benedict cumberbatch biography

Benedict Cumberbatch

Award-winning British actor Benedict Cumberbatch is known for playing the titular detective of the BBC's 'Sherlock' and the sorcerer Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Who Is Benedict Cumberbatch?

Early life and parents.

Hailing from London, Cumberbatch was born with theater in his blood. His parents, Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham, were well-known television actors when they had their son on July 19, 1976. Despite their success, they tried to steer young Benedict away from the stage and sent him to Harrow public school, where he had been awarded an arts scholarship.

At Harrow, he displayed an interest in rugby and painting, but it was theater that captured his imagination. Under the mentorship of Martin Tyrrell, Cumberbatch's first role was as Titania, Queen of the Faeries, in William Shakespeare 's A Midsummer's Night Dream .

Cumberbatch went on to teach English in Darjeeling, before returning to England to study drama at the University of Manchester. After graduation, he spent a year at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Movies, TV and Theater Roles

Cumberbatch began his career with roles in classic plays and small television shows. In 2004 he portrayed a young Stephen Hawking coping with the early stages of motor neuron disease, a performance that earned him a BAFTA nomination. His first film was the 2006 college comedy Starter for 10 . A year later, he appeared in the film Atonement and starred opposite Tom Hardy in the TV movie Stuart: A Life Backwards .

In 2010 the BBC aired a modern adaptation of the story of Sherlock Holmes. The production won widespread praise and granted stardom to Cumberbatch for his take on the famed detective, alongside Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson. In 2014 Cumberbatch won his first Emmy after three nominations for his lead role in the popular show.

'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,' Olivier Award for 'Frankenstein'

By 2011 Cumberbatch seemed locked in a Hollywood trajectory with roles in the Cold War thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Steven Spielberg 's World War I drama, War Horse . But he continued to appear on the London stage, this time in Danny Boyle's Frankenstein . The gig required him to alternate between Victor Frankenstein and his monster on opposite nights, ultimately earning him an Olivier Award for Best Actor jointly with his co-star, Jonny Lee Miller.

'The Hobbit,' 'Star Trek: Into Darkness'

Up for a new challenge, Cumberbatch supplied voice work and motion-capture movements for the Necromancer and Smaug characters in The Hobbit trilogy: An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Desolation of Smaug (2013) and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). He also took on another villainous role during this time, portraying the sinister Khan in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013).

'12 Years a Slave,' 'The Fifth Estate,' 'The Imitation Game'

Also in 2013 Cumberbatch appeared in Steve McQueen 's true-life drama 12 Years a Slave and starred in The Fifth Estate , as Wikileaks founder Julian Assange . The following year he enjoyed a voice role in Penguins of Madagascar and portrayed trailblazing mathematician Alan Turing in the WWII drama The Imitation Game , for which he garnered Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations.

'Doctor Strange' and Marvel Sequels

After returning to the stage for a 2015 production of Hamlet , Cumberbatch became the latest acclaimed actor to don a superhero costume for Doctor Strange (2016), alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton and Rachel McAdams . He reprised the role of the surgeon-turned-sorcerer for the Marvel blockbusters Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

'The Current War,' 'Patrick Melrose,' 'The Grinch'

Remaining busy away from his Marvel commitments, Cumberbatch portrayed Thomas Edison in the 2017 film The Current War and starred in the 2018 Showtime miniseries Patrick Melrose , based on the books of Edward St Aubyn. That year the actor also voiced the infamous Christmas-hating creature of the Dr. Seuss -inspired The Grinch and revisited motion-capture work for Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle . In 2020 he starred in the Cold War drama The Courier as Greville Wynne, a British businessman recruited by MI6.

Personal Life

Cumberbatch dated Olivia Poulet on and off for many years before calling it quits for good in 2011. The pair had met at the University of Manchester.

In November 2014 Cumberbatch became engaged to director Sophie Hunter. The under-the-radar and understated announcement ran in England’s Times newspaper. The couple tied the knot on February 14, 2015, on the Isle of Wight and welcomed their first child, son Christopher Carlton, that June. Two years later they welcomed the birth of their second son, Hal Auden.

In 2015 the actor was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

In June 2018 reports surfaced of an incident from the previous fall in which Cumberbatch leaped from a cab to defend a bicycle deliveryman from four muggers. Ironically, the Sherlock Holmes star found himself fighting crime near the location of the fictional detective's home on London's Baker Street.

QUICK FACTS

• Birth Year: 1976
• Birth date: July 19, 1976
• Birth City: London, England
• Birth Country: United Kingdom
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Award-winning British actor Benedict Cumberbatch is known for playing the titular detective of the BBC's 'Sherlock' and the sorcerer Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• Theater and Dance
• Astrological Sign: Cancer
• University of Manchester
• London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Benedict Cumberbatch Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/benedict-cumberbatch
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: May 14, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

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Benedict Cumberbatch

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IMDbPro Starmeter Top 500 240

• Contact info
• 72 wins & 163 nominations total

• Alan Turing

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• Necromancer (voice)
• Vincent, Vincent Sullivan
• TV Mini Series
• Pre-production
• In Production

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• Strange Supreme
• Demon Strange
• Doctor Strange (voice)

• Mr Thomas (voice)

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• Doctor Strange

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• Victor Frankenstein
• The Creature

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• In-development projects at IMDbPro

Personal details

• Benedikuto Kanbâbatchi
• 6′ (1.83 m)
• July 19 , 1976
• Hammersmith, London, England, UK
• Sophie Hunter February 14, 2015 - present (3 children)
• Children Christopher Carlton Cumberbatch
• Parents Wanda Ventham
• Relatives Henry Carlton Cumberbatch (Grandparent)
• Other works His credits at London's Almeida Theatre include: "Lyngstrand" in Henrik Ibsen 's "The Lady from the Sea" (2004), "Tesman" in Henrik Ibsen 's "Hedda Gabler" (2005, also West End) and "George Haverstick" in "Period of Adjustment", by Tennessee Williams (2006).
• 1 Interview
• 14 Articles
• 26 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

• Trivia His parents Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham also played his character's parents on Sherlock (2010) .
• Quotes [on Stephen Hawking ] He's such a presence and you have to really know what you want to say to him or ask him because it takes such a huge, phenomenal effort for him to communicate with you. You think, "I really don't want to waste this man's time." I was myself rather than thinking, "I'm a stupid actor; how on earth can I impress someone like this? I don't know what to say to make me feel worthy of playing this man.".
• Trademark Deep bass-baritone voice
• Salaries Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ( 2022 ) $7,500,000 + box-office bonus
• How old is Benedict Cumberbatch?
• When was Benedict Cumberbatch born?
• Where was Benedict Cumberbatch born?

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• Full Name Benedict Cumberbatch
• Nationality English
• Birthplace London, England
• Birth Date Jul 19, 1976
• Age 47 Years, 9 Months
• Nickname Actor

Benedict Cumberbatch | Biography 2021

Famous For His Role as Sherlock Holmes In The Popular British TV Series 'Sherlock', Benedict Cumberbatch Is An Oscar-nominated British Actor And Producer.

• Update : July 27, 2021

Famous for his role as Sherlock Holmes in the popular British TV Series  Sherlock  (2010-2017), Benedict Cumberbatch is an Oscar-nominated British actor and producer.  

Who is Benedict Cumberbatch?

Cumberbatch is a prominent actor who started his career through theatre and eventually established himself in the TV and movie industry. His charismatic portrayals in movies such as  Hawking  (2004),  Atonement  (2007),  The Other Boleyn Girl  (2008), 12  Years a Slave  (2013),  Imitation Game  (2014),  Dr. Strange  (2016), and the series  Sherlock  (2010-2017), The Simpsons (2013-2021) and  Patrick Melrose  (2018) have garnered him widespread popularity.

He has received prestigious accolades for his acting in the theatre. He received a ‘Laurence Olivier Award’ nomination for the category of ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for  Hedda Gabler  and won the ‘Laurence Olivier Award Best Actor’ for  Frankenstein .

Cumberbatch has got the ‘Oscars’ nomination under the ‘Best Actor’ category and ‘BAFTA’ for his role in  The Imitation Game  for his performance in the movies. He has also received one ‘Emmy Awards’ for his role on  Sherlock Holmes.

Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch was born on 19 July 1976. Both his parents—Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch—were television actors in London, England. His parents did not want him to follow in their footsteps in the acting industry. They wanted him to become a doctor or a lawyer. Hence they saved up and sent him to expensive private schools.

Benedict studied at Brambletye School located in West Sussex and studied arts at Harrow School. When he joined Harrow, he was interested in Rugby and painting but eventually found acting and theatre more compelling. He participated in several school plays, including the role of Titania, the queen of fairies, in William Shakespeare’s  A Midsummer Night’s Dream .

After school, he took a year off and went to Darjeeling, India, to teach English to Tibetan Buddhist monks. On his return, he joined and graduated from the University of Manchester with drama as his major. After graduation, he completed a one-year diploma course in classical acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.  

The actor accredited his parents for his education and his niche for hard work. He said, “I can only hope to be half as good a parent, as they were to me, to my children. I have their example to follow, so I’ll be doing something right if I am.”

Early Career

Cumberbatch’s career started from classical theatre plays. He started acting at the Regent Park, Royal National Theatre, and his major theatrical roles were in plays such as  Hedda Gabler  (2005),  Rhinoceros  (2007),  After the Dance  (2010),  The Children’s Monologues  (2010), and  Frankenstein  (2011).

Cumberbatch also acted in televisions in minor roles, including those in  Tipping the Velvet  (2002),  Silent Witness  (2002),  Fortysomething  (2003), and  To the Ends of the Earth  (2005).

Later, he had his movie breakthrough from  Hawking  (2004), where he portrayed the great scientist Stephen Hawking, which even garnered him a BAFTA TV nomination. After that, he had minor roles in  Amazing Grace  (2006),  Atonement  (2007),  The Other Boleyn Girl  (2008),  Creation  (2010), and  Star Trek Into the Darkness  (2013).

Abduction in Africa

After the release of  To the Ends of the Earth , Cumberbatch went through an unfortunate abduction experience while filming in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.  

The incident occurred after he was returning from a scuba-diving course with his co-stars, Theo Landey and Denis Black, and they had to stop in the middle of the road after having a flat tire. While they were changing the tire, a group of three men appeared out of the eucalyptus plantation. The men then held them at gunpoint, shoved them in a car, and drove away. They were robbers who tied the actors with shoelaces and wires before pulling them into the car. Cumberbatch scraped their way out by telling the robbers that he had brain and heart problems, and if something happened to him, they would have a dead Englishman in their car, which was probably not good for them.

Later, the actors were left psychologically tortured but physically unharmed in an open field, after which a lady offered them her phone for them to reach out. He connoted, “So I kind of thank God I had the presence of mind to give them the idea that it would be better to keep me alive. And the other two hadn’t been harmed…It enriches your values in life. It’s incredibly important…think it just made me run at life a bit more recklessly.”

'Sherlock Holmes’

Cumberbatch’s international breakthrough was from  Sherlock Holmes  (2010-2017, four seasons), where he played the lead role of Sherlock Holmes with Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson. The BBC series won him his first ‘Emmy Award’ under the ‘Outstanding Actor’ category in a Miniseries or a Movie.

According  to  showrunner Steven Moffat's interview with Independent in 2014, Cumberbatch was initially thought "not sexy enough" for Sherlock. According to Moffat, the BBC said regarding the casting, "You promised us a sexy Sherlock, not him."

Despite this, his performance garnered enormous public attention and success as well. While promoting  Sherlock Holmes , he said, “I think it is crucial to normalize your like, because of the very quick transition from being observant to being observed, due to that kind of life you have because of your work…to being a person as the main focus of attention. It’s tough for me to sit in a room without people managing to look at me, I mean, I still manage to do it…but as Sherlock says as being disguised in full sides is the best way in some ways.”

‘Doctor Strange’

In 2016 Cumberbatch joined the prestigious  Marvel  cast when he portrayed the role of Dr. Stephen Strange in the movie  Doctor Strange  (2016). He later reprised the character in  Thor: Ragnarok  (2017),  Avengers: Infinity War (2018) , and  Avengers: Endgame  (2019).

He recalled the experience in the sets as a space for camaraderie and companionship, “It’s just a fun place to be. It’s hard work, the long hours, but you spend a lot of time in isolation getting ready and prepping, putting the costume on, and the makeup can take a long time. And then you’re there, and you’re on the field, and you’re doing what you’re doing with an amazing bunch of actors, frankly. So, it’s kind of inspiring to look around. And then, once you’ve got over being star-struck, it’s just a really fun day at the office, as you can imagine. Long, but fun.”

‘The Imitation Game’

In 2014, Cumberbatch played the lead role in the movie  The Imitation Game  (2014), which got him his first Oscar nomination under the ‘Best Actor category. 

Based  on  the biography 'Alan Turing: The Enigma' (1983), the character Turing portrayed by Cumberbatch in  The Imitation Game  (2014) was considered the father of computer science. Using arithmetic, engineering, and not yet invented computer technology, Turing decrypted codes generated by the German military's allegedly indestructible Enigma system during World War II. However, most of the documents detailing Turing's work for the British government were lost alongside the information about his personal life.

Subsequently, Cumberbatch then played significant roles in the movie  A Child in Time  (2017), in the miniseries Patrick Melrose (2018), and then in films  Brexit: An uncivil war  (2019, tv movie) and  1917  (2019). Cumberbatch played Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s senior political strategist, Dominic Cummings, in  Brexit: An uncivil war .

‘The Courier’

In the 2020 thriller Film, Cumberbatch portrays a businessman, Greville Wynne, who ferried secrets between the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union during the Cold War in the thriller film  The Courier , which is based on a true story.

Deciding to depict the historical figure’s declining health when he had 18-month prison, Cumberbatch had to look emaciated. As a result, the already lean actor committed to losing weight over the course of three months.

He slimmed down by about 21 lbs. It was achieved by traditional dieting techniques as well as some strenuous exercise. In an interview with CinemaBlend, he said. “I was very fit and it was all done in a healthy way. It wasn’t about atrophy or lethargy. [Rather] it was very much about trying to shed everything to shrink and wrap my body mass around the muscle.” His routine included “lots of cold water, swimming and exercise, and healthy foods.”

Although his dramatic weight loss made him feel “vulnerable,” it also helped him emotionally prepare for the demanding role. “ You  get very disoriented, you feel dehydrated, you feel hungry all the time. You feel emotionally and physically very vulnerable. All of which plays very helpful into a character that must have endured this for months, if not years,” he expressed in one of his interviews and as well revealed that he got mentally disturbed in the process of losing weight.

However, persevered and driven by a sense of purpose and a sense of duty to his character, Cumberbatch further stated, “You do feel a responsibility to bring to light a story that a lot of people have either forgotten or never heard of.”

“This is an extraordinary character, a humble man from a very humble beginning. [He is] an ordinary man, an everyman hero who has to do something quite extraordinary and not only for his country and his family”, he added.

‘Dungeons and Dragons’

In 2021, game publisher Wizards of the Coast kicked   off a summer of celebrations with an animated  Dungeons & Dragons  short about the life of fan-favorite character Drizzt Do’Urden, voiced by Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch. 

The character has appeared in over thirty D&D books and video games, including  Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance . 

Dungeons & Dragons is a role-playing game in which players build their own heroes and stories.

‘The Electrical Life of Louis Wain’

In 2019, the biographical movie about the life of artist Louis Wain was announced with actors such as Benedict Cumberbatch (portrays Wain), Toby Jones, Claire Foy, and Claire Foy added to the cast. 

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

In October 2020, sources told Deadline that Cumberbatch was in talks to appear as Dr. Strange in  Spiderman: No Way Home , which is set to be released in November 2021. However,  because  narrative specifics are shrouded in secrecy, it's uncertain how big of a role Cumberbatch will play - whether it'll be major or just a guest appearance.

Upcoming 'Dr. Strange' Projects

In 2022, Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch is scheduled to return in Benedict Cumberbatch starred  Dr. Strange Season  2 (25 March 2022.) and also in  Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness . Cumberbatch was also signed to appear on the final episode of WandaVision, but he was later dropped to protect Wanda’s limelight in the story.

‘WandaVision’

Featuring  the  story of Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch (portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen),  WandaVison  (2021), is due to return in  Doctor Strange  and  The Multiverse of Madness  in 2022, although the two projects were virtually inextricably intertwined. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige noted in Rolling Stone‘s extensive oral history of  WandaVision  that the show's final episode will feature Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange. They did, however, phased him out later in the process.

“Some people might say, ‘Oh, it would’ve been so cool to see Dr. Strange,’” Feige shared with Rolling Stone in May 2021. “But it would have taken away from Wanda, which is what we didn’t want to do. We didn’t want the end of the show to be commoditized to go to the next movie — here’s the white guy, ‘Let me show you how power works’”, the president added.

‘The Mauritanian’

In 2021, he appeared in  The Mauritanian  (2021), which was based on the memoir Guantanamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi. He played the role of a lawyer alongside actress Jodie Foster.

Foster’s first scene and day on set were in Cape Town, South Africa, which essentially served as a stand-in for the bizarre Caribbean paradise surrounding Gitmo. But it was Cumberbatch who failed in front of the camera. In between takes, he became ill. He later said, “I was really ill, I think it was just a really severe flu. But it was really nasty. I hadn’t been that ill for quite a long time. Like maybe once in my life. Horrible,” he says.

According  to Celebrity Net Worth, Benedict Cumberbatch has a net worth of 40 million dollars.  His  $40 million net worth is mostly due to his roles as Sherlock Holmes on  Sherlock  and Dr. Stephen Strange in  Doctor Strange . For  Sherlock Holmes , he apparently made around $559,000 every season. Additionally, In 2013, he got $230,000 for his role in  12 Years a Slave , and in 2014, he earned an estimated $1.2 million for his role in  The Imitation Game . In the same year, he made $946, 000 for his other work,  Black Mass  (2015). Similarly, according to Screen Rant, he was paid $4.7 million for  Doctor Strange  and is expected to be paid $9.6 million for  Doctor Strange 2  (2022).

He also had a brief appearance in  1917  in 2019. On 19 January 2019, filmmaker Rian Johnson joked on Twitter that the film's director, Sam Mendes, had to pay Cumberbatch $23 million for postponing his sequence.

“Last night at the PGA awards Mendes told me 1917 was ACTUALLY shot in one continuous take, if an actor flubbed a line they’d go all the way back and start again from the beginning. They paid Cumberbatch to show up every day and wait in that room at the end. He was there 6 months”

“They paid him 23 million dollars”, Johnson added.

Cumberbatch says that he was “blessed” to be able to spend lockdown in New Zealand with his family, which included his elderly parents. In the year 2020, the actor was put on warning level 4 lockdown in New Zealand after being trapped in border closures while filming a film there. When New Zealand went into lockdown in March 2020, Cumberbatch was in the country filming  The Power of the Dog  (release date in 2021) with Kiwi filmmaker Jane Campion.

The actor later revealed that he was in the country on lockdown with his wife, three sons, and his parents, who were in their eighties.” It was too late by then to risk going back home. I had both my parents with me who are in their 80s, and my dad is severely asthmatic ... and my three boys and my wife, a very merry band of us. We couldn’t have landed in a more fortunate situation, we were so lucky and I just held them close to me,” the Doctor Strange actor added.

In 2015, Benedict  became  a 'Patron' of the Motor Neuron Disease (MND) Association. The title is a three-year senior honorary role given to largely recognized artists as volunteers. He received the title of 'Patron' as an honor for his conjoined work with Eddie Redmayne, an actor who received an 'Academy Award' for 'Best Actor' in  The Theory of Everything  (2014), in raising global awareness of MND and the Association. Given his intensive research into MND for his role as Professor Stephen Hawking in the BAFTA-nominated BBC drama  Hawking  (2004), Cumberbatch has been an Ambassador for the Association since 2008.

Likewise,  in  2015, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, and Emma Watson were among the celebrities who attended the Duke of Cambridge at Windsor Castle for a charity event. The occasion was hosted to honor the Royal Marsden Cancer Centre's work as well as to honor the donation from fashion designer Ralph Lauren for the center.

Before this, Cumberbatch  was  a part of another cancer-related project where he along with Anna Friel, Idris Elba, and Tom Hardy starred in a short  Stand Up to Cancer  campaign video in 2014. This was more of a public awareness piece for the  Stand Up To Cancer  campaign, a collaboration between Cancer Research UK and Channel 4. The performers were seen hurriedly sprinting towards the camera, interlaced with footage of cancer sufferers, to emphasize that greater action is needed, and it is needed now.

“I’m standing up to cancer because some of the real-life heroes amongst us, scientists and researchers, need funding so they can continue their life-saving work”, Cumberbatch had shared with Mail.

“Cures are within our grasp and we can’t slow down in our fight against this terrible disease. We can be the generation that really makes a difference, who wouldn’t want to be part of that?”, he further added.

Cumberbatch  was  one of 3,000 bikers that signed up for The Prince's Trust Palace to Palace bike race, which was sponsored by Saudi Aramco, on 14 October 2012. This 45-mile cycle from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle raised critical funding for The Prince's Trust's operations. As an Ambassador of the Prince's Trust, Benedict had raised more than £20,000 for The Trust in that year's event.

“I don’t get the opportunity to cycle much so it was fantastic to take part on such a beautiful route through London. It wasn’t easy cycling 45 miles but it’s worth it for such an important cause and everyone has had a great time."

Personal Life

On Valentine’s Day 2005, Cumberbatch married Sophie Hunter, a playwright and opera director, Hunter at the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul on the Isle of Wight in England. She is descended from a prestigious family. General Sir James Michael Gow, a royal equerry, was her maternal grandfather. 

Benedict and Hunter met in 2009 when they both starred in the fairytale suspense  Burlesque Fairytales .

Their Marriage

Sophie was already expecting their first child at the time of their marriage. Christopher Carlton. They have three sons: Hal, Auden, and Finn.

Wanda Ventham, Cumberbatch’s mother,  is  fondly remembered for her role as Colonel Virginia Lake in the 1970s science fiction television series  UFO , as well as Pamela Parry in  Only Fools   and   Horses  (1981–2003). In a similar vein, his father, actor Timothy Carlton, played the role of the judge in  Downton Abbey  (2010-2015) and has appeared in several TV dramas, including T he Scarlet Pimpernel  in 1982. Both of Benedict's parents had made a brief appearance in  Sherlock Holmes  as well.

Benedict  discussed  his parents and their influence on his career choices in a 2010 interview with the Sunday Times. Not to mention their efforts to demonstrate to him how volatile an actor's income may be.

“At 15, they kept saying, ‘Look at us, how out of control our lifestyle is, how money’s a huge ebb and flow.’”

Social media

Cumberbatch  isn't  that active on Facebook or Twitter.

"I can't get involved in social media because as they know, it'd be a disaster. I can't tweet to save my life," he told People in 2016.

He further added, "I'd go over my character limits and never make any sense. It would just consume me and I find that whole thing ultimately very toxic. I'd much rather spend my energy doing what brought me to their attention in the first place, which is my work."

Did You Know?

Benedict Cumberbatch’s real-life parents played Sherlock’s mother and father. In a scene in Baker Street, the two actors, who are both experienced actors, played Holmes’ mother and father. The actor acknowledged that acting alongside his parents in the new series was “nerve-wracking” but that he was “so proud of them.”

He further explained, “They’re Equity card carrying members but you know it was nerve-wracking because they are actors as well and yet they were brilliant and they were fantastic.”

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How Benedict Cumberbatch Became So Wildly Popular

A few years ago, not many people knew the name Benedict Cumberbatch.

Now, the 38-year-old actor has an Emmy-winning miniseries, "Sherlock," and a rabid fan following known as the "Cumberbitches."  Dozens upon dozens of Tumblr pages are devoted to the London-born actor.

He was also just cast in Marvel's upcoming "Doctor Strange" movie .

In his latest role, he plays brilliant British cryptanalyst and war hero Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game," opening in theaters Nov. 28th. 

He also plays not one, but two villains in "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies."

Benedict Cumberbatch was born in London in the summer of '76 to actor parents Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton. He said he had a "great childhood," though he was "over-gregarious" and "prone to moments of hyperactivity, then exhaustion and bad temperedness."

Source:  ElleUK

His parents tried to dissuade him from acting by sending him to Harrow, one of the oldest, most-respected all-male boarding schools in the United Kingdom. He describes the experience as "a bit embarrassing." "Luckily I was on the rugby team, so I was macho at the same time!"

Source: ElleUK ,  PBS

While he also painted at school, he couldn't escape the theater. One of his earliest roles was playing Titania, Queen of the Fairies in William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Source: Digital Spy

He took a gap-year after school to travel to Darjeeling, India to teach English in a Tibetan monastery. "I worked for six months to drum up the finance as it was voluntary — there was no income," said Cumberbatch. "I could actually stay with monks in their home and watch them at work and at prayer, and get the chance to teach them and interact with them."

Source: Now Magazine , BBC

Cumberbatch famously said he "roughed it" by going to the University of Manchester rather than Oxbridge to study drama. "I wanted something a bit more racy, a bit more different, a bit more egalitarian," he explains. "I had a thoroughly healthy – and unhealthy – mix of friends."

Sources: Telegraph , The Guardian

When he was 19, his father watched him in a play and knew his son was born to act. "My dad said 'I think you could do better at this than I've ever done and I'd really love you to.' We were both crying; it was an incredible thing to say."

Sources: The Standard , BBC

After appearing in a few TV mini-series, his breakthrough came in 2004's TV movie "Hawking," in which his portrayal of the theoretical physicist earned him a BAFTA Best Actor nod.

During a four-month shoot of TV miniseries "To The Ends of the Earth" in South Africa, the self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie learned how to scuba dive, swam with whales and sharks, and went skydiving for the first time. "I did a really touristy thing and I got a video made of my jump," said Cumberbatch. "There is an unflattering film of me, double chin flapping around my ears, going through the G-Force and going 'oh-my-God' - and a lot worse!"

Source: BBC , PureNewZealand

While there, he and two friends were also abducted and held at gunpoint by six armed figures after receiving a flat tire. "I was really worried that I was going to get raped or molested or just tortured or toyed with in some way, some act of control and savagery," recalls Cumberbatch. They were eventually released without any explanation.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

After playing a mustachioed child predator in 2007's Oscar-winner "Atonement," he became a household name as Sherlock Holmes in 2010's critically acclaimed British miniseries "Sherlock."

His role as the socially awkward and cumpulsive, but brilliant tech-savvy detective is captivating from the moment he's introduced on screen. The series allows audiences to see how the character works his way through an investigation by showing Sherlock's thoughts on screen.

Cumberbatch's parents actually guest-starred in the third season of the show playing Sherlock's parents.

The role quickly spawned a rabid fan base who refers to themselves as Cumberbitches (though Cumberbatch prefers Cumberbabes or Cumberpeople). "The immediate response on Twitter... this thing of my name trending worldwide... I didn't understand," he explains. "I thought people were going to abseil out of helicopters with cameras stuck to their heads and run after me brandishing notepads and pens!"

Source: Empire Magazine

They follow him everywhere, from big premieres like "Star Trek Into Darkness" to that of last year's "The Fifth Estate" and create endless memes of him online. One of the most popular stems from a photobomb of U2 that went viral after this year's Oscars.

Cumberbatch doesn't completely understand his fan following. He has joked about having a "weird face" that's "something between an otter and something that people find vaguely attractive, or just an otter which is vaguely attractive."

Source: NY Mag

However, he has certainly embraced the fandom. "I flirt with it. I have fun with it," he says. "I think if you take it too seriously, you're dead in the water, and if you ignore it, then it's kind of an insult because it's a reality. So I engage with it on my own terms, and people seem to really respond to that because it's me being me."

Source: Reddit , NY Mag

He says fame has been a "steep learning curve" but "if fame affords me the type of ability to do the kind of work I'm being offered, who am I to complain about the downsides."

Source: Reddit  

Since "Sherlock," he has landed roles in "August: Osage County" and "12 Years A Slave." He's also rumored to star in Marvel's upcoming "Doctor Strange" comic adaptation.

He agreed to play the Wikileaks' founder in 2013's "The Fifth Estate" even after Julian Assange asked him to pass on the role. "This was not a pay day for me at all," he recalled. "I've worked far less hard for more financial reward. This project was important to me because of the integrity I wanted to bring to provocative difficult but ultimately timely and a truly important figure of our modern times."

Source: Reddit , Business Insider

He also appeared on stage in Danny Boyle's production of "Frankenstein," for which he won numerous awards for his performance as the titular character. He'll return to the stage next year in "Hamlet."

Source: Metro

Cumberbatch surprised many earlier this year when the Brit beat out Mark Ruffalo ("The Normal Heart"), and "Fargo" stars Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton to take home his first Primetime Emmy for "Sherlock."

He broke the hearts of fans everywhere when he became engaged to theater director Sophie Hunter. The announcement appeared as an old-fashioned excerpt in UK's The Times newspaper.

Source: The Times

You can see Cumberbatch star as British cryptanalyst and war hero Alan Turing in his next movie "The Imitation Game."

Despite playing many wise men on screen, Cumberbatch says he's nowhere near as smart as them. "I'm pretend clever. I'm not actually clever."

He will also star in "The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies," in which he voices and provides motion capture for the dragon Smaug and the Necromancer. He has said his father's readings of the novel to him as a young boy inspired his take on the beast.

Source: "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" Blu-Ray, Business Insider

In 2005, Cumberbatch said he would love his career to follow in the footsteps of Gary Oldman. "I've love to have a really broad sweep of characters, to be able to something edgy, surprising and unfashionable." The two starred together in Oscar-nominated picture "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" in 2011.

Source: BBC

Now that you know all about Benedict Cumberbatch ...

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Benedict Cumberbatch: ‘I loved not being a people-pleaser’

With his acclaimed performance in the Guardian’s 2021 film of the year, The Power of the Dog, the actor talks about feeling the pain of his macho character, working with Jane Campion and the struggle to do taxidermy in LA

E arlier this week, Benedict Cumberbatch picked up his first nomination this awards season: best actor in a drama at the Golden Globes for The Power of the Dog. It will not be his last. In Jane Campion’s western, adapted from the novel by Thomas Savage, he plays Phil Burbank, a brilliant but vile cattle rancher in 1925 Montana.

Trained at the start of the century by an iconic cowboy called Bronco Henry, Phil bullies everyone: men, animals, his brother, George (Jesse Plemons) – and, particularly, George’s new wife, Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and her delicate son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee).

Campion’s film is a thriller, wound tight as a noose, even in those scenes which permit glimmers of Phil’s secret life, one far removed from the dirt and aggression of the ranch.

I spoke to Cumberbatch as he was driving to the set of the new Doctor Strange film in Hollywood, about his experiences shooting the western in New Zealand over the first nine months of 2020 (with a three-month break at the start of Covid restrictions), and his feelings about the film now.

You’ve said that when you watched The Power of the Dog , you were amazed by being able to see the whole arc of your character Phil, just as you’d hoped . Is that unusual?

I don’t know if watching your own work is a good or bad thing. I don’t know how much I learn from it. Each individual circumstance holds its own world of singularities and peculiarities. But among that, you can go: “Oh yeah, I remember that was what I tried to do.” Sometimes it doesn’t fit with the cast or the energy of the scene or the beat of another character. But to sit down in the audience and go: “Oh my God, I think that was what I intended”, was great.

Sometimes you worry the director is looking from a very specific angle and maybe a better take or different take has been overlooked because of what they’re prioritising. But everything about this project felt very in sync with Jane and her process. In the rawest form of just building the character as well; I felt as if I was doing it alongside her in pre-production.

We had an equal love and need to carefully create this character from the page to the screen. We understood the complexity of a man whose monstrous behaviour masks a deep well of pain; a scar needed to be understood in order to be inhabited. I’d never had that long in the company of a director doing the same sort of things to get to a character. I don’t know if she always works like that but it just felt like I was going on a journey with a friend.

I didn’t feel like I was being steered by her because we were using tools to manifest the results and then sharing them. Whether it was me going to dude camp to learn the outward skills of the man or whether it was the more internal, psychological work with dream analysis and role playing to find the core of the man, we were always doing similar work or sharing the work at the same time. It’s just a lovely, productive thing to do with the director when you have the luxury of time. She wanted me to sort of marinate it for longer than I usually get. Sometimes, because of a happily busy career, I’m kind of building the plane as it takes off.

What did you like about Phil? What do you miss about him?

I liked his directness. His mastery of the world. And I really, really liked the fact that he was someone who brought the outside in. He was all about nature. He was consumed by every aspect, every craft, every detail of his job involving men, animals and the landscape. The way he saw detail in everything – not just the dog in the shadows – but everything. He had that highly attuned, animalistic sensibility towards his environment.

The stewardship of land and animals was a very different thing in those days: far harsher, far less low-impact. You rode ’em hard and got what you needed and that was that. And then he burned the hides! I never really understood that other than as the need to consume everything that his work produced. But I admired his complete involvement.

And as somebody who’s a bit of a people-pleaser and apologetic at the best of times, who worries too much about what people think of me, I loved the freedom of being somebody who wasn’t in that space. Of course, there’s this deep kernel of truth he never lets get exposed. And that ties into the breadth of fear and fury that we know he has. But he can also stand with his hands behind his back and survey all these scenes with a sort of calm acceptance and knowing. And not be taken in with the hoopla of worrying about what the ranch-hands think of him. He’s very self-assured. I admired that.

I have a deep, deep empathy for him, a real love for him, a real feeling of the tragedy of someone who has lived his entire life in a secretive way apart from one small shard of acceptance and tolerance with a man in his teenage years. He was 19 when he watched Bronco Henry die at a corral in a stampede of death. So this is a man who has lived his entire life without fully knowing what it is to love and to be loved. The loneliness and the pain of that – I felt for that, I really did.

How has it changed your own relationship with nature? And how has that changed over the course of the past two years?

It’s completely heightened the value of what it is to be in nature. The nurture that nature provides, the answers it holds and our dependence on it. But also to have an experience where everyone – through the conditions of the pandemic – was forced to stop and to contemplate.

You could not be in a more beautiful example of Earth’s abundance and variety than New Zealand to make a film like this. If all the exteriors were shot in some kind of Mandalorian environment, that would’ve been a hell of an acting exercise. I was terrified enough about clinking in spurs across a car park in Auckland to do the studio section of the shoot.

You are provided with an extra character by being surrounded by that environment. And when it’s something that your character is so dependent on, it’s such a lifeline. It nourishes him and provides his wellbeing and his profession. But it’s also a sanctuary, a place where he finds solace and can express himself, where he rebaptises himself. For me, it’s not just about being clean, that sort of sacred space where Phil washes and is discovered by Peter and re-engages with the memory of Bronco Henry. That place, it holds him and that water is purifying for him, bringing him back to something that’s honest and true. Not just washing away the dirt of his work, but the mask of his life.

To have those tools, to be able to be in that water and kind of connect, was an absolute gift. On the first day of the shoot we were introduced to Maori elders from the local tribe who did a blessing to welcome us to the land and to ask the land to bless and support the project. I was already in character and so was standing a little bit to the side as Phil’s got a slightly tenuous link with indigenous culture. Jane introduced me as Phil, not as Benedict, and said they’d meet Benedict at the end of the shoot. It felt very tied into that moment of submergence into the character.

I went for hours and hours to just lie in the grass, to move around the set, to look at those hills, to watch the light change. During the shoot, we had every form of blessing. We even had snow! Every kind of weather that you could possibly want for a shoot that tells a story, contextualised by environment, over a yearly cycle at this ranch. We looked at each other a lot and went: this is kind of extraordinary. And the locals were saying that, not just the wide-eyed Europeans.

I was very outdoorsy before. I’m all about that. That’s my refuge as well. Not for the same reasons as Phil, but I find comfort in the humbling scale of it, of what it returns you to think of in terms of being a species on the third rock from the sun, rather than everything else we tie ourselves in knots over, to do with identity and our day-to-day struggles.

At dude camp you had riding and banjo lessons. You learn ed how to roll a cigarette one-handed and castrate a bull. Have you kept any of that up?

Yeah! Also taxidermy and ironmongery. Taxidermy is little bit hard to come by in this part of LA [where he’s shooting the new Dr Strange]. I think I’d get a few frowns. Horse riding I’ll definitely keep up. Ironmongery is a very specific thing. Roping and braiding: I haven’t caught myself braiding a bit of grass or twine or anything else at hand, in moments where I could have done.

I do still use the loud whistle. That’s very helpful when you’re corralling small children on a beach or they’re far away from you. I hope they don’t grow up thinking that I think of them as Phil thinks of his cattle. But it’s a good tool of communication. And it’s better than shouting out names.

I really enjoyed playing the banjo. I was awful at it compared to Phil, but it’s a very satisfying if peculiar instrument and you can have a lot of fun with it, with very little skill. I’m getting there.

What do you play?

Little exercises and repetitive scales and standards which are on the verge of bluegrass but the minute I speed them up kind of fall apart. A bit of Radiohead. It’s very meditative. I’m not gonna sing on a stage any time soon; it’s just for my own enjoyment. But I really do love it.

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Benedict Cumberbatch

• Overview ↓
• Filmography ↓
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Biography by AllMovie

When British actor Benedict Cumberbatch signed for his first cinematic roles in the early 2000s, he immediately unveiled a proclivity -- and a gift -- for essaying a diverse array of characterizations. Cumberbatch began with BBC television productions, notably a supporting part in the lesbian-themed period drama Tipping the Velvet (2002) and the lead role of the brilliant, physically disabled scientist Stephen Hawking in the BBC telemovie Hawking (2004). Cumberbatch landed one of his first significant international crossover roles (and his first major big-screen assignment) as one of the leads in Michael Apted's arthouse hit Amazing Grace (2006) -- portraying William Pitt, an 18th century British prime minister who crusaded against slavery.

While appearing on the British stage and in British television shows, Cumberbatch slowly built up an impressive résumé of supporting film roles. He had a small (but significant) part in Joe Wright's period drama Atonement (2007), and played William Carey, Mary Boleyn's husband in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008).

In 2010, Cumberbatch took on his breakout role, playing Sherlock Holmes in a BBC series reboot. His career exploded after the show took off. He played The Necromancer/Smaug in The Hobbit trilogy, Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness, a plantation owner in 12 Years a Slave and nabbed his first true starring role playing Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate. In 2014 Cumberbatch portrayed the pioneering British mathematician Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, and his work earned him a Best Actor nomination from the Academy, the first nod of his career.

Movie Highlights

• While attending an all-boys school, played the female part of Titania, Queen of the Fairies, in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream . 
• Spent a year after high school teaching English at a Tibetan monastery.
• Starred in an Almeida Theatre production of Hedda Gabler in 2005.
• Played the role of Young Rumpole in a radio adaptation of John Mortimer's novel Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders  on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.
• Developed a life-threatening case of pneumonia while filming the first season of  Sherlock .
• Alternated playing both Frankenstein and the Creature with Jonny Lee Miller in a 2011 West End production of Frankenstein directed by Danny Boyle; the pair shared an Olivier Award for Best Actor for their work.
• Read a poem at the reburial of Richard III in 2015; the king was discovered to be his second cousin, 16 times removed.
• Appointed a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II in her 2015 Birthday Honours.

Benedict Cumberbatch - Biography

The award-winning actor is known for his roles in sherlock and the power of the dog.

Benedict Cumberbaatch's early life 

Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch was born in London on 19 July, 1976 to actors Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham. He grew up in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea and has a half-sister, Tracy Peacock, from his mother's first marriage. 

He found his passion for performing arts at a young age and was involved in various Shakespeare productions whilst attending Harrow School. 

From there, Benedict went on to study drama at Manchester University before continuing his studies at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA). In 2018, Benedict succeeded fellow actor Timothy West as president of LAMDA. 

Benedict Cumberbatch's acting career

From 2001, Benedict appeared in major stage productions and has performed at the Regent's Park Open Air, Almeida, Royal Court and Royal National Theatres. He has earned three Olivier award nominations and won the coveted gong for his performance in Frankenstein in 2012. 

Benedict landed his first major television part as Stephen Hawking in the BBC TV drama, Hawking , which won him a BAFTA nomination and a Golden Nymph Award. 

His breakout role, however, came in the form of the BBC detective drama, Sherlock , with Benedict in the title role. The actor was widely praised for his performance and received various nominations over the course of the three series, winning both an Emmy and Critic's Choice Award. 

Benedict also has an impressive list of big screen credits to his name and has starred in several major Hollywood movies, including The Imitation Game, 1917,  12 Years A Slave  and The Power of The Dog. 

He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Strange in the 2016 film of the same name and has since appeared in various Avengers  films. 

Benedict has received an abundance of award nominations over the course of his career, including two Oscar nods. The star was also appointed a CBE in the 2015 Birthday Honours for services to the performing arts and to charity. 

Benedict Cumberbatch's private life 

Benedict is married to English theatre and opera director Sophie Hunter . After a 17-year friendship, their engagement was announced in the "Forthcoming Marriages" section of The Times on 5 November 2014. 

The couple tied the knot at an intimate ceremony on the Isle of Wight on Valentine's Day in 2015. They went on to welcome three sons. 

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Benedict Cumberbatch: The Biography Hardcover – September 15, 2014

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An intimate portrait of a heartthrob and rising star, best known for his portrayal as Sherlock Holmes

Benedict Cumberbatch has played detective and monster, barrister and scientist, politician and painter, comic and spy. Still only in his thirties, and with a string of starring and supporting roles, he has portrayed contemporary icons, historical figures, and fictional favorites, from Stephen Hawking, to William Pitt the Younger, to Frankenstein. But inevitably, he is still best known for his idiosyncratic and boldly 21st century incarnation of Sherlock Holmes in the BBC TV series, Sherlock . The Sherlock star’s story is a genuinely compelling addition to a sometimes anodyne genre. This book will trace everything from his travels in Tibet to the trauma of being kidnapped at gun-point in South Africa. His eventful personal life, stellar acting career, and the witty, self-effacing interviews he is renowned for are sure to make him a perfect subject for an in-depth biography.

• Print length 278 pages
• Language English
• Publisher John Blake
• Publication date September 15, 2014
• Dimensions 6 x 1 x 9 inches
• ISBN-10 178219763X
• ISBN-13 978-1782197638
• See all details

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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ John Blake; First Edition (September 15, 2014)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 278 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 178219763X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1782197638
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.53 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9 inches
• #4,726 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies

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Benedict cumberbatch is a desperate father in the trailer for netflix thriller ‘eric’.

Cumberbatch plays Vincent, who's searching for his missing son in the limited series.

By James Hibberd

James Hibberd

Writer-at-Large

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Benedict Cumberbatch plays a desperate father whose world becomes unraveled in the first trailer for the Netflix thriller, Eric .

Below, Cumberbatch stars as a New York puppeteer and the creator of a popular children’s television show whose 9-year-old son, Edgar, disappears one morning on the way to school.

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The Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star previously opened up about the series at the Next on Netflix showcase in London in March, noting it is rooted in real-world issues.

“Looking at parenthood, looking at marriage, looking at mental health, looking at the AIDS pandemic, but also the ongoing crises of homophobia, of racism in institutions,” the actor explained. “There’s a lot going on, and yet it does speak to our world. It’s not cramming stuff in that we’re not, sadly, all too familiar with.”

Cumberbatch recently also starred in Wes Anderson’s anthology of shorts for Netflix, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More .

The series is directed by Lucy Forbes and executive produced by Morgan, Jane Featherstone, Lucy Dyke, Lucy Forbes and Cumberbatch.

Eric premieres on Netflix on May 30.

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Benedict Cumberbatch Is a Puppeteer Whose Son Disappears in Netflix's ‘Eric' Trailer

Benedict Cumberbatch sees the strings in the first trailer for Netflix's "Eric," a new limited series that sees the British actor take on the role of a children's television puppeteer that becomes wracked by guilt after his son disappears, as well as obsessed with the nine-year-old's imaginary creation.

The first trailer for the streaming series reveals Cumberbatch walking around 1980's New York City, as well as the blue creature that becomes the defeated patriarch's fixation. The series logline from Netflix reads: "Vincent, one of New York's leading puppeteers and creator of the hugely popular children's television show, ‘Good Day Sunshine,' struggles to cope with the loss of his son, Edgar, becoming increasingly distressed and volatile. Full of self-loathing and guilt around Edgar's disappearance, he clings to his son's drawings of a blue monster puppet, Eric, convinced that if he can get Eric on TV then Edgar will come home. As Vincent's progressively destructive behaviour alienates his family, his work colleagues, and the detectives trying to help him, it's Eric, a delusion of necessity, who becomes his only ally in the pursuit to bring his son home."

Alongside Cumberbatch, the series also stars Gaby Hoffmann, McKinley Belcher III, Dan Fogler and Clarke Peters. "Eric" is produced by Sister and was created and written by Abi Morgan, the Welsh playwright whose screen credits include the British television series "Sex Traffic" and "The Hour," as well as films like "Suffragette," "The Iron Lady" and "Shame."

"Eric" is executive produced by Morgan, Cumberbatch, Jane Featherstone, Lucy Dyke and Lucy Forbes. Forbes directed all six episodes of the limited series. Holly Pullinger produced.

"Eric" will debut on Netflix on May 30. Watch the trailer for the series below.

More from Variety

• Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman to Star in Jay Roach's 'The War of the Roses' Reimagining for Searchlight
• Benedict Cumberbatch Says Participating in His 'Letters Live' Stage Show Is 'An Immediate Shot in the Arm for a Performer'

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‘Eric’ Trailer: Benedict Cumberbatch Is A Desperate Father Searching For His Son In Netflix Drama Series — Update

By Jesse Whittock

Jesse Whittock

International TV Co-Editor

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UPDATED, May 2 : Netflix has released the official trailer for Eric, Abi Morgan ‘s drama series starring Benedict Cumberbatch , ahead of its May 30 premiere. You can watch it above and read details of the series below.

PREVIOUS, March 22: Eric is coming to Netflix in late May.

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The six-part series from The Split writer Morgan was first unveiled as part of a five-strong Netflix UK drama slate that also included the recent One Day adaptation and Rahman’s London superhero series Supacell , which is slated to launch in June.

The emotional thriller follows puppeteer and children’s TV creator Vincent (Cumberbatch), who struggles to cope after his nine-year-old son, Edgar (Howe), disappears one morning on the way to school. Full of self-loathing and guilt around Edgar’s disappearance, he clings to his son’s drawings of a blue monster puppet, Eric, convinced that if he can get the character on TV his son will come home. As Vincent’s progressively destructive behavior alienates his family, his work colleagues and the detectives trying to help him, it’s Eric, a delusion of necessity, who becomes his only ally in the pursuit to bring his son home. 

Exec producers on Eric are Morgan, Cumberbatch, Jane Featherstone, Lucy Dyke and Lucy Forbes, the latter of whom is also director. Holly Pullinger is the producer, and filming took place in New York and Budapest.

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