Benedict Cumberbatch is engaged

Eight lines have broken many hearts.

"Sherlock" star Benedict Cumberbatch has announced his engagement to theater director Sophie Hunter, making the news public with a minuscule eight-line announcement in The Times newspaper in London.

The announcement comes only weeks after another eligible bachelor tied the knot. Hollywood star, George Clooney, married human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin.

The 38-year-old actor known for his modern-day portrayal of the British sleuth is being praised for his role as code-breaking genius Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game." Turing's work cracking of German codes helped win World War II, but he was later prosecuted for homosexuality and committed suicide.

He'll soon be seen in "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies." Next year, he'll hit the big screen in "Black Mass," the story of Whitey Bulger.

Hunter, 36, is known for directing avant-garde plays, including a puppet version of Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition. She studied theater in Paris and New York and has appeared as an actor in films including the 2004 adaptation of "Vanity Fair" starring Reese Witherspoon.

She and Cumberbatch appeared together in the 2009 thriller "Burlesque Fairytales."

Go here to see the engagement announcement.