Acting - Part 1

1. Although he had the opportunity to attend elite universities Oxford or Cambridge, after finishing school, Ben chose to study Drama at Manchester University.
2. Here, Ben honed his acting abilities and was recognised as one of the most outstanding students.
3. In 2001, Benedict began his stage career with the role of Ferdinand in Love’s Labour’s Lost for the Open Air Theatre in London’s Regent’s Park.
4. His talent was clear for everyone to see, and over the next few years he won roles in four more Open Air Theatre productions as well as a few minor TV and film roles.
5. Cumberbatch’s first major role to a wide audience was his made-for-TV film Hawking in 2004, in which he played the lead role - eminent scientist Professor Stephen Hawking.
6. He won awards for this portrayal, and garnered even more critical acclaim for his performance as Tesman in the 2005 production of Hedda Gabler at the Almeida Theatre.
7. Amazing Grace, a film released in 2006 was the next major success of Ben’s career. He was highly lauded by the London Film Critics Circle, and this won him parts in other films.
8. Audiences across the world began to take note of Cumberbatch when he held supporting roles in the films Atonement in 2007 and The Other Boleyn Girl in 2008.
9. As a British lover of sci-fi, Ben mentioned in 2010 that he would be interested in taking up a role in the long-running BBC series Doctor Who.
10. Although such a role didn’t materialise, Steven Moffat (a man heavily involved in the Doctor Who Franchise) hand-picked Ben for the lead role in his upcoming detective series Sherlock.