The bestBenedict Cumberbatchmovies and TV shows include some huge blockbusters, several historical biopics, and a reinterpretation of one of literature’s greatest detectives. Cumberbatch got his start in theater work and has starred in several plays since 2001. He also got his start on television with guest roles in 2000, and his roles grew to the point where he got his first starring role in 2004’sHawking. In 2006, Cumberbatch starred inStarter for 10, which helped him become a star.
Cumberbatch has mostly dedicated himself to the big screen, althoughhe has a huge television role inSherlock, where he plays a modern-day version of Sherlock Holmes. His other television roles includePatrick Melroseand the Netflix seriesEric. On the big screen,Cumberbatch has appeared in both the MCU as Doctor StrangeandThe Lord of the Ringsfranchise as Smaug. He has also played Alan Turing and appeared in more than one Best Picture Oscar contender over his career.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaugwas the second ofThe Hobbittrilogy, and as the title suggests, this was the movie that focused on the great dragon Smaug.That is where Benedict Cumberbatch comes in as he voices the mighty Smaug himself. A prequel to Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy, this series follows Bilbo Baggins as he works with Thorin Oakenshield and his dwarf warriors as they attempt to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug.
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The prequel trilogy received average reviews, and most critics and fans admit that it isn’t up to the level set by the original trilogy. However, the pundits also pointed out that the depiction of Smaug was the best since Jackson created Gollum in the original trilogy. This was the strongest movie ofThe Hobbittrilogy, and much of that is on the shoulders of the dragon that Cumberbatch voiced.The Desolation of Smaugearned three Oscar nominations but didn’t win anything.
In 2024, Benedict Cumberbatch returned to television for the Netflix streaming seriesEric. The series is set in the 1980s in New York City, and Cumberbatch playsVincent Anderson, a puppeteer whose son Edgar (Ivan Morris Howe) goes missing. Vincent becomes more volatile after the disappearance, alienating him from his friends and family. After falling into addiction issues, Vincent believes that he can use his seven-foot-tall puppet, Eric, to find and reunite with his son.
Critics gave the six-episode miniseries positive reviews, as it sits at 71% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. They praisedEricfor its “startlingly disturbing” storyline and called it a “demented binge” watch. In theScreen RantreviewofEric, the miniseries hailed Cumberbatch, who “absolutely dominates his performance, believably tapping into the former’s darker tendencies, while also making Eric feel like both a completely separate character and extension of his flawed protagonist.”
Benedict Cumberbatch worked withSteven Spielberg in the 2011 war dramaWar Horse. The film follows the story of a horse sold to the army to use in World War I. Later, the boy who loved and raised the horse gets old enough and enlists to fight in the war, and eventually, the young man and horse are reunited in a crowd-pleasing moment.As for Benedict Cumberbatch, he plays Major Jamie Stewart, part of the unit that the horse, Joey, was sent to work with.
The film ended up as the highest-grossing World War I movie of all time beforeWonder Womantook that spot. Critics gaveWar Horsemostly positive reviews, with a 74% Rotten Tomatoes score. However, it was a huge movie when awards season rolled around, picking up six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, although it didn’t win any awards. It also earned five BAFTA nominations and two Golden Globe nominations, although it was shut out there as well.
Sam Mendes directed the World War I film1917,and Benedict Cumberbatch was one of the actors he brought into the project. Filmed to look like it was shot in one long take,1917tells the story oftwo soldiers who had to deliver an important message to call off an offensive attack that was walking into a German trap.It was an intense movie with the two men going from one battle to the next as they worked their way to the commanding officers who were about to lead troops to their deaths.
The two young soldiers were played by up-and-coming actors George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman.Benedict Cumberbatch is Colonel Mackenzie, the man they had to reach and deliver the message to, as he led the 2nd Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. The battle reached the last possible second as Mackenzie had already started the attack when the final surviving soldier arrived and helped stop it just in time.1917earned 10 Oscar nominations and won three, including Best Cinematography.
In 2014, Benedict Cumberbatch starred in the biographical war movieThe Imitation Gameas Alan Turing, one of the biggest heroes in World War II and was then humiliated by the same government he helped win the war.Turing was a mathematician who helped decrypt German intelligence messagesfor the British government during World War II. However, when the war was over, he was chemically castrated by the government because he was gay.
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Critics praised the film and awarded it a 90% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.The Imitation Gameearned eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Cumberbatch. It only won for Best Adapted Screenplay. It also earned nine BAFTA nominations and didn’t win any of those awards either. The film did win the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film - Wide Release.
Jane Campion has one of the best records for movies to Oscar wins of anyone in Hollywood. The most recent of these came in 2021 whenCampion directed the Netflix movieThe Power of the Dog. That film was a Western psychological drama about a widow and her son who get caught in between two brothers. Kirsten Dunst is the mother, Rose, while Kodi Smit-McPhee is her son, Peter. Jesse Plemons is George, the kindhearted brother who marries Rose, while George is his arrogant brother who belittles Rose and Peter constantly.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays George, one of his rare antagonistic roles. George is cruel and treats everyone terribly, but Cumberbatch takes the character and delivers some depth, making him more well-rounded, which, in turn, makes the end more tragic than it should have been.The Power of the Dogwon Campion the Best Director award at the Oscars, and Benedict Cumberbatch was nominated for Best Actor in the movie’s 12 Academy Award nominations.
Directed by Steve McQueen,12 Years a Slaveis a biographical historical drama about Solomon Northup, a free Black man kidnapped and sold into slavery. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Solomon as he is enslaved and fights to regain his freedom, although he has to pass through a lot of terrible situations on his way back to his home.Benedict Cumberbatch plays William Ford, the man who first bought Northupafter he was kidnapped. He is mostly kind to Northup, but he eventually sells him to another plantation owner.
Ford is a real-life historical figure, and his portrayal was mostly not as loyal to how Northup wrote about him in his book, but he was still one of the more gracious men who was part of Solomon’s journey to freedom. Critics gave the film universal praise, with a 95% fresh Rotten Tomatoes score, while it also received nine Oscar nominations, winning Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong’o.
There have been severalmovies based on the novels by John le Carré, and arguably, the best of these adaptations was the 2011 Cold War spy filmTinker Tailor Soldier Spy.Gary Oldman is the lead, playing The Circus’s intelligence officer, George Smiley. WhenTinker Tailor Soldier Spystarts, Smiley is forced into retirement, but he is called back when his former superiors realize there is a mole within The Circus. It is up to Smiley to figure out who it is and dig them out.
Benedict Cumberbatch stars in the film as Peter Guillam, Smiley’s trusted right-hand man, and the first person that Smiley brings in to help him solve this case. The film received three Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Gary Oldman, although it didn’t win any. It was more successful at the BAFTAs, where it won Outstanding British Film while getting 12 nominations overall. Cumberbatch picked up a British Independent Film Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Several people have played Sherlock Holmes in movies and on television. One of the best of the best is Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance in the British seriesSherlock. This BBC seriesbrought Holmes to the modern day but kept most of his mannerisms and cases intact. With Martin Freeman by his side as Dr. Watson,Cumberbatch was masterful as Sherlock Holmesand starred in four seasons (13 episodes), with fans still clamoring for more.
The first three seasons had Rotten Tomatoes scores of over 90% fresh, but the fourth was a disappointing 54%.Sherlockwon four BAFTAs in 10 nominations. It also picked up 39 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning nine, including both Cumberbatch and Freeman winning in 2014 for Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie. Other than the MCU, this is the role that Cumberbatch is best known for around the world.
Benedict Cumberbatch hasplayed Doctor Stephen Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since he debuted in his 2016 solo MCU filmDoctor Strange. Since that time, he has appeared in six different MCU movies over his time in this world. Of these movies, the best of the best remainsAvengers: Endgame. InAvengers: Infinity War, Strange is forced to team with Iron Man and the Avengers in their devastating loss to Thanos, but Strange lets Tony Stark know there is still one chance to win in the future.
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
That comes inEndgame, which ended up as the highest-grossing movie of all time for a short time untilAvatarsurpassed it in a re-release. The film was a high point for the MCU and is a big reason the franchise’s smaller movies that followed have struggled to keep fans' attention. Strange has had two movies of his own and also had a show-stealing moment inSpider-Man: No Way Homewhen he tried to stop Peter Parker from opening up the world to the multiverse. And fans will be thrilled to know thatBenedict Cumberbatchisn’t finished in the MCU yet.
