Biografia

His parents Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham also played his character's parents on Sherlock (2010).

His character Sherlock Holmes' warm relationship with Mrs. Hudson is influenced by Cumberbatch's own real-life relationship with Una Stubbs, as she is good friends with his mother and she has seen him grow up.

Has central heterochromia as well as sectoral heterochromia, the groovy but harmless genetic mutation that his friend James McAvoy describes in X-Men - L'inizio (2011). Central heterochromia is where each eye has multiple colors - in his case, each has a dissimilar but nearly identical combination of blue, green and gold. Sectoral heterochromia is where one eye has a spot (or sector) of dissimilar coloration; his right eye has a brown freckle of color that, while small, is typical of sectoral heterochromia.

Lost a notable amount of weight for his role as Sherlock Holmes, his goal being to portray Holmes as a character with such high intelligence that it manifests itself in a physical, "mind-over-matter" sort of way.

His voice has been creatively described by journalist Caitlin Moran as a jaguar hiding in a cello. According to a film critic, his voice is so sepulchrally resonant, that it could have been synthesized from the combined timbres of Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart and Alan Rickman holding an elocution contest down a well. The "jaguar hiding in a cello" comparison apparently also clicked with the creative people at Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC. Cumberbatch voiced several commercials for Jaguar automobiles.

[on Stephen Hawking] He's such a presence and you have to really know what you want to say to him or ask him because it takes such a huge, phenomenal effort for him to communicate with you. You think, "I really don't want to waste this man's time." I was myself rather than thinking, "I'm a stupid actor; how on earth can I impress someone like this? I don't know what to say to make me feel worthy of playing this man.".

Cumberbatch - it sounds like a fart in a bath, doesn't it? What a fluffy old name. I can never say it on a Monday morning. When I became an actor, Mum wasn't keen on me keeping it.

I am very flattered. I have also become a verb as in "I have cumberbatched the UK audience" apparently. Who knows, by the end of the year I might become a swear word too! It's crazy and fun and very flattering.

It's the standard actors' joke - "What are you doing after this?" "Oh, if Spielberg doesn't call then I'm going to go on holiday." But a week after I'd said that, I got the call to say I had the job. It's one of those moments you never forget - I just fell off my chair. Which is not a good start to the horseriding.

[on being invited by Madonna to her London home to discuss playing Duke of Windsor (aka "Edward VIII") in W.E. - Edward e Wallis (2011)] I'd whizzed round on my bike and thought we were going to have a read-through and a chat, but she wanted a full-on dress rehearsal... So I ended up in a suit and tie with Madonna operating the camera herself.