

Thor: Ragnarok

2017

Spider-Man: No Way Home Not in library

Spider-Man: No Way Home

2021

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Not in library

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2012

The Imitation Game Not in library

The Imitation Game

2014

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

2014

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Not in library

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

2013

1917 Not in library

1917

2019

Acting

2026 Wife & Dog
2025 The Thing with Feathers as Dad
2025 The Roses as Theo Rose
2025 The Phoenician Scheme as Uncle Nubar
2025 Together for Palestine as Self
2024 The Book of Clarence as Benjamin
2024 The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More as Henry Sugar / Max Engelman / Harry (archive footage)
2024 Placebo: This Search for Meaning as Self
2024 Eric as Vincent (6 episodes)
2023 The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar as Henry Sugar / Make-Up Artist
2023 Mog's Christmas as Mr. Thomas (voice)
2023 Poison as Harry Pope
2023 The End We Start From as AB
2023 Arctic: Our Frozen Planet as Narrator
2023 James Blunt: One Brit Wonder as Self (archive footage)
2022 Reframing the West: Behind the Scenes of Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog
2022 Behind the Scenes With Jane Campion as Self (archive footage)
2022 Minions & More Volume 1 as The Grinch (voice)
2022 Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Self - Doctor Stephen Strange
2022 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Doctor Stephen Strange
2022 The Tiger Who Came to Tea as Daddy (voice)
2022 Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge as Self (1 episode)
2022 Super/Natural as Self - Narrator (voice) (6 episodes)
2021 Marvel Studios' 2021 Disney+ Day Special as Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange (voice) (archive footage)
2021 The Power of the Dog as Phil Burbank
2021 The Electrical Life of Louis Wain as Louis Wain
2021 The Mauritanian as Lt. Stuart Couch
2021 Spider-Man: No Way Home as Doctor Strange
2021 Letters Live from the Archive: Freemasons’ Hall
2021 Letters Live from the Archive: Union Chapel as Self
2021 What If...? as Doctor Strange (voice) (3 episodes)
2021 What If...? as Doctor Strange / Strange Supreme (voice) (1 episode)
2021 Marvel Studios Legends as Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange (archive footage) (uncredited) (2 episodes)
2021 What If...? as Doctor Strange / Strange-Supreme (voice) (1 episode)
2021 What If...? as Strange Supreme / Demon Strange (voice) (1 episode)
2020 The Courier as Greville Wynne
2020 Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King as Self
2020 Antarctica as Self - Narrator
2019 Cindy-Lou's Yule Log as The Grinch
2019 The Dog Days of Winter as The Grinch (voice)
2019 Brexit: The Uncivil War as Dominic Cummings
2019 1917 as Colonel MacKenzie
2019 Between Two Ferns: The Movie as Benedict Cumberbatch
2019 Avengers: Endgame as Doctor Strange
2019 The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self (1 episode)
2019 Good Omens as Satan (voice) (1 episode)
2018 The Grinch as Grinch (voice)
2018 Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle as Shere Khan (voice)
2018 The Current War as Thomas Edison
2018 The Child in Time as Stephen Lewis
2018 Avengers: Infinity War as Doctor Strange
2018 Patrick Melrose as Patrick Melrose (5 episodes)
2017 Thor: Ragnarok as Doctor Strange
2017 Walk with Me as Narrator (voice)
2016 Zoolander 2 as All
2016 Sherlock: The Abominable Bride as Sherlock Holmes
2016 Shakespeare Live! From the RSC as Self - Performer
2016 Naples '44 as Norman Lewis (voice)
2016 Mark Gatiss: A Study in Sherlock as Himself
2016 Doctor Strange as Dr. Stephen Strange
2015 Black Mass as Billy Bulger
2015 National Theatre Live: Hamlet as Hamlet
2015 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self - Guest (1 episode)
2014 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as Smaug / Sauron (voice) In Library
2014 The Imitation Game as Alan Turing
2014 Cristiano Ronaldo: World at His Feet as Narrator
2014 Unlocking Sherlock as Himself / Sherlock Holmes
2014 Walking with Dinosaurs: Prehistoric Planet 3D as Narrator (Voice)
2014 Penguins of Madagascar as Classified (voice)
2014 The Penguins of Madagascar: Operation Search and Rescue as Agent Classified (voice)
2014 How to Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective as Self
2014 9 Kisses as Man at Costume Party
2014 Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self (1 episode)
2014 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self - Guest (3 episodes)
2014 Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self (3 episodes)
2013 Sherlock: Many Happy Returns as Sherlock Holmes
2013 Star Trek Into Darkness as John Harrison / Khan
2013 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug as Smaug / Sauron
2013 12 Years a Slave as William Ford
2013 August: Osage County as Little Charles Aiken
2013 The Fifth Estate as Julian Assange
2013 Little Favour as Wallace
2013 Jerusalem as Narrator (voice)
2013 National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage as Rosencrantz
2012 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as Necromancer
2012 Girlfriend in a Coma as Dante (voice)
2012 Sherlock: Uncovered as Sherlock, Self
2012 Frankenstein: A Modern Myth as Self / Frankenstein / The Monster
2012 The Dreams of William Golding as Reader
2012 Stephen Hawking's Grand Design as Narrator (voice) (3 episodes)
2012 Parade's End as Christopher Tietjens (5 episodes)
2012 WWI's Tunnels of Death: The Big Dig as Narrator (Voice) (2 episodes)
2012 The Hollow Crown as Richard (1 episode)
2012 The Hollow Crown as Richard III (1 episode)
2012 Why did you come to Japan? as Self (1 episode)
2011 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as Peter Guillam
2011 War Horse as Maj. Jamie Stewart
2011 Wreckers as David
2011 National Theatre Live: Frankenstein as The Creature / Victor Frankenstein
2011 The Rattigan Enigma by Benedict Cumberbatch
2011 The Jonathan Ross Show as Self (1 episode)
2010 Four Lions as Negotiator
2010 The Whistleblower as Nick Kaufman
2010 Third Star as James
2010 Burlesque Fairytales as Henry Clark
2010 Van Gogh: Painted with Words as Vincent Van Gogh
2010 Unlocking Sherlock as Himself
2010 Sherlock as Sherlock Holmes (12 episodes)
2010 Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking as Stephen Hawking (3 episodes)
2009 Creation as Joseph Dalton Hooker
2009 The Turning Point as Guy Burgess
2009 Small Island as Bernard (2 episodes)
2009 South Pacific as Self - Narrator (voice) (6 episodes)
2008 The Other Boleyn Girl as William Carey
2008 The Last Enemy as Stephen Ezard (5 episodes)
2007 Atonement as Paul Marshall
2007 Stuart: A Life Backwards as Alexander Masters
2007 Inseparable as Joe / Charlie
2007 The Graham Norton Show as Self (8 episodes)
2007 The Graham Norton Show as Self - Guest (2 episodes)
2006 Starter for 10 as Patrick Watts
2006 Amazing Grace as William Pitt
2006 The One Show as Self - Guest (1 episode)
2005 The Man Who Predicted 9/11 as Narrator (voice)
2005 Broken News as Will Parker (6 episodes)
2005 To the Ends of the Earth as Edmund Talbot (3 episodes)
2005 Nathan Barley as Robin (2 episodes)
2004 Hawking as Stephen Hawking
2004 Agatha Christie's Marple as Luke Fitzwilliam (1 episode)
2004 Dunkirk as Lt Jimmy Langley (3 episodes)
2003 To Kill a King as Royalist
2003 Fortysomething as Rory Slippery (6 episodes)
2003 Cambridge Spies as Edward Hand (1 episode)
2003 Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self - Guest (4 episodes)
2002 Fields of Gold as Jeremy
2002 Hills Like White Elephants as The Man
2002 Spooks as Jim North (1 episode)
2002 Tipping the Velvet as Freddy (1 episode)
2002 Timeshift as self (1 episode)
2002 Top Gear as Self (1 episode)
1997 Leute heute as Self (1 episode)
1997 The View as Self (1 episode)
1996 Silent Witness as Warren Reid (2 episodes)
1996 The Daily Show as Self (1 episode)
1993 GMTV as Self (1 episode)
1992 Heartbeat as Toby Fisher (1 episode)
1992 Heartbeat as Charles (1 episode)
1990 Have I Got News for You as Self - Host (1 episode)
1989 The Simpsons as Severus Snape / Prime Minister (voice) (1 episode)
1989 The Simpsons as Quilloughby (voice) (1 episode)
1988 LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self (2 episodes)
1975 Saturday Night Live as Self - Host (2 episodes)
1975 Saturday Night Live as Self - Cameo (uncredited) (1 episode)
1953 The Oscars as Self (1 episode)
Blood on Snow as The Fisherman
Morning as Frank
Last Flight as Kirk Wallace Johnson
Have I Got a Bit More News for You as Self - Presenter (1 episode)

Production

2025 The Roses Executive Producer
2024 We Live in Time Executive Producer
2024 Eric Executive Producer
2023 The End We Start From Executive Producer
2021 The Mauritanian Producer
2021 The Electrical Life of Louis Wain Executive Producer
2020 The Courier Executive Producer
2018 The Child in Time Executive Producer
2018 Patrick Melrose Executive Producer
2013 Little Favour Producer
Rogue Male Producer
Migrations Producer
Last Flight Executive Producer
Morning Executive Producer