"Sherlock" star Benedict Cumberbatch will appear in the upcoming film "The Imitation Game," where he will play Alan Turing, a computer pioneer, mathematician and one the quiet heroes at Bletchley Park during the late 1930s.

Cumberbatch paid tribute to Turing at the BFI London Film Festival opening night gala screening of "The Imitation Game." There, Cumberbatch stated that Turing was a "national hero" and he hoped the film would bring Turing greater recognition.

"To be asked to play such a phenomenal human being -- a true English hero -- is a great honor and comes with a great responsibility," Cumberbatch said.

Cumberbatch also described Turing as "an extraordinary man" at the European premiere, which took place at Leicester Square. His respect for the unsung hero was likely readable in his performance, as many have already stated that Cumberbatch is an Oscar contender.

The star also added that he'd known "embarrassingly little" about Turing prior to making the film. He learned that, despite being a hero, Turing had killed himself in 1954, two years after he'd been prosecuted for gross indecency, falling victim to the anti-gay laws at the time. Turing received a posthumous royal pardon in December 2013. Justice Minister Chris Grayling stated that Turing had undoubtedly shortened the wartime conflict and saved the lives of thousands of individuals.

"That's the tragedy of this man's extraordinary life -- his achievements and his heroism and his criminal prosecution are not well known. He should be on the front cover of text books," said the on-screen sleuth.

Cumberbatch also paid tribute to Turing on Twitter, where he did a Q&A with fans about "The Imitation Game," which will be in theaters on Nov. 14.

On the social media network, Cumberbatch discussed the difficulty and satisfaction involved in portraying the genius who helped to crack the Enigma code and decipher German messages during WWII. He also discussed his method for choosing new roles, who he would like to work with in the future, what it was like to work with Keira Knightley and much more, even mentioning "Sherlock."

Fans asked everything from "Dear Mr. Cumberbatch, do you ever say 'no sh*t, Sherlock!'? #AskBenedict" to "#AskBenedict what's your favorite thing about filming?" on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 8.

Earlier on Wednesday, Cumberbatch told BBC that he understood why some drew comparisons between Turing and his TV role as problem-solving genius, Sherlock Holmes.

"I didn't read the script and go 'this is Sherlock in tweed,'" Cumberbatch stated. "I liked how uncompromising he was and I suppose that's a strong trait in strong characters."

"Sherlock" will return to television during late 2015 for a one-episode Christmas special and Season 4 will premiere the following January.

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