Date of Birth : Jul 19th 1976
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 19th 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.
Most recently, 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. He is currently appearing in Rhinoceros at the Royal Court Theatre.