Each actor, sooner or later, of the many roles played, one appears, after which he becomes known far beyond the borders of his native country. This happened with the hereditary British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who, having played a major role in the modern interpretation of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories about Sherlock Holmes, became not only one of the most popular and sought-after actors, but also won the love of millions of viewers.
A family
Benedict was born at Queen Charlotte's Hospital on July 19, 1976. The actor’s mother Wanda Wetham was married twice, the first time to businessman James Tabernacle, from whom she gave birth to a daughter, Tracy, and the second time to actor Timothy Carlton, who is 4 years younger than her.
The debut of little Benedict took place when he was only 4 days old. Popular British parents-actors published his photo in the Daily Mirror.
Recently, the actor is married to Sophie Hunter, a well-known theater director. The wedding took place on February 14, 2015, and already on July 1, the couple had their firstborn, Christopher Carlton.
Carier start
Benedict spent his childhood in an elite school for boys Harrow. Despite the fact that it was this educational institution that graduated from such outstanding personalities as Byron and Churchill, Benedict was extremely shy of his education.
It is noteworthy that for the first time he demonstrated his acting talent precisely in the school theater, where he brilliantly played the role of the Titania fairy from the play “A Midsummer Night's Dream” (Shakespeare). Since the girls did not study at Harrow, it was decided to entrust this role to the little red-haired boy, who turned out to be Benedict Cumberbatch.
After graduation, the future actor leaves for the Tibetan monastery, where he teaches children English. However, after a short time, the life of the teacher was bored with the active nature of Benedict. He decides to follow in the footsteps of his parents and goes to study at the University of Manchester, where he properly mastered acting skills. After training, he comes to work in a theater troupe.
However, even despite the first successes in the theater field, no one at that time could have imagined how the fate of a talented young man would undoubtedly develop in the future.
Films with Cumberbatch represent a benchmark in acting. The actor manages to get accustomed to the role as much as possible, thanks to which the experiences of the screen characters are watched by the audience in one breath.
World fame
Serious work in the theater field at Cumberbatch began only in 2001, after he received roles on several stages of London. For Benedict, the most outstanding in this field was the work in the play "Frankenstein", staged by the famous director Danny Boyle. Critics have appreciated Benedict’s ability to transform. It was for the main role in this performance that Benedict, together with his colleague John Lee Miller, received his first and, notably, the highest award in the UK for his contribution to theatrical activities - the Olivier Lawrence Award.
In August 2015, Benedict again participated in a theatrical play, but already in the role of the legendary character of Shakespeare's play - Hamlet. Already in the fall, this production was shown by hundreds of cinemas around the world.
However, Benedict became truly famous thanks to his leading role in the series "Sherlock", where he starred with actor Martin Freeman. Most film critics noted that Sherlock Benedict was 100% embodied.
Sherlock is a long-lived series. His first episode was aired back in 2010, while filming of new episodes continues to this day. It is noteworthy that in this series Benedict’s colleagues on the set were his parents, who played, oddly enough, the parents of Sherlock Holmes.
Perfect Sherlock Holmes
Benedict Cumberbatch - Sherlock Holmes of modern times. He became an ideal example of what a famous London detective could have been if he had been born at the present time. The series, experimentally adapted to the present, brought the actor worldwide fame. For example, more than 9 million people watched the first episode of the third season. As for the fourth season, its release is scheduled for 2016. However, scriptwriters are already shocking the viewer with an episode of the new season, which was shown at the Comic-con festival.
Undoubtedly, the fact that the image of the English detective himself turned out to be so believable only thanks to the level of acting that Cumberbatch achieved. Sherlock Holmes in his performance turned out to be as close as possible to the understanding of the modern viewer, thanks to which each new series of the series looks in one breath.
It is noteworthy that the fourth season was shot in sets typical of the Victorian era, in connection with which the audience had the main question: is the shown passage connected with the ending of the third season, where the allegedly dead Moriarty appears on the screen with the question: “Did you miss me? " - or filming in Victorian style will become an independent work, shown outside the main, modern storyline.
Top movies
Sherlock Holmes Cumberbatch, although outstanding, but not the only role of this actor. Films with Cumberbatch stand out among the rest, not only due to the extraordinary plot, but also due to the excellent acting.
The most famous paintings:
- "Fifth power." The actor acts as a journalist Julian Assange.
- The Hobbit trilogy. He played the role of an evil sorcerer, and also played and voiced the dragon Smaug with the help of motion capture technology. It is noteworthy that in one part of the trilogy called “The Battle of the Five Armies”, his same colleague on the set was made by the same Morgan Freeman, who fell in love with the audience as Dr. Watson from “Sherlock”.
- "The game of imitation." He played the role of Alan Turing, a famous cryptographer of wartime. For this role, Benedict was nominated for many awards: Oscars, Golden Globes and the title of best actor according to BAFTA.
- "Sherlock Holmes". Actor Cumberbatch for his leading role in Sherlock received not only international fame, but also an Emmy Award (the award was received after the release of the third season of the series).
- Hawking. The role of astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who, despite progressive amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is trying to defend his thesis. For this role, Cumberbatch received the Golden Nymph Award for Best Actor.
- "Amazing ease." He played William Pete, a friend of the protagonist William Wilberfos. The painting in 2008 received the Prize of St. Christopher in the nomination "Best Film".
Press attitude
After watching the series, no one doubts that Benedict Cumberbatch is Sherlock Holmes of the 21st century. This role turned out so harmonious that it made him a favorite not only of the public, but also of the press, which treats the actor more than favorably. A variety of publications around the world write about the rapid development of his career and creative achievements, and the actor himself regularly appears as a guest on a variety of talk shows in different countries.
At the same time, the actor does not have official pages on social networks, moreover, Benedict periodically refutes his direct participation in their creation.
Despite this, Sherlock’s public posts regularly appear on the Web, gathering millions of subscribers from all over the world.
State award
The success of the actor in charity and the development of acting and theater was noted at the highest level. So, by the decision of Elizabeth II in 2015, Cumberbatch was awarded the Order of the British Empire of the III degree. In total there are 5 degrees of this award, but only the holders of the order of the first two categories receive the right to apply for chivalry. However, I want to believe that the favorite of the public is still ahead.
After receiving the award from the Queen’s hands, Benedict Cumberbatch left the ceremony with his wife Sophie Hunter, declining to comment, but leaving a short note on his Twitter that fully expresses the actor’s emotional state: “I’m overwhelmed with feelings and pride.”
Interesting facts from the life of Cumberbatch
- Benedict often falls into the rankings of the most famous publications around the world as one of the sexiest male celebrities. In addition, he entered the ranking of 100 most influential people in the world, which was created by Time magazine.
- Tickets for the play Hamlet, where Cumberbatch played a major role, were sold out so quickly that they set a new record for sales speed (previously it belonged to Byons).
- In order to get the most out of Sherlock’s role, Benedict trained in playing the violin under the guidance of a personal educator. To maximize compliance with the role played, Benedict repeatedly had to change his weight category. So, for the role in “Star Trek”, the actor had to go to the gym to gain muscle mass, and for “Sherlock” to lose weight with the help of yoga and a special diet.
Benedict prefers an active lifestyle, and therefore his life has repeatedly been threatened:
- He was abducted in South Africa.
- I almost died while climbing Tibet.
- The ceiling of his room collapsed in an explosion at the Israeli embassy, located next door, fortunately, Benedict himself was not injured.
Thanks to his innate acting talent, Benedict manages to get accustomed to the selected roles as much as possible, thanks to which viewers watch all the films in which Cumberbatch played in one breath.
Sherlock Holmes in his performance was no exception. The series turned out to be maximally adapted to the realities of the modern world and, as a result, close to the spirit of modern viewers.
During his life, Benedict managed to fully realize his acting talent, but he did not stop there and continues to take an active part in various film projects, among which the most popular Sherlock Holmes is still the most beloved by the audience.