Actor Benedict Cumberbatch has performed in many films, television series, theatre productions, and recorded lines for various radio programs, narrations and video games. He first performed for the New Shakespeare Company at Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park for two seasons. He later portrayed George Tesman in Richard Eyre's revival of Hedda Gabler (2005) and since then has starred in the Royal National Theatre productions After the Dance (2010) and Frankenstein (2011). In 2015, he played William Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Barbican Theatre.
His screen work includes television appearances in Heartbeat (2000), Silent Witness (2002) and Fortysomething (2003) before starring as Stephen Hawking in the television film Hawking (2004). He has played Sherlock Holmes in the crime drama series Sherlock since 2010. He has also starred in Tom Stoppard's adaptation of Parade's End (2012). He appeared in To Kill a King (2003) and he went on to appear in the films Atonement (2007) and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011). He has starred in the films Star Trek Into Darkness as Khan Noonien Singh (2013), 12 Years a Slave as William Prince Ford (2013), The Fifth Estate as Julian Assange (2013), and The Imitation Game as Alan Turing (2014). Through voice and motion capture, he played the characters of Smaug and The Necromancer in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit film series (2012–2014). He plays Dr. Stephen Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), beginning with the release of Doctor Strange (2016) and reprised the role in Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
Benedict Cumberbatch has received various accolades throughout his career, including a British Academy Television Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award and a Laurence Olivier Award. He won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for playing the title role in the five-part drama miniseries Patrick Melrose. Cumberbatch won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for Sherlock and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for Frankenstein. His performances in the dramas The Imitation Game (2014) and The Power of the Dog (2021) earned him nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award, all for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
† | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998, 2000, 2004 | Heartbeat | Party Guest, Charles, Toby Fisher | 3 episodes | [47] |
2002 | Tipping the Velvet | Freddy | Episode #1.1 | [9] |
2002 | Silent Witness | Warren Reid | 1 episode, two parts, season 6 (6.5 & 6.6) | [48] |
2003 | Cambridge Spies | Edward Hand | Episode #1.2 | [49] |
2003 | Spooks | Jim North | Episode #2.1 | [50] |
2003 | Fortysomething | Rory Slippery | 6 episodes | [2] |
2004 | Dunkirk | Lt. Jimmy Langley | Documentary | [2] |
2004 | Hawking | Stephen Hawking | Television film | [51] |
2005 | Nathan Barley | Robin | 2 episodes | [48] |
2005 | To the Ends of the Earth | Edmund Talbot | 3 episodes | [52] |
2005 | Broken News | Will Parker | 3 episodes | [53] |
2007 | Stuart: A Life Backwards | Alexander Masters | Television film | [54] |
2008 | The Last Enemy | Stephen Ezard | 5 episodes | [55] |
2009 | Small Island | Bernard | Television film | [56] |
2009 | Marple: Murder Is Easy | Luke Fitzwilliam | Television film | [1] |
2010 | Van Gogh: Painted with Words | Vincent van Gogh | Television film | [57] |
2010 | The Rattigan Enigma | Presenter | Documentary | [58] |
2010–2017 | Sherlock | Sherlock Holmes | 13 episodes | [59] |
2012 | Parade's End | Christopher Tietjens | 5 episodes | [60] |
2013, 2021 | The Simpsons | British Prime Minister / Severus Snape; Quilloughby, Imaginary Quilloughby (voices) | 2 episodes | [61] [62] |
2014 | The Colbert Report | Smaug (voice) | Episode #1,443 | [63] |
2016 | The Hollow Crown | Richard III | 2 episodes | [64] |
2016 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Benedict Cumberbatch / Solange" | [65] |
2017 | The Child in Time | Stephen Lewis | Television film | [66] |
2018 | Patrick Melrose | Patrick Melrose | 5 episodes; also executive producer | [67] |
2019 | Brexit: The Uncivil War | Dominic Cummings | Television film | [68] |
2019 | Good Omens | Satan (voice) | 3 episodes | [69] |
2021–2023 | What If...? | Dr. Stephen Strange, Doctor Strange Supreme (voice) | 6 episodes | [70] [71] |
2022 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Benedict Cumberbatch / Arcade Fire" | |
2023 | Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge | Himself (guest) | Series 2, episode 2 | [72] |
2023 | Mog’s Christmas | Mr. Thomas (voice) | Animated Christmas special | [73] |
2024 | Eric | Vincent Sullivan | Limited series; also executive producer | [74] |
TBA | The 39 Steps | Richard Hannay | Limited series; also executive producer | [75] |
Year | Title | Role | Location | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | Rat in the Skull | Roche | Edinburgh Festival Fringe | [76] |
1999 | The Zoo Story | Jerry | Edinburgh Festival Fringe | [77] |
1999, 2002 | The Kvetch | George | Teatro Della Contraddizione | [78] |
2000 | Woyzeck | Unknown | Didsbury Studio | |
2001 | The Visit | Anton Schill | Edinburgh Festival Fringe Drayton Court Theatre Tearto Della Contraddizione | |
2001 | Love's Labour's Lost | Ferdinand | Open Air Theatre | [2] |
2001 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Demetrius | Open Air Theatre | [2] |
2002 | As You Like It | Orlando | Open Air Theatre | [2] |
2002 | Romeo and Juliet | Benvolio | Open Air Theatre | [2] |
2002 | Oh, What a Lovely War! | Unknown | Open Air Theatre | [2] |
2004 | Dead Hand | Unknown | The Old Vic | [2] |
2004 | The Lady from the Sea | Lyngstrand | Almeida Theatre | [2] |
2005 | Hedda Gabler | George Tesman | Almeida Theatre Duke of York's Theatre | [9] |
2006 | Period of Adjustment | George | Almeida Theatre | [79] |
2007 | Rhinoceros | Bérenger | Royal Court Theatre | [80] |
2007 | The Arsonists | Eisenring | Royal Court Theatre | [80] |
2008 | The City | Chris | Royal Court Theatre | [81] |
2010 | After the Dance | David Scott-Fowler | Royal National Theatre | [82] |
2010 | The Children's Monologues | Reader | The Old Vic | [83] |
2011 | Frankenstein | The Creature / Victor Frankenstein | Royal National Theatre | [9] |
2013 | 50 Years on Stage | Himself / Rosencrantz | Royal National Theatre | [84] |
2013–2015, 2018–2019 | Letters Live | Reader | The Tabernacle Hay Festival Freemasons' Hall The Town Hall Union Chapel | [85] [86] [87] [88] [89] |
2015 | Hamlet | Prince Hamlet | Barbican Theatre | [90] |
Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | Mansfield Park | Edmund Bertram | [2] |
2004 | Kepler | Johannes Kepler | [91] |
2004 | The Raj Quartet | Nigel Rowan | |
2004 | The Recruiting Officer | Worthy | |
2004 | The Odyssey | Telemachus | [2] |
2004 | The Biggest Secret | Captain Rob Collins | [92] |
2004 | The Far Side of the World | Narrator | [2] |
2004 | The Surgeon's Mate | Narrator | [91] |
2004 | Mr. Norris Changes Trains | Narrator | [91] |
2005 | Le Pere Goriot | Narrator | [93] |
2005 | Seven Women | Tovey | [94] |
2005 | Medical Humanities: Baptism by Rotation | Narrator | [95] |
2005 | Fieldstudy: The Field | Narrator | [95] |
2005 | The Cocktail Party | Peter Quilpe | [2] |
2006 | The Possessed | Nikolai Stavrogin | [96] |
2008 | The Pillow Book | Tadanobu | [97] |
2008 | Blake's 7: The Early Years | Townsend | [98] |
2008 | Last Days of Grace | GF | [99] |
2008 | At War with Wellington | Duke of Wellington | [100] |
2008 | Chatterton: The Allington Solution | Thomas Chatterton | [52] |
2008 | Spellbound | Dr. Murchison | [95] |
2008 | Rainy Season | Narrator | [95] |
2008 | The Tiger's Tale | Narrator | |
2008 | Words and Music: Italian Fantasy | Narrator | [101] |
2008 | Doctor Who: Forty-Five | Howard Carter / Thing 2 | [102] |
2008–2014 | Cabin Pressure | Captain Martin Crieff | [103] |
2008 | Metamorphosis | Narrator | [104] |
2009 | Good Evening | Dudley Moore | [95] |
2009 | Little Red Hen | Narrator | [105] |
2009 | Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders | Young Rumpole | [106] |
2010 | Rumpole and the Family Pride | Young Rumpole | [107] |
2010 | Rumpole and the Eternal Triangle | Young Rumpole | [108] |
2010 | Words for You: The Next Chapter | Narrator | [109] |
2011 | Tom and Viv | T. S. Eliot | [104] |
2012 | Rumpole and the Man of God | Young Rumpole | [110] |
2012 | Rumpole and the Explosive Evidence | Young Rumpole | [111] |
2012 | Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail | Young Rumpole | [112] |
2012 | Rumpole and the Expert Witness | Young Rumpole | [113] |
2013 | Copenhagen | Werner Heisenberg | [114] |
2013 | Neverwhere | Angel Islington | [115] [116] |
2014 | Rumpole and the Old Boy Net | Rumpole | [117] |
2014 | Rumpole and the Sleeping Partners | Rumpole | [118] |
2015 | My Dear Bessie | Chris | [119] |
Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Casanova | Track: "Memoirs of Giacomo Casanova" | [120] |
2009 | South Pacific | Documentary; 6 episodes | [121] |
2010 | Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking | Documentary; 3 episodes | [122] |
2011 | Curiosity | Documentary; episode "Did God Create the Universe?" | [123] |
2012 | Stephen Hawking's Grand Design | Documentary; 3 episodes | [124] |
2012 | Our War | Documentary narrating Lt. Mark Evison diary ; 1 episodes | |
2012 | Late Night Tales: Friendly Fires | Track: "Flat of Angles (Part 1)" | [125] |
2013 | Late Night Tales: Röyksopp | Track: "Flat of Angles (Part 2)" | [126] |
2013 | Late Night Tales: Bonobo | Track: "Flat of Angles (Part 3)" | [127] |
2013 | Jerusalem | Documentary | [128] |
2013 | Usher House | Opera by Gordon Getty | [129] |
2014 | Late Night Tales: Django Django | Track: "Flat of Angles (Part 4)" | [130] |
2014 | Globalised Slavery | Documentary by The Guardian | [131] |
2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo: The World at His Feet | Documentary | [132] |
2017 | Walk with Me – A Journal into Mindfulness featuring Thich Nhat Hanh | Documentary | [133] |
2021 | Sleep Sound | Animated short | [134] [135] |
2022 | Super/Natural | Documentary: 6 episodes | [136] [137] |
Year | Title | Voice role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | The Nightjar | Narrator | [138] |
2014 | Sherlock: The Network | Sherlock Holmes | [139] |
2014 | Lego The Hobbit | Smaug / The Necromancer | [23] |
2015 | Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff | Himself | [140] |
Smaug is a dragon and the main antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit, his treasure and the mountain he lives in being the goal of the quest. Powerful and fearsome, he invaded the Dwarf kingdom of Erebor 171 years prior to the events described in the novel. A group of thirteen dwarves mounted a quest to take the kingdom back, aided by the wizard Gandalf and the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. In The Hobbit, Thorin describes Smaug as "a most specially greedy, strong and wicked worm".
Jonathan Lee Miller is an English actor. He achieved early success for his portrayal of Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson in the dark comedy-drama film Trainspotting (1996) and as Dade Murphy in Hackers (1995) before earning further critical recognition for his performances in Afterglow (1997), Mansfield Park (1999), Mindhunters (2004),The Flying Scotsman (2006), Endgame (2009), and T2 Trainspotting (2017). For The Flying Scotsman he received a London Film Critics' Circle nomination for Actor of the Year. He was also part of the principal cast in the films Melinda and Melinda (2004), Dark Shadows (2012), and Byzantium (2013). He has appeared in several theatrical productions, most notably After Miss Julie and Frankenstein, the latter of which earned him an Olivier Award for Best Actor.
Mark Strong is a British actor best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in Stardust (2007), Archibald in RocknRolla (2008), Lord Henry Blackwood in Sherlock Holmes (2009), Frank D'Amico in Kick-Ass (2010), Jim Prideaux in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Sinestro in Green Lantern (2011), George in Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Major General Stewart Menzies in The Imitation Game (2014), Merlin in Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), Dr. Thaddeus Sivana in Shazam! (2019) and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), and John in Cruella (2021).
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurence Olivier Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and four Golden Globes. In 2014, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2015, he was appointed a CBE for services to performing arts and charity.
Wanda Ventham is an English actress with many roles on British television since beginning her career in the 1950s.
Edward Maurice Charles Marsan is an English actor. He won the London Film Critics Circle Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film Happy-Go-Lucky (2008).
Timothy Carlton Congdon Cumberbatch is an English actor.
Benedict Wong is an English actor. He began his career on stage before starring in the film Dirty Pretty Things (2003), which earned him a British Independent Film Award nomination, and the BBC sitcom 15 Storeys High (2002–2004). This was followed by roles in the films On a Clear Day (2005), Sunshine, Grow Your Own, and Moon (2009), and the CBBC series Spirit Warriors (2010).
Siân Brooke is an English actress. Her television work includes Cape Wrath (2007), Sherlock (2017), Doctor Foster (2017), Good Omens (2019), Guilt (2019), Trying (2020–), House of the Dragon (2022) and Blue Lights (2023-).
Sherlock is a British mystery crime drama television series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the show stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson. Thirteen episodes have been produced, with four three-part series airing from 2010 to 2017 and a special episode that aired on 1 January 2016. The series is set in the present day in which it aired, while the one-off special features a Victorian period fantasy resembling the original Holmes stories. Sherlock is produced by the British network BBC, along with Hartswood Films, with Moffat, Gatiss, Sue Vertue and Rebecca Eaton serving as executive producers. The series is supported by the American station WGBH-TV Boston for its Masterpiece anthology series on PBS, where it also airs in the United States. The series is primarily filmed in Cardiff, Wales, with North Gower Street in London used for exterior shots of Holmes and Watson's 221B Baker Street residence.
Jasmine Hyde is an English actress who has appeared on the stage radio and screen. She is best known for her role as the young Hilda Rumpole in many years of the BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of Rumpole of the Bailey, opposite Benedict Cumberbatch and then later, Julian Rhind-Tutt, including Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders. Most recently she appeared as Anna in The Arcola's production of 'The Cutting Edge' written and directed by Jack Shepherd.
Parade's End is a five-part BBC/HBO/VRT television serial adapted from the eponymous tetralogy of novels (1924–1928) by Ford Madox Ford. It premiered on BBC Two on 24 August 2012 and on HBO on 26 February 2013. The series was also screened at the 39th Ghent Film Festival on 11 October 2012. The miniseries was directed by Susanna White and written by Tom Stoppard. The cast was led by Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall as Christopher and Sylvia Tietjens, along with Adelaide Clemens, Rupert Everett, Miranda Richardson, Anne-Marie Duff, Roger Allam, Janet McTeer, Freddie Fox, Jack Huston, and Steven Robertson.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a 2013 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro, based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. The sequel to 2012's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, it is the second instalment in The Hobbit trilogy, acting as a prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The Fifth Estate is a 2013 biographical thriller film directed by Bill Condon about the news-leaking website WikiLeaks. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as its editor-in-chief and founder Julian Assange and Daniel Brühl as its former spokesperson Daniel Domscheit-Berg. Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Alicia Vikander, Stanley Tucci, and Laura Linney are featured in supporting roles. The film's screenplay was written by Josh Singer based in-part on Domscheit-Berg's book Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World's Most Dangerous Website (2011), as well as WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy (2011) by British journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding. The film's name is a reference to people who operate in the manner of journalists outside the normal constraints imposed on the mainstream media.
Doctor Strange is a 2016 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 14th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Scott Derrickson from a screenplay he wrote with Jon Spaihts and C. Robert Cargill, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as neurosurgeon Stephen Strange along with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benjamin Bratt, Scott Adkins, Mads Mikkelsen, and Tilda Swinton. In the film, Strange learns the mystic arts after a career-ending car crash.
Rumpole of the Bailey is a radio series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer based on the television series Rumpole of the Bailey. Five different actors portrayed Horace Rumpole in these episodes: Leo McKern, Maurice Denham, Timothy West, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Julian Rhind-Tutt.
Presenter...Benedict Cumberbatch