Sophie Hunter
Hunter in 2024
Born	Sophie Irene Hunter (1978-03-16)16 March 1978 (age 47) Hammersmith, London, England
Alma mater	University of Oxford L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq
Occupations	Theatre director playwright actress singer
Spouse	Benedict Cumberbatch ​ ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	3
Relatives	Timothy Carlton (father-in-law) Wanda Ventham (mother-in-law)
Family	Julius Drake (uncle-in-law) Michael Gow (maternal grandfather) J. E. B. Seely (maternal great-great grandfather)
Website	sophiehunterstudio.com

Sophie Irene Hunter (born 16 March 1978)^[1] is an English theatre director,^[2] playwright and former actress and singer. She made her directorial debut in 2007 co-directing the experimental playThe Terrific Electric at theBarbican Pit after winning theOxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award with her theatrecollective Boileroom. In addition, she has directed anOff-Off-Broadway revival ofHenrik Ibsen'sGhosts (2010) at Access Theatre, theperformance art titledLucretia (2011) based onBenjamin Britten's operaThe Rape of Lucretia at Location One's Abramovic Studio in New York City, and the Phantom Limb Company's69° South also known asShackleton Project (2011) which premièred at theBrooklyn Academy of Music's Harvey Theatre and later toured North America.

In August 2015, Hunter directedPhaedra andThe Turn of the Screw to critical acclaim for the Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival and Aldeburgh Music, respectively.

Sophie Irene Hunter was born inHammersmith district ofLondon on 16 March 1978, she is the daughter of Anna Katharine (née Gow) and Charles Rupert Hunter. The couple later divorced.^[3] She has two younger brothers, and two half-siblings from her father's second marriage.^[4] She is a niece of pianistJulius Drake.^[5] Her maternal grandfather is GeneralSir Michael Gow, aBritish Army officer who worked withPrince Henry, Duke of Gloucester in the 1950s and wasAide-de-Camp General tothe Queen from 1981 to 1984.^[6][7] Hunter's maternal great-great grandfather was First World War politicianJ. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone.^[8]

Hunter was privately educated atSt Paul's Girls' School in Hammersmith before studying Modern Languages with a concentration in French and Italian at theUniversity of Oxford.^[9] After graduating from Oxford,^[10][11] Hunter lived in Paris to studyavant-garde theatre for two years at theL'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq.^[12] She then trained at theSaratoga International Theatre Institute in New York City under theatre and opera directorAnne Bogart.^[13]

Hunter co-founded the Lacuna Theatre Company and was an associate director atRoyal Court Theatre in theWest End of London andBroadhurst Theatre in New York'sBroadway for the playEnron. She is the co-founder and artistic director of theatre company Boileroom, which won the 2007Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award for the avant-garde playThe Terrific Electric.^[14] She also serves as collaborating director anddramaturge on marionette and puppetry production with the Phantom Limb Company.^[15]

Known for her avant-garde plays,^[16] Hunter has directed, performed and conceived theatre productions throughout Europe, the Middle East and North America.^[17][18] She directed theexperimental play69° South (2013),^[19][20] the New York City performance art titledLucretia (2011)^[21] based onBenjamin Britten's operaThe Rape of Lucretia and the 2010 revival ofHenrik Ibsen'sGhosts. She was a member of the performance collective Militia Canteen.^[22]

In collaboration with music directorAndrew Staples, Hunter directed mezzo-soprano Ruby Philogene inPhaedra (2015) at the Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival in Northern Ireland. The production was met with praise, withThe Guardian saying it was "exquisitely realized,"The Stage hailing it as "creative brilliance," andThe Times describing it as "astonishing".^[23][24][25] She has also staged Benjamin Britten'sThe Turn of the Screw in Suffolk and London forAldeburgh Music.^[26][27][28]

In June 2017, Hunter took part as narrator inMusic on the Meare atAldeburgh Festival with readings fromOvid,John Dryden andTed Hughes alongside oboistNicholas Daniel.^[29][30]

Hunter worked on the transfer ofPunchdrunk'sSleep No More to New York City in 2011 while serving as creative director for the theatre company Emursive.^[31] She has also directed the company's theatrical experiencesThe Forgotten (2012)^[31] andDon't Major in Debt Student House (2012). In 2013, she developedLoma Lights (2013), one of the largest public arts programs in New York City.^[22][32]

In 2005, Hunter recorded a French-language music album titledThe Isis Project in collaboration with songwriterGuy Chambers.^[33] In 2011, she released an English-language EP titledSongs for a Boy, again with Chambers.^[34] Hunter has also collaborated withArmin van Buuren for the song "Virtual Friend" which was included in Buuren's 2010 albumMirage.^[35]

Earlier in her career, Hunter acted in film and television. She had supporting roles in the television seriesMidsomer Murders (2004),Keen Eddie (2004),Mumbai Calling (2007) andTorchwood (2009). In 2004, she played Maria Osborne in the costume drama filmVanity Fair starringReese Witherspoon and played Annabel Blythe-Smith in the 2009 thriller filmBurlesque Fairytales.

In May 2017, Hunter was announced as a producer for the film adaptation ofMegan Hunter'sdystopian novelThe End We Start From alongside her husband Cumberbatch and Adam Ackland's production company Sunnymarch, andLiza Marshall's Hera Productions.^[36][37]

• Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award (2007)^[38]
• International Artist Fellowship by Location One, New York City (2010/11)^[39]

Hunter had a long-term relationship with sculptorConrad Shawcross whom she met while studying at Oxford.^[40] Their relationship ended in early 2010.^[41] On 14 February 2015, she married actorBenedict Cumberbatch atSt Peter and St Paul's Church, Mottistone^[42] on theIsle of Wight followed by a reception atMottistone Manor.^[43][44][45] They have three sons.^[46][47][48]

Hunter speaks fluent French and Italian. She is also a skilled pianist.^[49]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSophie Hunter.

• Official website
• Sophie Hunter atIMDb
• Sophie Hunter at theInternet Broadway Database

• Living people
• 1978 births
• Alumni of the University of Oxford
• English theatre directors
• British women theatre directors
• English women dramatists and playwrights
• British opera directors
• Female opera directors
• Cumberbatch family
• L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq alumni
• People educated at St Paul's Girls' School
• Actresses from London
• People from Hammersmith
• Actors from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham

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