Legendary actor Benedict Cumberbatch will receive the TIFF Tribute Actor Award at the Toronto International Film Festival this year alongside actress Jessica Chastain.
Cumberbatch, who has two films showing at the event this year — The Power of the Dog and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain — skyrocketed to fame after his Emmy award-winning portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in BBC’s Sherlock series. From there, the actor continued making waves throughout cinema in blockbusters such as Star Trek Into Darkness as the villainous Khan, The Hobbit trilogy as both Smaug the dragon and the Necromancer, and the erratic, trauma-sufferer Patrick Melrose in the miniseries Patrick Melrose for SHOWTIME. Of course, no one can forget his portrayal of popular comic book character Doctor Stephen Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe either.
Even beyond his biggest roles, the actor boasts an impressive resume. In 2015 he earned a best actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of World War II hero Alan Turing in The Imitation Game. Also, Parade’s End, August: Osage County, 12 Years a Slave, Richard III, Hawking, and more add to his already impressive nominations throughout his career in film, and his stage credits are just as impressive.
Cumberbatch is no stranger to TIFF. His previous films The Fifth Estate and The Imitation Game being shown at the festival. In honor of his award, TIFF created a Letterboxd list to commemorate his incredible career.
The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 9-18. The full schedule for the films playing at this year’s festival will release on Tuesday, August 24. Tickets and packages are currently available for purchase. Information on the awards ceremony will be available soon.
