By David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Genealogy detectives have discovered that Benedict Cumberbatch, the British actor who portrays Sherlock Holmes in the PBS television series, is distantly related to the author who created the iconic character more than a century ago.
Cumberbatch, 40, and the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who died in 1930, were 16th cousins, twice removed, according to the web site Ancestry.com.
Cumberbatch and "Sherlock" return for three new episodes beginning Sunday night. With the British actor rocketing to movie stardom, it's likely to be his last time in the character.
Ancestry.com wasn't asked to dig into the backgrounds of Cumberbatch and Doyle, but its researchers love both the series and historical puzzles, said spokesman Dallin Hatch. They haven't told the actor of the connection.
Doyle and Cumberbatch's common ancestor was John of Gaunt, the duke of Lancaster and the fourth son of King Edward III of England, who lived in the 14th Century, the website said. John of Gaunt was Doyle's 15th great-grandfather and Cumberbatch's 17th great-grandfather.
"Making family history connections is similar to piecing together a mysterious puzzle, one that the great Sherlock Holmes himself would be intrigued to solve," said Lisa Elzey, family historian at Ancestry.
Holmes and sidekick John Watson, played in the PBS series by Martin Freeman, came to life in a novel written in 1890, and were featured in dozens more detective stories.
American Society of Cinematographers presents 2024 Student Heritage Award winners
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) announced winners in the 2024 Student Heritage Awards competition. Three student filmmakers were selected for demonstrating outstanding cinematography skills in their submitted work. The Awards ceremony, presided over by ASC president Shelly Johnson and held at the historic ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood, also celebrated the lasting memory of three legendary ASC members whose work inspired generations.
Ellen Kuras, ASC presented the John Bailey Heritage Award (Graduate Category) to Joewi Verhoeven of the American Film Institute for “Taha.”
The George Spiro Dibie Heritage Award (Undergraduate Category) was presented by Michael Goi, ASC, ISC to Isabelle Leonard of the University of Southern California for “Amos' Bride.”
Patrick Cady, ASC presented The Haskell Wexler Documentary Award to Meg Weck of the University of Southern California for “Danceable.”
The Student Awards, sponsored by Sony, are one of several educational programs designed by the organization to support a new generation of talent in the early stages of their cinematography careers. To qualify, a student’s undergraduate, graduate or documentary project is submitted and judged by an ASC blue-ribbon panel for demonstrating exceptional cinematographic skill.
Many of the ASC Student Heritage Award winners have gone on to have successful careers in filmmaking, including the Student Awards Committee co-chairs Craig Kief and Armando Salas, alongside other ASC members Nelson Cragg, Masanobu Takayanagi, and Lisa Wiegand.
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