Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English film, television, theatre and voice actor.
He is most known for his roles as Stephen Hawking in the drama Hawking (2004), Paul Marshall in Atonement (2007), Victor Frankenstein and his creature in Danny Boyle's stage adaptation of Frankenstein (2011), Major Jamie Stewart in War Horse (2011), Sherlock Holmes in the series Sherlock (2010–present), Peter Guillam in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Christopher Tietjens in the miniseries Parade's End (2013), Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), William Ford in 12 Years a Slave (2013), Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate and Smaug the dragon through voice and motion capture in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy.
He has earned an Olivier Award, four BAFTA nominations, two Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe nomination, among several others. In November 2013, he was honoured by BAFTA Los Angeles with a Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year for his "masterful performances in television, film and theatre