Who Is Benedict Cumberbatch's Wife? Find Out All About the Heartthrob's Marriage to Sophie Hunter
It’s no mystery who holds the heart of this Sherlock heartthrob! Benedict Cumberbatch wed wife Sophie Hunter in 2015—likely to the slight disappointment of his loyal legions of female fans, some of whom call themselves the Cumberbabes. Despite the many Twitter accounts dedicated to him, though, reaching sex symbol status came as a surprise to Cumberbatch.
"I wish my 15-year-old self had known about my allure to the opposite sex,” he reportedly quipped to InStyle in 2012. He later told PEOPLEthat it’s “really impressive” how Hunter takes his devoted fans in stride, saying. “She’s just so in command of it. It could be a difficult thing, but she’s just really cool.”
Twitter frenzy aside, it’s safe to say Hunter is Cumberbatch's biggest fan. “She's proud of my work, she's proud of me, and she loves me,” he added to the magazine. “That's the bottom line, isn't it? That's one of the reasons it's a good fit.”
These days, Hunter has a lot to be proud about; Cumberbatch scored a Best Actor nomination at the 2022 Oscars for his role in The Power of the Dog. While we wait for them to step out in style on Hollywood's biggest night, keep reading to find out everything we know about Benedict Cumberbatch and wife Sophie Hunter, from meeting on a movie set to starting a family.
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Who is Benedict Cumberbatch’s wife, Sophie Hunter?
As a writer, director and performer, Hunter is no stranger to the spotlight herself. Since making her directorial debut in 2007 by co-directing The Terrific Electric onstage in London, she’s directed several plays over the years, including Ghosts, Lucretia and Phaedra. She also released a French-language album, called The Isis Project, in 2009, and an English-language album, called Songs for a Boy, in 2011.
While her work is often avant-garde, she told The Guardian in 2015 that she doesn't see a big difference between that and Cumberbatch’s Hollywood career. “My job now is to make work, to tell stories,” she said, adding, “There is still a critical need for a new audience and for new ways of thinking about the presentation and accessibility of opera and the concerts.”
Is Sophie Hunter an actress?
While she may not have Twitter fan pages like her husband, Hunter has done her fair share of acting, too. In addition to theater performances, she’s had roles in TV shows including Midsomer Murders and Henry VIII: Mind of a Tyrant. On the silver screen, she starred alongside Reese Witherspoon in the 2004 flick Vanity Fair.
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Is Sophie Hunter British?
Like Cumberbatch, Hunter was born in London. She has a BA in Modern Languages from Oxford University. In addition to their English roots, the two also each have their own noble connections. Hunter’s late grandfather, General Sir James Michael Gow, was a senior British army officer who was the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army of the Rhine. According to IMDb, Cumberbatch’s great-grandfather was Queen Victoria’s Consul General in Turkey and Lebanon. King Richard III is also reportedly Cumberbatch’s second cousin 16 times removed. The Imitation Game star even played the late royal in BBC’s The Hollow Crown: The War of the Roses.
How did Benedict Cumberbatch meet his wife, Sophie Hunter?
While not much is known about their relationship timeline, the pair reportedly met in 2009 when they both starred in Burlesque Fairytale, although he was dating actress Olivia Poulet at the time. He reportedly split with Poulet in 2010 and was first spotted with Hunter at the French Open in 2014, sparking speculation about their fairytale romance.
“To find the right person? There’s always a way isn’t there,” Cumberbatch once said of meeting your special someone, according to Bustle. “And I don’t mean the Internet… There are always moments and meeting and chance encounters.”
When did Benedict Cumberbatch get married to Sophie Hunter?
Forget Instagram-official! Cumberbatch and Hunter announced their relationship in a much more subtle—and old-fashioned—way. The pair reportedly broke the news of their engagement with an announcement in the births, deaths and marriages column of The Times, which read: “The engagement is announced between Benedict, son of Wanda and Timothy Cumberbatch of London, and Sophie, daughter of Katherine Hunter of Edinburgh and Charles Hunter of London.”
The pair said “I do” the following year in a ceremony at the church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Mottistone, a medieval church on the Isle of Wight in England. As if the nuptials couldn’t get any more romantic, they tied the knot on Valentine’s Day 2015 and Hunter walked down the aisle in style in a custom Valentino wedding dress.
Following the ceremony, they celebrated at the nearby Mottistone Manor. As reported by PEOPLE, Hunter is related to the family who live on the estate, parts of which date back to the 15th century. As reported by E! News, the newlyweds later embarked on a honeymoon to Tahiti, where they stayed for ten days at a five-star resort in Bora Bora.
Did Benedict Cumberbatch date Dakota Johnson?
While the pair once sparked dating rumors, it’s unclear whether their relationship was ever official. Following the 2014 Met Gala, which they both attended, he was spotted getting lunch with the Fifty Shades of Grey star. The actor was seen putting a napkin over his face during their outing (a la Mr. Napkin Head in The Holiday).
Does Benedict Cumberbatch have kids?
Cumberbatch and Hunter share three sons: Christopher Carlton Cumberbatch, 6, Hal Auden Cumberbatch, 5, and Finn Cumberbatch, 3. The Doctor Strange star told Vogue UKin 2016 that having kids was “massive” for him. “And on a very unexpected level,” he continued. “Suddenly I understood my parents much more profoundly than I ever had before… You understand much more about being a son, becoming a father.”
Starting a family might also change what roles the star takes on. “I want [my kids] to know what I do for a living and they can’t always because of the certification of my films, we’ll all be a lot older by the time they get to see them,” he said on Good Morning Britainin 2017. “I would definitely like to do some child-friendly work in the future, I’ve done a bit but there might be a bit more of that.”
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