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