Benedict Cumberbatch has been an actor on the rise for some time but he is set to see his star rocket in 2013.
He will be back on the big screen this week as he takes on the role of John Harrison in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness.
This is the biggest movie role of Cumberbatch's career to date and it will kick off a year of great movie roles for the British actor.
Throughout his career Cumberbatch has juggled TV, film and theatre roles showing that he is a versatile as well as a talented star.
He made his small screen debut in 2000 when he appeared in Heartbeat and went on to land roles in Tipping the Velvet, Silent Witness and Spooks.
He continued to work in TV with series and documentaries throughout the noughties but it really was Sherlock that put him on the map.
While he was doing all of these TV projects he was also building up an impressive film portfolio.
He made his big screen debut in 2002 with Fields of Gold before going on to Starter for 10, Amazing Grace and the fantastic Atonement.
Cumberbatch played Sherlock Holmes for the first time in 2010 as the BBC presented a contemporary update of Arthur Conan Doyle's novels.
Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss were behind the series that saw Cumberbatch team up with Martin Freeman, who played Watson.
Together they made Sherlock one of BBC's flagship shows and the series has enjoyed critical and award success around the world.
Series 2 was also a huge hit and both Cumberbatch and Freeman will be back as Holmes and Watson later this year for the third series.
The role of Sherlock Holmes really boosted the profile of Cumberbatch and he has been flying high on the big screen as well.
Roles in War Horse and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy followed and now he is in major demand.
Star Trek Into Darkness hits the big screen this week and will see Cumberbatch join Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Simon Pegg on the cast list for the second film in the rebooted franchise.
Cumberbatch is an exciting addition as the role of John Harrison is not one that existed in the original series or films... so who is he?
Star Trek Into Darkness is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year and looks set to be a huge box office hit - not to mention raise Cumberbatch's star even higher.
But there are some huge projects on the horizon for him including The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - which sees him take on the role of Smaug.
Using motion capture the actor will bring the dragon to life in Peter Jackson's adaptation of the Tolkien novel.
He is also completed work on 12 Years A Slave, which is the latest movie from director Steve McQueen.
The movie is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Solomon Northup and will see Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt all also on the cast list.
McQueen has been behind movies Hunger and Shame and is one of the most exciting director's around at the moment.
Cumberbatch has also just finished work on The Fifth Estate, a movie that sees him play Julian Assange.
Directed by Bill Condon the movie will follow the relationship between Assange and his early supporter and eventual colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg - played by Daniel Bruhl.
Benedict Cumberbatch is one of the most exciting British actors around at the moment and with more great projects on the horizon he is going only one way... and that is up!!
Star Trek Into Darkness is released 9th May.