preview

The Life of Benedict Cumberbatch Essay

Decent Essays

Have you ever seen the BBC series “Sherlock”? What about “Tinker Tailor Soldier”, or “Hawking”? One man appearing in all of those programs has become very well known over the course of the past few years. Even today, he acts in many series and movies. His name is Benedict Cumberbatch, and his tale is an interesting and humbling one.
Benedict Cumberbatch was born on July 19 in 1976. Benedict was never a very well-behaved child. His parents had sent him to Harrow, one of the most prestigious and expensive boarding schools in Britain, Brambletye School, Manchester Unversity, and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic art. While at Harrow, he misbehaved so much that his headmistress reported to his parents with the words “Ben is slightly …show more content…

Benedict Cumberbatch had a breakthrough when he acted as “Stephen Hawking in the television movie Hawking (2004)” (Kad). Cumberbatch also starred as Sherlock Holmes in the hit BBC television show series “Sherlock”. While filming a show called “To the Ends of the Earth” for BBC in 2005, Cumberbatch almost met his death when the tire of his car blew. He and some other actors in the car were ambushed by South Africans as they tried to change the tire in the darkness of the night. They were stripped of their weapons/valuables. Then, they were forced to go into an execution position. When Benedict had tried to stand up, he was ordered to go into the trunk. However, he lied that he was claustrophobic and was allowed to get out. Then, he was taken away from the other actors and tied up. After that, he and the other actors were forced to lie face down on the ground. “After three hours shivering face down on the ground, the petrified victims ran for help and called the police. Benedict says: “I’ve still got a scar where I was tied up. It was terrifying. The next morning I woke up as a free man with the sun on my face and I cried. I thought I’d never feel its warmth again” (McCaffrey). Benedict moved on to other projects after his ordeal, including auditioning for “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”.
It has been an interesting ride for Cumberbatch up to this point. In a recent TIME Magazine, “stepping into the populist limelight” “has been quite crazy” (Davis). In

Get Access