Benedict Cumberbatch is a versatile actor who is associated with major franchises like Marvel, Star Trek, Sherlock Holmes and more. He has received greater heights of fame with his performance as the popular as Doctor Strange in Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series, Sherlock.

As the actor celebrates his 46th birthday on July 19, here’s a look at some of the lesser-known facts about him:

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1. Benedict Cumberbatch’s eyes change colours (not due to cosmetics). Cumberbatch has a condition called Heterochromia Iridis which causes his eyes to sometimes appear blue and sometimes green.

2. Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham, who played his parents on Sherlock, are his parents in real life.

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3. Cumberbatch is also a painter. He went to the Harrow school on an art scholarship and has painted large oil canvas paintings and self-portraits. He has sold some of his paintings for charity.

4. He has survived a real-life kidnapping attempt that threatened his life. While he was filming the BBC mini-series To The Ends of the Earth, both Cumberbatch and his co-star Denise Black were kidnapped by six men. He somehow managed to argue his way out of it, surviving the near-death experience.

5. He became a licensed officiator when his friends Seth Cummings and Rob Rinder decided to get married. He officiated the ceremony for their Ibiza wedding.

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6. Cumberbatch worked as an English professor for a year at a Tibetan monastery.

7. He has a collection of stuffed owls. He keeps them in what he calls his “boudoir.”

8. Benedict Cumberbatch has his own colouring book released by contemporary pop culture brand I Love Mel in 2014. It was released as part of their Colour Me Good series and the book has pictures of Cumberbatch to colour.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)