Cumberbatch gets engaged to Hunter

LONDON - “Sherlock” star Benedict Cumberbatch and theatre director Sophie Hunter announced their engagement Wednesday, making the news public with a minuscule eight-line announcement on the births, deaths and marriages page of The Times newspaper in London.

Cumberbatch’s spokeswoman, Karon Maskill, confirmed the engagement.

The 38-year-old Cumberbatch became a global star with his modern-day portrayal of the cerebral sleuth, and is being praised for his role as code-breaking genius Alan Turing in “The Imitation Game.”

Hunter, 36, is known for directing avant-garde plays and studied theater in Paris and New York.

She and Cumberbatch appeared together in the 2009 thriller “Burlesque Fairytales.” AP