BRITISH actor Benedict Cumberbatch is believed to be dating British actress and theater director Sophie Hunter.

    After pictures emerged of the Sherlock actor with a brunette companion at the French Open, the 38-year-old’s legion of fans sought to identify his new love interest.

    The Mirror confirmed that “for a number of weeks” Cumberbatch has been seeing 36-year-old Hunter, an Oxford graduate who appeared in the 2004 blockbuster “Vanity Fair” as well as TV shows including “Midsomer Murders” and “Torchwood.”

    Cumberbatch and Hunter have known each other for some time and starred together in the 2009 film “Burlesque Fairytales.”

    Hunter, who played Anne Boleyn in “Henry VIII: Mind of a Tyrant,” studied French and Italian at Oxford before undertaking a course at the Jacques Lecoq School of Theater in Paris.

    Harrow-educated Cumberbatch, who studied drama at Manchester University, has previously been romantically linked to designer Anna James and dated “The Thick of It” star Olivia Poulet for 12 years.

    Though notoriously private, Cumberbatch opened up in the September 2013 issue of Elle Japan, revealing what he found sexy in a partner.

    “A woman who knows that she doesn’t have to get all decked out to look good is sexy. A woman who can make you feel smart with her conversation skills is also sexy. I believe the sense of humor is important,” said he.

    “I also think someone who is good at working with others is sexy. It’s like playing a tennis doubles match. You need to be able to work well together if you are to stay as partners for a long time.”(SD-Agencies)