Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch is continuing to surge in Hollywood, having now scored his first Oscar nomination Thursday for his role in The Imitation Game.

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Cumberbatch has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, scoring a nomination for his portrayal of mathematical genius Alan Turing. He is nominated against Steve Carell in Foxcatcher, Bradley Cooper in American Sniper, Michael Keaton in Birdman and Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything.

"I am knocked for six by this," Cumberbatch said in relation to his nomination. "So excited and honored to receive this recognition. It's wonderful to be included by the Academy in this exceptional year of performances. To ring my parents who are both actors and tell them that their only son has been nominated for an Oscar is one of the proudest moments of my life."

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Cumberbatch is coming off a big win last August at the Emmys. The actor won for his role as Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock: His Last Vow, beating out strong competition from Fargo's Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton and The Normal Heart's Mark Ruffalo. It is entirely possible that he could become the rare actor to win the Emmy and the Oscar within the same period of time.

However, the Sherlock star is facing some even stiffer competition at the Oscars. Redmayne beat Cumberbatch at the Golden Globes and is thought to be one of the frontrunners to win the Oscar, along with Keaton. The Oscars clearly liked The Imitation Game though, giving it seven other nominations, including Keira Knightley in Supporting Actress, Morten Tyldum in Director and the film for Best Picture.

Cumberbatch is filming a Sherlock holiday special currently, followed by season 4 of the popular British series.

The Oscars will take place on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. on ABC.