From Shakespearean theater to Marvel hero  

Born in London in 1976, Benedict Cumberbatch is regarded as one of the most influential actors of his generation. The son of two actors, he discovered his passion for stage and screen early on, studying drama at the University of Manchester and later at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He began his career on various London stages, including the National Theatre, and appeared in Shakespearean roles such as HAMLET as well as in plays like HEDDA GABLER and FRANKENSTEIN. 

He rose to international fame in 2010 with the title role in the BBC series SHERLOCK. In addition to his roles in blockbusters such as Peter Jackson’s HOBBIT trilogy, where he brought the dragon Smaug to life with both his voice and motion, Benedict Cumberbatch has also made his mark in numerous independent and arthouse productions.  

In the 2010 film THIRD STAR, he delivered a moving performance as a young man facing terminal cancer on a final journey to the sea with his closest friends. In AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY from 2013, he played a sensitive supporting role alongside Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. That same year, he appeared as the conflicted plantation owner William Ford in 12 YEARS A SLAVE. In 2015’s BLACK MASS, he played William "Billy" Bulger brother of gangster boss Whitey Bulger. In THE COURIER (2020), he portrayed British businessman and spy Greville Wynne during the Cold War. Around the same time, he delivered a powerful performance in the miniseries PATRICK MELROSE as a man wrestling with the aftermath of trauma and addiction, which earned him a BAFTA. Benedict Cumberbatch has been shaping the Marvel universe as Stephen Strange since 2016 and can be seen in DOCTOR STRANGE as well as in the AVENGERS films AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR and AVENGERS: ENDGAME. He received his first Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Alan Turing in 2014's THE IMITATION GAME, followed by his second Oscar nomination for his role as a torn rancher in 2021's THE POWER OF THE DOG. He can also currently be seen in Wes Anderson's film THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME. 

ZFF films and award ceremony 

Seven films with Benedict Cumberbatch have already been screened at the ZFF: 

• ATONEMENT (2007)  

• THIRD STAR (2010)  

• BLACK MASS (2015)  

• THE CURRENT WAR (2017)  

• THE COURIER (2020)  

• THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN (2021)  

• THE POWER OF THE DOG (2021)  

Benedict Cumberbatch will receive the Golden Eye Award in person on September 29. The award ceremony will take place as part of a ZFF Masters talk and will be accompanied by a screening of his new film THE THING WITH FEATHERS. The film, directed by Dylan Southern, tells the story of a father (Cumberbatch) who, following the sudden death of his wife, struggles to maintain everyday life with his two sons, while being stalked by an eerie, human-like crow, which acts as a haunting symbol of grief and loss.