Henry Cavill is a British actor who is most known for his role as Superman in the film ‘Man of Steel.’ Cavill has come a long way from being nicknamed “Hollywood’s Unluckiest Man” after losing out on roles in the Batman, Superman, and James Bond series to Christian Bale, Brandon Routh, and Daniel Craig, respectively. Cavill was raised on Jersey, England, with four brothers, all of whom were talented actors. He was bullied at school as a teenager because he was overweight. When he earned a prominent role in a film in 2001, he began to take care of his body. The actor has even done multiple shirtless scenes in some of his hit flicks, owing to his well-built body and beautiful appearance. He went on to star in a number of films after making his acting debut, including ‘Hellraiser,’ ‘Red Riding Hood,’ ‘Blood Creek,’ and ‘Stardust,’ but it was his performance as a dashing duke in the TV series ‘The Tudors’ that made him a household name. Following ‘The Tudors,’ he appeared in a number of films, including ‘The Immortals,’ ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E,’ and ‘The Man Of Steel,’ the highest-grossing Superman film of all time.’
Childhood and Adolescence
Henry Cavill was born on May 5, 1983, in Chester, England, to Colin Richard Cavill and Marianne Dalgliesh, who are part-Irish, part-English, and part-Scottish. His father was a stockbroker, while his mother was a stay-at-home mom. In a family of five brothers, he is the second youngest.
He attended ‘St Michael’s Preparatory Institution’ for his private education before moving to Buckinghamshire, England to attend ‘Stowe School,’ a boarding school.
He began performing at a young age and took part in school theatrical productions of ‘Grease’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ but it was never his first choice of profession.
Cavill had aspirations of entering the military and serving his country as a young man. He took part in the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) training program throughout his time at Stowe School. He also showed an interest in sports, particularly rugby, but owing to an injury, he was unable to participate in the sport.
Career of Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill began acting when he was 17 years old. He was discovered in a school play and cast in the film ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ as Albert Mondego (2002). He went on to star in the films ‘Laguna’ (2001) and ‘The Inspector Lynley Mysteries,’ as well as the TV series ‘The Inspector Lynley Mysteries’ and the TV film ‘Goodbye, Mr Chips,’ (2002).
When he was in his early twenties, he began to receive good roles. ‘I Capture the Castle’ (2003), ‘Hellraiser: Hellworld’ (2005), ‘Red Riding Hood’ (2006), ‘Tristan & Isolde’ (2006), and a cameo in ‘Stardust’ (2006) were among the films he appeared in during this time (2007).
In the mega-hit TV series ‘The Tudors,’ Henry Cavill portrayed Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, in 2007. The sitcom went on to win an Emmy Award and be nominated for a Golden Globe (2008).
Following less-than-glamorous appearances in films such as ‘Blood Creek’ (2006) and ‘Whatever Works’ (2009), it was finally confirmed in January 2011 that Henry Cavill has been cast as ‘Superman’ in the next Superman film ‘Man of Steel’ (2013).
The film was a huge hit, and it went on to become the highest-grossing Superman film of all time. Henry Cavill, who was born in the United Kingdom, was the first non-American Superman and the first to be cast in more than one film after Christopher Reeves.
In 2014, he and his brother Charlie founded Promethean Productions, a British production company. He appeared in the films ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ (2015) and ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,’ in which he co-starred with Batman and Wonder Woman (2016).
In addition, Henry Cavill has signed up to reprise his role as Superman in two upcoming ‘Justice League’ films. He’s also working on a yet-to-be-announced standalone Superman film.
Major Projects of Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill’s greatest achievements include portraying The First Duke of Suffolk in the TV series ‘The Tudors’ (2007) and as Superman in the critically acclaimed film ‘The Man Of Steel’ (2013). His highest-grossing film to date is ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,’ which was released in 2016.
Achievements & Awards
In 2014, Henry Cavill won the MTV Movie Award for Best Hero for his portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman in ‘Man of Steel.’ Teen Choice Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and NewNowNext Awards all nominated him for the same role.
‘Glamour’ magazine dubbed him ‘The Sexiest Man of 2013’. He came in second place in a ‘Attitude’ poll among the ‘World’s Sexiest Men’ in 2013.
Personal Experiences of Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill was born into a family of four brothers. As a result, the lads were fiercely competitive. They were all interested in sports and fitness. Although all of the lads, including Henry, enjoyed acting, none of them had ever considered it as a full-time profession.
His family has a long history of service in the military. His father served in the Navy before becoming a stockbroker, and his two older brothers have also served in the military. His eldest brother, Piers, is an ex-army officer, while his younger brother, Nick, is a major in the Royal Marines.
Henry has never been married, though he was briefly engaged to Ellen Whitaker in May 2011. This relationship was called off. Henry began dating Gina Carano in August 2012, but the relationship was short-lived. His next girlfriend was Kaley Cuoco, with whom he dated for a few weeks before splitting up with January 2016.
Estimated Net Worth
Henry Cavill’s net worth is estimated to be $40 million.
Trivia
Henry Cavill is fascinated by ancient history, particularly that of Egypt, Greece, and Ancient Rome.
Russell Crowe is his favorite actor, and his favorite film is ‘Gladiator,’ featuring Crowe, who also played Cavill’s character Superman’s father Jor-El in the film ‘Man of Steel’ (2013).
He aspires to play Alexander the Great on the big screen, which he acknowledges is his ideal role. He is multilingual, speaking French, German, Italian, and English.
Stephanie Meyer, author of the ‘Twilight’ series, described him as “the ideal Edward Cullen.” However, because he was too old to play the part, he lost out to Robert Pattinson for the job. In contrast, he was passed over for the role of James Bond by Daniel Craig because he was too young!
He almost missed out on playing Superman in ‘Man of Steel’ because he was too preoccupied with World of Warcraft! When Zack Snyder was questioned why he hadn’t received the call, he joked that he was saving someone’s life! He considers himself to be a video game aficionado.