Biographic by Steve McGarry for April 28, 2013

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BIOGRAPHIC Steve McGarry Benedict Cumberbatch Born in London on July 19, 1976, Benedict Cumberbatch is the son of actor Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham, the actress who played Colonel Virginia Lake on the cult sci-fi series "UFO" and whose credits include "Doctor Who" and "The Saint." Educated at exclusive private schools, Benedict took a "gap year" to teach English in a Tibetan monastery, before studying drama in college. He received further training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Stage, TV and film roles soon followed, accompanied by significant awards recognition. The lead in "Sherlock," the BBC's hugely popular update ion the Sherlock Holmes tales, has brought Benedict wide acclaim and Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. As his stock has risen, Benedict has found himself in increasingly bigger movie projects, following roles in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and "War Horse," he provides voice and motion-capture for Smaug the Dragon in "The Hobbit" trilogy, alongside "Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins. Benedict will follow his villainous role in "Star Trek Into Darkness" by teaming with Brad Pitt, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender in "12 Years a Slave," Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in "August: Osage County," and portraying Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in "the Fifth Estate."