With the breaking news that Benedict Cumberbatch is in talks for a role in the newest Monty Python comedy “Absolutely Anything,” you may be thinking to yourself “…Who the heck is that?” Well, if you’re not a girl and you don’t visit Tumblr on a daily (ahem, hourly) basis, then you probably wouldn’t know who this particular Brit is. But you should. Here’s why.

Aside from becoming a fantasy figure for the ladies of the Tumblrverse, he’s actually a really fantastic actor with some serious street cred to back it up. The London-born Cumberbatch got an early start doing theater at some of England’s most prestigious venues, but it wasn’t until his role as Stephen Hawking in the made-for-television movie “Hawking” that people really started to take notice. The role earned him a nomination for Best TV Actor at the BAFTAs in 2004, and ever since he has been slowly and sneakily creeping into Hollywood’s consciousness. He continued to work with bit parts in TV series and movies (including a small but important role in the 2007 Oscar-nominated “Atonement”), but struck gold once again in 2010 when he became the newest incarnation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s notorious detective Sherlock Holmes in the BBC’s acclaimed production of “Sherlock,” a role which most recently snagged him an Emmy nod. He was also terrific in the Gary Oldman flick “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” as a gay spy whose loyalty to his boss comes at a huge personal cost.

Throw in a role in last year’s Steven Spielberg Oscar hopeful “War Horse” (with another rising British star – Tom Hiddleston – but more on him some other day) and you’ve got the makings of an A-list Hollywood heavy-hitter. It’s a wonder the guy has any time to sleep as he shows no signs of slowing down. On top of the aforementioned new role in the Monty Python film, he will soon be providing voice and motion capture work for “The Hobbit” (scheduled to hit theaters this December), and is finishing up work as a mysterious villain in J.J. Abrams’ much anticipated Star Trek sequel coming out next year. One thing’s for certain: you don’t need to be master sleuth Sherlock Holmes to detect that it’s just the beginning for this rising star.