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.
Film Year Title Role Notes 2002 Hills Like White Elephants The Man Short film 2003 To Kill a King Royalist 2006 Starter for 10 Amazing Grace 2007 Inseparable Joe / Charlie Short film Atonement 2008 The Other Boleyn Girl 2009 Creation Burlesque Fairytales 2010 Four Lions Negotiator Third Star James The Whistleblower 2011 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Wreckers David War Horse 2012 Girlfriend in a Coma (voice) Documentary The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Smaug / The Necromancer Motion capture and voices 2013 Star Trek Into Darkness Khan Noonien Singh Little Favour Wallace Short film; also producer 12 Years a Slave The Fifth Estate August: Osage County The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Smaug / Sauron Motion capture and voices 2014 The Imitation Game Penguins of Madagascar Classified Voice The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Smaug / Sauron Motion capture and voices 2015 Black Mass 2016 Zoolander 2 All Cameo Doctor Strange / Dormammu (motion capture and voice) Uncredited as Dormammu 2017 The Current War Also executive producer Thor: Ragnarok 2018 Avengers: Infinity War The Grinch The Grinch Voice The Dog Days of Winter Voice; short film Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle Shere Khan Motion capture and voice 2019 Avengers: Endgame Between Two Ferns: The Movie Himself'Between Two Ferns' trailer: Zach Galifianakis on Netflix 1917 2020 The Courier Also executive producer 2021 The Mauritanian Also producer The Power of the Dog The Electrical Life of Louis Wain Also executive producer Spider-Man: No Way Home 2022 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness 2023 The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar Henry Sugar / Max Engelman Short film The End We Start From AB Also executive producer Poison Harry Pope Short film The Book of Clarence Benjamin 2024 We Live in Time Also executive producer 2025 The Thing with Feathers Dad The Phoenician Scheme Uncle Nubar The Roses Theo Rose Also executive producer 2026 Confessions II Himself Short film How to Live on Earth Himself Documentary Avengers: Doomsday Doctor Stephen Strange Post-production 2027 Wife & Dog TBA Post-production Blood on Snow The Fisherman Post-production
Television Year Title Role Notes Ref. 1998, 2000, 2004 Heartbeat Party Guest, Charles, Toby Fisher 3 episodes 2002 Tipping the Velvet Freddy Episode #1.1 Silent Witness 1 episode, two parts, season 6 (6.5 & 6.6) 2003 Cambridge Spies Episode #1.2 Spooks Episode #2.1 Fortysomething 6 episodes 2004 Dunkirk Lt. Jimmy Langley Docudrama Hawking Stephen Hawking Television film 2005 Nathan Barley Robin 2 episodes To the Ends of the Earth 3 episodes Broken News 2007 Stuart: A Life Backwards Alexander Masters Television film 2008 The Last Enemy 5 episodes 2009 Small Island Bernard Television film Marple: Murder Is Easy 2010 Van Gogh: Painted with Words Vincent van Gogh The Rattigan Enigma Presenter Documentary 2010–2017 Sherlock Sherlock Holmes 13 episodes 2012 Parade's End 5 episodes 2013, 2021 The Simpsons British Prime Minister / Severus Snape; Quilloughby, Imaginary Quilloughby (voices) 2 episodes 2014 The Colbert Report Smaug (voice) Episode #1,443. 2016 The Hollow Crown Richard III 2 episodes Saturday Night Live Himself (host) Episode: "Benedict Cumberbatch / Solange" 2017 The Child in Time Stephen Lewis Television film 2018 Patrick Melrose Patrick Melrose 5 episodes; also executive producer 2019 Brexit: The Uncivil War Dominic Cummings Television film Good Omens Satan (voice) 3 episodes The Tiger Who Came to Tea Daddy (voice) Television film 2021, 2023 What If...? Doctor Stephen Strange, Doctor Strange Supreme (voice) 6 episodes 2022 Saturday Night Live Himself (host) Episode: "Benedict Cumberbatch / Arcade Fire" Marvel Studios: Assembled Himself Episode: "The Making of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness " 2023 Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge Himself (guest) Series 2, episode 2 Mog’s Christmas Mr. Thomas (voice) Animated Christmas special 2024 Eric Vincent Anderson / Eric (voice)lead role; miniseries; also executive producer 2026 David Attenborough's 100 Years on Planet Earth Himself Guesthttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c759lwgevl0t#Wildlife presenter Chris Packham joins Kirsty Young on stage
Theatre
Year Title Role Location 1998 Rat in the Skull Roche Edinburgh Festival Fringe 1999 The Zoo Story Jerry 1999, 2002 The Kvetch George Teatro Della Contraddizione 2000 Woyzeck Unknown Didsbury Studio 2001 The Visit Anton Schill Edinburgh Festival Fringe Drayton Court Theatre Tearto Della Contraddizione Love's Labour's Lost Ferdinand Open Air Theatre A Midsummer Night's Dream Demetrius 2002 As You Like It Orlando Romeo and Juliet Benvolio Oh, What a Lovely War! Unknown 2004 Dead Hand The Old Vic The Lady from the Sea Lyngstrand Almeida Theatre 2005 Hedda Gabler George Tesman Almeida TheatreDuke of York's Theatre 2006 Period of Adjustment George Almeida Theatre 2007 Rhinoceros Bérenger Royal Court Theatre The Arsonists Eisenring 2008 The City Chris 2010 After the Dance Royal National Theatre The Children's Monologues Reader The Old Vic 2011 Frankenstein The Creature / Victor Frankenstein Royal National Theatre 2013 50 Years on Stage Himself / Rosencrantz 2013–2015,2018–2019 Letters Live Reader The Tabernacle Hay Festival Freemasons' Hall The Town Hall Union ChapelLetters Live — The Town HallBenedict Cumberbatch on the explosive power of letters: 'They're grenades!' | Letters Live | The Guardian 2015 Hamlet Prince Hamlet Barbican Theatre
Radio
Year Title Role 2004 Mansfield Park Edmund Bertram Kepler Johannes Kepler The Raj Quartet The Recruiting Officer Worthy The Odyssey Telemachus The Biggest Secret The Far Side of the World Narrator The Surgeon's Mate Mr. Norris Changes Trains 2005 Le Pere Goriot Seven Women Tovey Medical Humanities: Baptism by Rotation Narrator Fieldstudy: The Field The Cocktail Party 2006 The Possessed 2008 The Pillow Book Tadanobu Blake's 7: The Early Years Townsend Last Days of Grace GF At War with Wellington Duke of Wellington Chatterton: The Allington Solution Spellbound Rainy Season Narrator The Tiger's Tale Narrator Words and Music: Italian Fantasy Narrator Doctor Who: Forty-Five 2008–2014 Cabin Pressure BBC Radio 4 Extra – Cabin Pressure 2008 Metamorphosis Narrator 2009 Good Evening Dudley Moore Little Red Hen NarratorBenedict Cumberbatch "Little Red Hen" – YouTube Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders 2010 Rumpole and the Family Pride Rumpole and the Eternal Triangle Words for You: The Next Chapter Narrator 2011 Tom and Viv T. S. Eliot 2012 Rumpole and the Man of God Rumpole and the Explosive Evidence Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail Rumpole and the Expert Witness Rumpole of the Bailey | Episode 10. Rumpole and the Expert Witness | Radio Times 2013 Copenhagen Werner Heisenberg Neverwhere 2014 Rumpole and the Old Boy Net Rumpole Rumpole and the Sleeping Partners Rumpole 2015 My Dear Bessie Chris
Narration
Year Title Notes 2006 Casanova Track: "Memoirs of Giacomo Casanova" 2009 South Pacific Documentary; 6 episodes 2010 Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking Documentary; 3 episodes 2011 Curiosity Documentary; episode "Did God Create the Universe?" 2012 Stephen Hawking's Grand Design Documentary; 3 episodes 2012 Our War Documentary narrating Lt. Mark Evison diary; 1 episodes 2012 Late Night Tales: Friendly Fires Track: "Flat of Angles (Part 1)" 2013 Late Night Tales: Röyksopp Track: "Flat of Angles (Part 2)" 2013 Late Night Tales: Bonobo Track: "Flat of Angles (Part 3)" 2013 Jerusalem Documentary 2013 Usher House Opera by Gordon Getty 2014 Late Night Tales: Django Django Track: "Flat of Angles (Part 4)" 2014 Globalised Slavery Documentary by The Guardian 2014 Cristiano Ronaldo: The World at His Feet Documentary 2017 Walk with Me – A Journal into Mindfulness featuring Thich Nhat Hanh Documentary 2021Sleep SoundAnimated short 2022Super/NaturalDocumentary: 6 episodes
Video games Year Title Voice role 2011 The Nightjar Narrator 2014 Sherlock: The Network Sherlock Holmes 2014 Lego The Hobbit Smaug / The Necromancer 2015 Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff Himself 2025 World of Tanks - Holiday Ops 2026 Himselfhttps://worldoftanks.com/en/news/general-news/holiday-ops-2026/
See also List of awards and nominations received by Benedict Cumberbatch
References
External links