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Benedict Cumberbatch turns 38 on 19 July and we couldn’t be happier to dedicate this whole page to the former ELLE Man of the Week-come-Sherlock legend, who has brightened our lives ever since he hit the screens for the first time back in 1998 (yes that's right, he was in Heartbeat).

To celebrate, we’ve compiled 38 (truly excellent) reasons why we love Benedict…

1) He’s handsome (not that we’re all about looks, but you know).

2) He collects stuffed owls.

3) He wore a shirt, tie, suit jacket and swimming shorts to accept his award for Top TV Detective at the National Television Awards 2014.

4) Before he became an actor, he was a perfumer.

5) He has colour variation in his eyes due to a condition called heterochromia iridis.

6) In China, he is known as 'Curly Fu'.

7) He’s a fellow feminist and is reportedly not keen that his fans call themselves ‘Cumberbitches’ as it ‘sets feminism back so many notches’. He would prefer the name ‘Cumberpeople.’

8) His face juxtaposed next to otters = internet gold.

9) He doesn’t take himself too seriously (see the laughing when his otter likeness came up on The Graham Norton Show).

10) He once taught English in a Tibetan monastery.

11) Four films he starred in were nominated at the Oscars 2014. #talent

12) Steven Spielberg calls him ‘the best Sherlock on screen’. We couldn’t agree more.

13) He has a Masters in classical acting.

14) If he could be anyone else for the day, it would be Elvis.

15) He believes that having children would be his greatest achievement. (Imagine: Cumberbabies!)

16) He even looks good as a cucumber.

17) He has counted with The Count.

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18) He has the best embarrassing stories to tell – like when he got stung by a wasp on his rear and an old widow tipped him upside down and rubbed an onion on his bum.

19) His winking skills are on point.

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20) His mum, Wanda Ventham, played Pamela Parry - Cassandra's mum - in Only Fools And Horses.

21) Both his mum and his dad, Timothy Carlton, play Sherlock's parents in Sherlock.

22) He’s a modern day action man; sky-diving, hot air-ballooning, skiing, scuba diving and high-speed motorcycling are just some of the adrenaline-filled activities he’s embarked upon.

23) He considers his celebrity doppleganger to be Sid the Sloth from Ice Age.

24) His audition for Star Trek was recorded on an iPhone in his friend’s kitchen.

25) His acting debut was as Titania Queen of the Fairies in a school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

26) He can do a terrific Snape impression.

27) He’s modest. When questioned once about his thoughts on his global sex appeal, he said, 'I look a bit weird.'

28) In the summer of 2013, he became a minister so he could marry two gay friends in Ibiza.

29) He learnt how to play the violin in a week.

30) He once played dress-up with Madonna.

31) He’s a charitable guy. Donating two self-portraits to charity = big brownie points.

32) His favourite movie is Ghostbusters. Who you gonna call?

33) He’s a dog lover.

34) Mean tweets are no match for him...

35) He loves running. Benedict x ELLE Running Club is something we’re working on…

36) He has ambition and can see himself as a director one day.

37) He gets nervous around other famous people.

38) Having researched this article thoroughly, we are convinced that he takes up approximately 30% of the internet. Amen to that.

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