Benedict Cumberbatch News Update: 6 Bizzare Facts You Didn't Know About "Sherlock"

Benedict Cumberbatch stole the hearts of many fans when he starred as Sherlock Holmes in the TV series, "Sherlock." He continued to develop a strong fan base with his roles as Alan Turing in the Oscar-nominated film, "The Imitation Game" and as Smaug/Necromancer in "The Hobbit" movies. With Cumberbatch's popularity soaring, fans can expect to see him in many more movies to come.

Here are six interesting facts about the actor, who recently welcomed his first child with Sophie Hunter this year.

1. Stanley Kubrick is his favorite director. Cumberbatch reportedly wrote a dissertation about Kubrick, whose projects include "A Clockwork Orange, "Lolita" and "Eyes Wide Shut."

2. Cumberbatch categorizes himself as Buddhist in the "philosophical" sense. During his college gap year, the actor took the time to teach monks at a Tibetan monastery.

3. If he could be anyone in the world, past or present, it would be music legend, Elvis. In an interview, Cumberbatch revealed that ideally, he would be Elvis in "the post-war phenomena at the Star Dust in Vegas."

4. Cumberbatch revealed that while on a trip in South Africa, he was once abducted and then released for no apparent reason. He said in an interview, ""I was scared, really scared. I said: 'What are you going to do with us? Are you going to kill us?' I was really worried that I was going to get raped or molested or just tortured or toyed with in some way, some act of control and savagery. It really, really enriches your values in life. It's incredibly important."

5. He once considered the career path to become a lawyer.

6. He wants all his female fans to stop addressing themselves as "Cumberbitches." The actor said that nickname is setting "feminism back so many notches."

Cumberbatch can be seen in the upcoming film, "Black Mass," which stars Johnny Depp.