Benedict Cumberbatch is not a new actor-- he has been acting (starting with theater) since 2000. Recently, however, he has become much more famous, especially in America, due to some pretty iconic roles. Here we take a deeper look at the actor's past and some of his biggest roles.
For more information, go to CumberbatchWeb.
A Brief History
Benedict Timothy Cumberbatch Carlton was born on July 19th, 1976. His parents, Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch, were both actors of their own sorts. Wanda Ventham was best known for her roles as Col. Virginia Lake in the sci-fi TV series UFO, and for her recurring role of Pamela Parry in the show Only Fools and Horses. His father went professionally as Timothy Carlton, and was an English character actor, also appearing in many BBC sitcoms like Executive Stress, Next of Kin, and the television film The Scarlet Pimpernel. Unlike his father, it was recommended to Benedict that he take his surname "Cumberbatch" because it was very...memorable. Obviously, that's worked very well for him.
As a boy, he went to Brambletye School in West Sussex and then got an arts scholarship to Harrow School, where he first started doing Shakespearian plays. His first role was as Titania, the Queen of Fairies in Midsummer Night's Dream. After school, he took a gap year to teach English in a Tibetan monastery. He further continued his acting education at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
As a boy, he went to Brambletye School in West Sussex and then got an arts scholarship to Harrow School, where he first started doing Shakespearian plays. His first role was as Titania, the Queen of Fairies in Midsummer Night's Dream. After school, he took a gap year to teach English in a Tibetan monastery. He further continued his acting education at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Biggest Roles/Most Popularized Roles
It is definitely suggested that you look up all the programs listed, as they really are quite good.
Sherlock
You knew we'd start with this one, didn't you? Benedict Cumberbatch is the leading character Sherlock Holmes in this modern retake of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mysteries. It is set in modern-day London, and with it, is a new Watson (Martin Freeman), new Moriarty, but, most importantly, a new Sherlock. Unlike past versions of the show, this Sherlock is younger, and, Benedict, with alabaster skin and a shock of curly hair, makes the sociopathic Sherlock Holmes even more ethereal and alien than ever before. Not to mention the monologues. As SHerlock, Benedict Cumberbatch had to master the art of "deducing" those around him. He once said in an interview that "Sherlock speaks faster than I can think..(CONFIRM WHERE HE SAID THIS) Ben has put a lot of effort into his role, and if you've ever seen Sherlock you know that his work has paid off.
A nice clip that shows pretty accurately the character of Sherlock. No spoilers!
Star Trek: Into the Darkness
Not much has been released yet about this movie. All we know is that he will be playing the bad guy (the name is unconfirmed) that may or may not (once again, they are keeping spoilers under lock and key!) also be Khan, one of Star Trek's semi-recurring villains. (He appeared in a 1962 episode of the show and the movie Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan in 1982.) Still much is to be seen about him, but the character has been given the name John Harrison for now.
Parade's End
This five-part miniseries is a collaboration between HBO and BBC and is based off of the book by the same name, by Ford Madox Ford. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the main character Christopher Tietjens, an old-fashioned British gentleman whose sense of honor holds him back from divorcing his vindictive wife. The plot line circulates around Christopher's failing marriage, and the love triangle that formulates when he meets a young suffragette, and World War I. Benedict plays the character beautifully, showing perfectly the sense of regret Christopher feels about changing times.
Hawking
This was truly a test of Benedict Cumberbatch's skills. He plays Steven Hawking as a young man teaching at Cambridge University when he was first diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Throughout the movie, Steven's condition is in a downward spiral that will eventually lead to the Steven Hawking we know today- a man in a motorized wheelchair that speaks by using an intelligent computer that detects his blinks and cheek twitches. Though heartbreaking to watch, Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of it is truly magnificent.
The Hobbit
Benedict Cumberbatch is the voice of Smaug the Necromancer, the dragon and main villain in J.R.R. Tolkien's book The Hobbit, which has been adapted into a three part movie, starring Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins. (They meet again!) This is not the first time Benedict has done a vocals-only part--he has done many radio series--but it is his first time in a movie. You don't see much of him in the first movie, but he makes a much larger appearance in the second and third parts.
Cabin Pressure
If you think about it, who wouldn't want Benedict Cumberbatch to star in a radio sit-com? He has a voice simply made for radio, it's so deep. Cabin Pressure is a broadcast that follows the slightly off-kilter crew of the airplane owned by MJN Air (Short for My Jet Now, it is a plane that was received as part of a divorce settlement). Benedict plays Martin Crieff, the barely adequate Captain of the plane. It is now in its fourth season and is getting positive feedback.
Third Star
***HEARTBREAK ALERT***
This movie will make you cry. Fact of life.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays a terminally ill young man, who, for his 29th birthday, (which everyone knows will be his last birthday) wants to visit his favorite beach with his three friends. And that's really all I can say. Spoilers! But it will make you cry. It will.
This movie will make you cry. Fact of life.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays a terminally ill young man, who, for his 29th birthday, (which everyone knows will be his last birthday) wants to visit his favorite beach with his three friends. And that's really all I can say. Spoilers! But it will make you cry. It will.