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Dave and Chuck the Freak

Dave and Chuck the Freak

Benedict Cumberbatch attends the photocall for Marvel Studios' "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" in Trafalgar Square on April 26, 2022 in London, England.

Benedict Cumberbatch is known for his work on screen and stage, receiving various accolades. The actor, whose full name is Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch, was born on July 19, 1976, in London. His parents are actors Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham. Benedict’s ancestors acquired properties in Barbados in 1728 for at least 200 years, and they used enslaved people for labor. One of their plantations enslaved 250 people and was the main source of the Cumberbatch family’s considerable wealth at the time — they were one of the richest families in Britain.

There has been speculation that the Barbados National Task Force on Reparations might consider seeking reparations from families such as the Cumberbatches. The actor claims that by the time he was born, most of the family’s money has run out and that he grew up “definitely middle class.” Barbados′ officials have since rebuked those speculations and called them a “Campaign of deceptive and misleading British ‘yellow journalism’” (sensationalism over facts). Benedict has more ties with royalty, being King Richard III’s third cousin 16 times removed. Though it is a long way away from being closely related, the actor portrayed him in 2012’s The Hollow Crown series.

The Hollow Crown Trailer

Benedict’s Work as an Actor

While in school, Benedict was involved in numerous Shakespearean works and made his acting debut as Titania, Queen of the Fairies, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream when he was 12. His first leading role in theater was as Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion. For ten years, starting in 2001, Cumberbatch was highly involved in award-winning theater productions and won many awards himself. In 2004, he landed his first main role in television as Stephen Hawking in Hawking. By 2010, he began portraying the role of Sherlock Holmes in the television series Sherlock to critical acclaim. Sherlock ran for two seasons.

Though the English actor has mostly been involved in British-produced works, he has also been a part of many critically acclaimed films. He’s played minor roles in the latter aughts in films like Atonement (2007), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), and The Whistleblower (2010). Now, we know him for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Strange. See below our picks for Benedict Cumberbatch’s five best films.

  • 5. Black Mass

    Black Mass - Official Main Trailer [HD]

    The biographical crime drama is set in 1975 starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger’s (Johnny Depp) brother Bill. FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) convinces Whitey to help the agency fight the Italian mob. The 2015 film features an ensemble cast with Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Peter Sarsgaard, Dakota Johnson, and Corey Stoll.

  • 4. Atonement

    ATONEMENT - Official Trailer

    Taking over the course of decades, the romantic drama follows 13-year-old Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) who irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she misunderstands a series of events. She accuses her older sister Cecilia’s (Keira Knightley) lover Robbie Turner (James McAvoy) of raping her cousin Lola (Juno Temple), when it has been a family friend named Marshall (Cumberbatch) all along.

  • 3. The Imitation Game

    The Imitation Game Official Trailer #1 (2014) - Benedict Cumberbatch Movie HD

    Starring alongside Keira Knightley again seven years later in 2014, Cumberbatch stars as Cambridge mathematics alumnus Alan Turing tasked to crack Nazi codes in this compelling biopic.

  • 2. Doctor Strange

    Doctor Strange Official Trailer 2

    In Cumberbatch’s Marvel character debut as Dr. Stephen Strange, we get to see his origin story from the aftermath from a car accident that robs him of the use of his hands. With no treatments available, the ingenious doctor searches for his own way to heal himself. He is faced with choosing to continue his life as a doctor or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence. This is also where we meet Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), Wong (Benedict Wong) and the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton).

  • 1. The Power of the Dog

    The Power of the Dog | Official Trailer | Netflix

    Cumberbatch stars as Phil Burbank, a brutal rancher who is cruel to his brother George’s (Jesse Plemons) wife Rose Gordon’s (Kirsten Dunst) son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Though Peter is highly impressionable, Phil’s toxic masculinity is lashed out onto him in a terrifying, controlling way.

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