The surprising connection between Benedict Cumberbatch and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Benedict Cumberbatch plays Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic character to perfection, but maybe it's because it's all in the family.

Thanks to research by Ancestry.com, there is a definite family connection between the late author and current actor.

According to Lisa Elzey, a historian with Ancestry.com: "Making family history connections is similar to piecing together a mysterious puzzle, one that the great Sherlock Holmes himself would be intrigued to solve,"

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It turns out that Benedict Cumberbatch is 16th cousins twice removed from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle-- the writer who created the World's Greatest Detective back in 1887.

The two descend from John Gaunt, who just happened to be the son of King Edward the III. Their very great grandparents being brother and sister.

These cousins might have missed out on being actual royalty by birth, but no one can deny that they share a creative genius.