Benedict Cumberbatch's Real Name: Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch

Quick answer: Benedict Cumberbatch's real name is Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch. He was born on July 19, 1976, in London, England.

Real name and early life

Britannica records him in full as Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch, born July 19, 1976, in London. The Library of Congress name authority lists the same fuller form and birth date, with birth place London (England). He is the son of actors Timothy Carlton (born Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch) and Wanda Ventham; Carlton is both a family middle name and his father's professional surname. He studied at Harrow School, the University of Manchester, and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) before screen and stage work.

Quick facts

• Real name: Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch
• Known as: Benedict Cumberbatch
• Born: July 19, 1976, in London, England
• Known for: Actor
• Notable work: Sherlock, The Imitation Game, Doctor Strange, The Power of the Dog
• Sources checked: Library of Congress Name Authority, Britannica

Career highlights

Cumberbatch became a global star as a modern Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series Sherlock (2010–2017). Film roles include the slave trader in 12 Years a Slave (2013), Alan Turing in The Imitation Game (2014)—an Academy Award nomination for best actor—and Stephen Strange in Marvel's Doctor Strange (2016) and later Avengers films. He received another Oscar nomination for Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog (2021). Stage work includes National Theatre and West End productions; he was appointed CBE in 2015 for services to the performing arts.

Name notes

Cumberbatch is his legal family surname, not a stage invention. Searchers sometimes confuse his father Timothy Carlton's professional surname with a name change; Britannica and LOC treat Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch as the full civil form. Where fan sites invent middle names, prefer LOC and Britannica.