Benedict Cumberbatch considered career as barrister before acting

Benedict Cumberbatch once considered a career as a barrister because his parents did not want him to follow in their footsteps and become an actor.

The Sherlock star, whose parents are Baby Love actor Timothy Carlton and Only Fools and Horses' Wanda Ventham, reveals he looked into studying law because he felt working in a courtroom would satisfy his performance aspirations.

He explains, "They wanted me to have the opportunity to be a doctor or a lawyer so I looked for a long time at being a barrister, because obviously there's a lot of crossover.

"There's an element of performance taking on an argument, story telling, persuading people, which made me say to myself, 'Why am I putting myself through the mill to be something that's one removed from the profession that I really want to do, which is acting?'."

Cumberbatch ultimately snubbed law and pursued his love of acting, and his decision has continued to pay off - the Star Trek Into Darkness star is nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama for his performance in critically-acclaimed World War Two code-breaking film, The Imitation Game.

The prizegiving will take place on Sunday night (11Jan15).