Benedict Cumberbatch
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| Benedict Cumberbatch | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977 London, England |
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 1977) is a British actor, best known for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in the BBC drama, Hawking, for which he was nominated as Best Actor at the 2005 British Academy Television Awards.
In January 2006, he was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for his role as Tesman in Hedda Gabler, a role he performed at the Almeida Theatre when it opened in March 16, 2005, as well as at the Duke of York's Theatre when it transferred to West End on May 19, 2005.
His television roles include two separate guest roles in Heartbeat, a major role in the ITV comedy drama Fortysomething (a notable flop, which was pulled from its primetime slot halfway through its run), and brief appearances in the comedy sketch show Broken News.
He played the role of George Haverstick in the Tennessee Williams's Period Of Adjustment at the Almeida Theatre in March 2006.
He appears as the University Challenge team captain Patrick Watts in Starter for Ten, the film adaptation of David Nicholls' book of the same name, which was released in 2006.
Cumberbatch played the author Alexander Masters in an adaptation of Masters' book Stuart: A Life Backwards, which was shown on the BBC in September 2007 and Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger in the movie Amazing Grace. He also played the part of Paul Marshall in the film Atonement and William Carey in the 2008 film The Other Boleyn Girl.
He most recently appeared in Rhinoceros and The Arsonists at the Royal Court Theatre. In 2008 he starred in the tense BBC drama The Last Enemy.
[edit] Background
The son of actor Timothy Carlton and actress Wanda Ventham, he was educated at Brambletye, Harrow School and the University of Manchester. He then trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
