Benedict Cumberbatch is a highly acclaimed English actor who has worked in almost every field of the entertainment industry. Benedict has been part of major theatre productions from his early days and became famous for playing the role of Titania at a very young age. He has worked in films, television, theatre, and radio. Benedict Cumberbatch is a highly talented person and has even voiced some iconic characters from popular works of fiction like ‘The Simpsons’ and the movie trilogy of ‘The Hobbit.’ He has been a part of major movie productions and has had significant influence on the television industry as well. His movie ‘Dr. Strange,’ which was produced by ‘Marvel Studios,’ became a huge hit worldwide. His portrayal of the iconic character Sherlock Holmes in the hit TV series ‘Sherlock’ was appreciated by critics around the world. Benedict Cumberbatch is married to the British Theatre and Opera director Sophie Hunter. The couple has two sons, namely Christopher Carlton Cumberbatch and Hal Auden Cumberbatch.
Early life and education
Antecedents and family tree
In 1728, Benedict Cumberbatch’s 7th-great-grandfather, Abraham Cumberbatch of Saint Andrew, Barbados (died 1753), acquired properties on the island of Barbados in the West Indies, which employed enslaved people. These properties were passed down through the generations to Benedict’s great-great-great-grandfather, Abraham Parry Cumberbatch (died 1840 in Hellingly, Sussex). He was an absentee landlord of two estates, Cleland and Lammings, for which he received £5388 as slave compensation (via the Slave
Compensation Act 1837, four years after the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 had abolished slavery). The Cleland plantation employed 250 enslaved people, and was the main source of the Cumberbatch family’s considerable wealth at the time; they were one of the richest families in Britain. There has been media speculation that the Barbados National Task Force on Reparations, which is part of the wider Caribbean’s CARICOM Reparations Commission, which is as of 2022 seeking reparations from wealthy British MP Richard Drax for his ancestors’ involvement in slavery, might also consider seeking reparations from families such as the Cumberbatches. Benedict Cumberbatch has said that by the time of his birth, most of the money had run out, and he grew up “definitely middle class”, or upper middle class; the Drax family still owns a large estate in Barbados, and Richard Drax is said to be worth “at least £150m”.
Abraham Parry Cumberbatch’s son (Benedict’s great-great-grandfather) Robert William Cumberbatch, was a British consul in Turkey and the Russian Empire. His great-grandfather, Henry Alfred Cumberbatch, was also a diplomat who served as consul in Turkey and Lebanon, and his grandfather, Henry Carlton Cumberbatch, was a submarine officer of both World Wars, and a prominent figure of London high society.
Cumberbatch is third cousin 16 times removed of King Richard III, whom he portrayed in The Hollow Crown. He attended Richard III’s 2015 reburial and read a poem.
Birth family and schooling
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch was born on 19 July 1976 at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in the London district of Hammersmith, to actors Timothy Carlton (born Timothy Carlton Congdon Cumberbatch) and Wanda Ventham. He grew up in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea. He has a half-sister, Tracy Peacock, from his mother’s first marriage.
Cumberbatch attended boarding schools from the age of eight, attending Brambletye, a prep school near East Grinstead, West Sussex.
He undertook secondary schooling as an arts scholar at Harrow School. He was a member of the Rattigan Society, Harrow’s principal club for the dramatic arts, which was named
after Old Harrovian and playwright Sir Terence Rattigan. He was involved in numerous Shakespearean works at school and made his acting debut as Titania, Queen of the Fairies, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream when he was 12. His first leading role was as Eliza Doolittle in Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, in a production by the Head of Classics, James Morwood, who observed that Cumberbatch “acted everyone else off the stage”. Cumberbatch’s drama teacher, Martin Tyrell, called him “the best schoolboy actor” he had ever worked with. Despite his abilities, Cumberbatch’s drama teacher at Harrow warned him against a career in acting, calling it a “tough business”.
Benedict Cumberbatch Height Weight Age Body Statistics Biography
| Benedict Cumberbatch Biodata and Biography | |
| Name | Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch |
| Nick-name | Benedict Cumberbatch, Ben |
| Sex | Male |
| Date Of Birth | 19 July 1976 |
| Age | 46 Years (as in 2022) |
| Profession / Occupation | Actor |
| Mother Tongue | English |
| Religion | Buddhist philosophy |
| Nation | British |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
| Height / Weight | 6’1″ / 78kg |
| First Movie | Amazing Grace (2006) |
| Debut | Amazing Grace (2006) |
| Money Factora | $40 million/film (USD) |
| Benedict Cumberbatch Family and Relatives | |
| Father | Timothy Carlton |
| Mother | Wanda Ventham |
| Brothers | None |
| Sisters | Tracy Peacock |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Sophie Hunter (m. 2015) |
| Daughters | None |
| Sons | Christopher Carlton Cumberbatch Hal Auden Cumberbatch |
| Girlfriends/ Affairs | Olivia Poulet (1999-2011) Anna Jones (2011-2012) Lydia Hearst (2012) Liv Tyler (2012) Dakota Johnson (2013) Sophie Hunter (2014–Present) |
| Benedict Cumberbatch Height, Weight and Body Measurements | |
| Height in Centimeters | 182 cm |
| Height in Meters | 1.82 m |
| Height in Feet Inches | 6’1″ |
| Weight | 78kg |
| Body Measurement | 42-14-32 |
| Chest Size | 42 inches |
| Waist Size | 32inches |
| Biceps Size | 14 inches |
| Eye Colour | Blue |
| Hair Colour | Reddish |
| Benedict Cumberbatch Favorites | |
| Favorite Colour | Blue |
| Favorite Actor | Jack Nicholson Steve McQueen Harrison Ford Marlon Brando Martin Sheen Stephen Dillane |
| Favorite Actress | Angelina Jolie |
| Favorite Food | Indian Food, Lassi, Bananas, Hummus, vegetables |
| Hobbies | Reading |
| Favorite Book | Girl Meets Boy |
| Favorite Movies | Ghostbusters (1984), Annie Hall (1977), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) |
| Car Collection | Lamborghini Huracan Lamborghini Urus JAGUAR F-TYPE JAGUAR XJ MERCEDES S-CLASS IN DR STRANGE GARAGE MG GS Audi E-Tron GT |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Benedict Cumberbatch Education School and Colleges | |
| Education Qualification | University of ManchesterLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| School | Brambletye School Harrow School |
| College / University | University of ManchesterLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| Others | Not Known |
| Benedict Cumberbatch Residence and Contact Address | |
| Birth Place | Hammersmith, London, England |
| Home Town | Hammersmith, London, England |
| Present Residence | Hidden Hills, California |
| House Address | Hidden Hills, California |
| Phone No / Mobile No | Not Known |
| Email ID | Not Known |
| Website | Not Known |
| Benedict Cumberbatch Awards, Honours, Achievements | |
| Academy Award (Oscar) | Not Known |
| BAFTA Awards | 2019: Best Actor – Patrick Melrose |
| British Academy Britannia Awards | 2013: British Artist of the Year |
| Critics’ Choice Television Awards | 2012: Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie – Sherlock |
| Laurence Olivier Awards | 2012: Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play – Frankenstein |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2014: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie – Sherlock: His Last Vow |
| AACTA Awards | 2021: Best International Actor – The Power of the Dog |
| British Independent Film Awards | 2014: The Variety Award – The Imitation Game |
| Hollywood Film Awards | 2013: Best Ensemble – August: Osage County 2014: Best Actor – The Imitation Game |
| National Film Awards UK | 2015: Best Actor – The Imitation Game |
| Satellite Awards | 2012: Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film – Sherlock 2021: Best Actor – Motion Picture – The Power of the Dog |
| Crime Thriller Awards | 2012: Best Actor – Sherlock |
| Golden Nymph Awards | 2004: Television Films – Best Performance by an Actor – Hawking 2006: Mini-Series – Best Performance by an Actor – To the Ends of the Earth |
| National Television Awards | 2014: Best TV Detective – Sherlock |
| TV Choice Awards | 2014: Best Actor – Sherlock |
| Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards | 2012: Best Actor – Frankenstein |
| Evening Standard Theatre Awards | 2011: Best Actor – Frankenstein |
| Ian Charleson Awards | 2005: Best Classical Stage Performance – Hedda Gabler |
| Whatsonstage.com Awards | 2016: Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play – Hamlet |
Tertiary education
After leaving Harrow, Cumberbatch took a gap year to volunteer as an English teacher at a Tibetan monastery in Darjeeling, India.
He then attended the Victoria University of Manchester, where he studied drama.
He continued his training as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), graduating with an MA in classical acting. In January 2018, Cumberbatch succeeded Timothy West as president of LAMDA.
Performing arts career
Since 2001, Cumberbatch has had major roles in a dozen classic plays at the Regent’s Park Open Air, Almeida, Royal Court and Royal National Theatres. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for his role as George Tesman in Hedda Gabler, which he performed at the Almeida Theatre on 16 March 2005 and at the Duke of York’s Theatre when it transferred to the West End on 19 May 2005. This transfer marked his first West End appearance.
In June 2010, Cumberbatch led the revival of Sir Terence Rattigan’s After the Dance directed by Thea Sharrock at the Royal National Theatre. He played 1920s aristocrat David Scott-Fowler to commercial and critical success. The play won four Olivier Awards including Best Revival. He acted in Danny Boyle’s The Children’s Monologues, a theatrical charity event at London’s Old Vic Theatre on 14 November 2010 which was produced by Dramatic Need.
In February 2011, Cumberbatch began playing, on alternate nights, both Victor Frankenstein and his creature, opposite Jonny Lee Miller, in Boyle’s stage production of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein at the Royal National Theatre. Frankenstein was broadcast to cinemas as a part of National Theatre Live in March 2011.
Cumberbatch achieved the “Triple Crown of London Theatre” in 2011 when he received the Olivier Award, Evening Standard Award and Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for his performance in Frankenstein.
Cumberbatch was a part of a cast featuring members of the Royal National Theatre Company in 50 Years on Stage, the Royal National Theatre’s landmark event for its 50th anniversary on 2 November 2013. He played Rosencrantz in a selected scene from Sir Tom Stoppard’s play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. The show was directed by Sir Nicholas Hytner and was broadcast on BBC Two and in cinemas worldwide as a part of National Theatre Live.
Cumberbatch returned to theatre to play Shakespeare’s Hamlet at London’s Barbican Theatre. The production was directed by Lyndsey Turner and produced by Sonia Friedman, which started its 12-week run in August 2015. The performance, co-starring Sian Brooke, was broadcast by the National Theatre Company by satellite internationally as Hamlet in Rehearsal. He earned his third Laurence Olivier Awards nomination for the role.