Cumberbatch is the son of actors Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham, seemingly setting him on a path to stardom. However, his parents warned him against following in their footsteps with stark advice.<\/p>\n
“I was, if anything pressured the other way, like, ‘Don’t do what we’re doing. It’s a stupid way to spend a life,'” he recalled during Monday’s episode of “SmartLess,”<\/a> before adding, “‘And how family life is a chaotic jumble of loose-end commitments that have to be abandoned at the last minute because dad’s got an advert audition.'”<\/p>\n “They did really, really well in their careers. Mom, especially commercially. Dad, brilliantly as well in the theater. He did a lot of the royal court in the early days of kitchen sink drama there. But the point is, you know, they \u2026 wanted me to have the opportunities that they didn’t, or that they didn’t have in their life as my parents. And they afforded me an education where I could have gone on to be a lawyer or something of that.”<\/p>\n BEN STILLER REFLECTS ON THE \u2018DARK UNDERSIDE\u2019 OF HOLLYWOOD FAME<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Benedict Cumberbatch says his parents, both actors, warned him against pursuing a career in show business. (\u00a0Gerald Matzka\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Cumberbatch noted that despite his parents’ warning, the acting “bug had bit.”<\/p>\n “\u2026It was very much to do with watching them \u2026 in their prime, doing what they did,” he explained.<\/p>\n Cumberbatch\u2019s father is known for roles in “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” “Downton Abbey,” and numerous British TV series.<\/a><\/p>\n Ventham became a familiar face on British TV with roles in “UFO,” “Only Fools and Horses,” along with guest appearances in “Doctor Who,” plus “Holby City.”<\/p>\n MARVEL REALS \u2018AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY\u2019 CAST, INCLUDING NEW STARS AND ORIGINAL X-MEN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Cumberbatch\u2019s parents, Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham, built successful acting careers on British television and stage. (Wiktor Szymanowicz\/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)<\/p>\n LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “The Roses” star recalled watching his mom transform “just in the blink of an eye” into a character.<\/p>\n “And I thought, \u2018What is that? What just happened to my mom? Where did she go?\u2019 And yeah, I kind of got a taste for that. And as an only child, I think you’re kind of already locked in a bit too, quite a solitary, imaginary universe.”<\/p>\n The “Doctor Strange” star credited his parents\u2019 passion for inspiring his own love of acting despite their advice. (Stefanie Loos\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Benedict Cumberbatch\u2019s breakthrough in “Sherlock” launched a career that has earned him Emmy and BAFTA honors. (Alex Huckle\/GC Images)<\/p>\n Cumberbatch’s breakthrough role came in 2010 with the BBC’s “Sherlock.”<\/a> He won a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie in 2014 for the episode “His Last Vow.”<\/p>\n The role also earned him multiple BAFTA nominations, and “Sherlock” became a defining career moment as he moved into bigger films.<\/p>\n He has appeared in “The Imitation Game,” “Doctor Strange,” “12 Years A Slave” and “The Power of the Dog.”<\/p>\n![\"Benedict](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/benedict-cumberbatch-gray-suit.jpg\")
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