Who is Henry Cavill?

Henry Cavill is an actor whose interest in acting started at an early age with school play renditions of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and Sonny LaTierri in "Grease". He also starred and directed Shakespeare's "Hamlet" in the BBC documentary "40 Minutes". At age 17, he was discovered by casting directors at school who were looking for a young boy to play Albert Mondego in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002). He went on to star in Laguna (2001), appear in BBC's The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2001), the television film Goodbye, Mr. Chips (2002), and the television series Midsomer Murders (1997).

At 20 years old, he gained starring roles in I Capture the Castle (2003), Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005), Red Riding Hood (2006) and Tristan + Isolde (2006). He also had a minor role in the fantasy-adventure epic Stardust (2007) alongside Sienna Miller and Ben Barnes. During 2007-2010, he had a leading role on the television series The Tudors (2007) as Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. The series was a success and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2007 and won an Emmy Award in 2008. Entertainment Weekly named him "Most Dashing Duke".

He also starred in Blood Creek (2006) and Woody Allen's comedy film Whatever Works (2009). On January 30, 2011, it was announced that Henry Cavill had been cast as the next Superman in Man of Steel (2013), making him the first non-American actor to play Superman. The movie was directed by Zach Snyder, produced by Christopher Nolan, and scripted by David S. Goyer. On November 7, 2011, he starred in Tarsem Singh's fantasy-adventure epic Immortals (2011) alongside Mickey Rourke, Freida Pinto and Luke Evans. On September 7, 2012, he starred in the action-thriller Cold Light of Day (2003) alongside Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver.

On June 10, 2013, Man of Steel (2013) kicked off its world premiere in New York City followed by London, Bailiwick of Jersey, Sicily, Madrid, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo. The movie became the highest-grossing Superman film to date, and the second-highest-grossing reboot of all time behind The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). Glamour magazine ranked him the #1 "Sexiest Man". In August 2014, he became the Ambassador for Durrell Wildlife Park and created a website and social media called #CavillConservation to help raise funds and awareness for his love of animals and conservation. On November 3, 2014, it was announced that Cavill and London-based producer Rex Glensy have formed their own British production company, Promethean Productions.

On August 7, 2015, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) began its premiere tour with a people's premiere at the famous Somerset House in London, followed by its world premiere in New York City, then Toronto, and Rio de Janeiro. Cavill reprised his role as Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017).

Trivia

  • While working as an extra in Proof of Life (2000), Cavill asked Russell Crowe for advice about acting, since he had aspirations of pursuing a full-time career as an actor. A few days after their conversation, he received a box of gifts from Crowe that included a signed picture of him in Gladiator (2000) with the words, "Dear Henry: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" written on it. Crowe would later play a father figure in Man of Steel (2013).
  • Admitted during an interview with Conan O'Brien that he narrowly missed the call from Zack Snyder, informing him that he had won the coveted role of Superman because he was busy playing World of Warcraft. Cavill said he only noticed Snyder's name on Caller ID at the last second and by the time he put his hand on the phone to pick it up, it was too late, so he called Snyder back immediately, jokingly stating he was busy saving someone's life.
  • He did not watch any previous Superman films or television series while making Man of Steel (2013), using the comics solely as a reference for his portrayal of Superman.
  • For his role as Clark Kent/Superman in Man of Steel (2013), he followed a strict work-out regimen and consumed 5000 calories a day for six months. He also dyed his hair black.
  • His favorite movie is the epic drama Gladiator (2000).