Henry Cavill - Superman Actor

Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill (/ËˆkÃ¦váµ»l/; born 5 May 1983) is a British actor. Cavill began his career starring in the film adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) and I Capture the Castle (2003). He later appeared in minor and supporting roles in television shows such as BBC's The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, ITV's Midsomer Murders and Showtime's The Tudors ( 2007-10), then crossed to mainstream Hollywood films such as Tristan & Isolde (2006), Stardust (2007), Blood Creek (2009) and Immortals (2011).

Cavill starred as Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk in the Showtime television series The Tudors; and in 2008 became the official spokesperson for the Dunhill fragrance collection for men.

Cavill gained further prominence and international fame playing the titular superhero Superman in the DC Extended Universe starting with the 2013 reboot film Man of Steel, originally the highest-grossing Superman film of all time until it was surpassed by 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, where he reprised his role as Superman; making it his highest-grossing film to date. In 2015, he co-starred with Armie Hammer in the spy film The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Early life

Cavill was born the fourth of five boys on Jersey in the Channel Islands, a Crown dependency of the United Kingdom. His mother, Marianne (Dalgliesh), was a secretary in a bank, and his father, Colin Cavill, was a stockbroker. His father is English, and his mother is of Irish, Scottish, and English descent. He was educated at St Michael's Preparatory School in Saint Saviour, Jersey, before attending Stowe School in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England.

Career

Cavill began his film career with a role in Laguna (2001) and the following year in Kevin Reynolds' 2002 adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo. He continued with appearances in BBC's The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2002), the television film Goodbye, Mr. Chips (2002), and the television series Midsomer Murders (2003). In 2003, he had a supporting role in I Capture the Castle, followed by Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005), Red Riding Hood (2006) and Tristan & Isolde (2006). He had a minor role in Matthew Vaughn's adaptation of Stardust (2007).

From 2007 to 2010, Cavill had a leading role in Showtime's television series, The Tudors, as Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. The series was well-received: it was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2007 and won an Emmy in 2008. Cavill gave the show credit for bolstering his career: "It's done the most for me to date. [...] Now that there's an audience somewhere in America that's aware of who I am, I have more sell-ability, because of The Tudors." Entertainment Weekly named him the "Most Dashing Duke" and praised his work on The Tudors for displaying "charm, depth and a killer bod".

Cavill had been set to play Superman in McG's 2004 film, Superman: Flyby. However, McG pulled out of the project and direction was taken over by director Bryan Singer, who recast Brandon Routh as the lead in Superman Returns. Cavill was also the cause of a write-in effort from fans to see him cast as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). The role eventually went to Robert Pattinson. Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight series, was outspokenly in favour of Cavill playing the character of Edward Cullen in the Twilight film, calling him her "perfect Edward". However, by the time production of the film began, Cavill was too old to play the character, and again the role went to Pattinson.

In 2005, Cavill was a final choice for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale. The producers and director Martin Campbell were torn between him and Daniel Craig; reportedly Campbell supported Cavill but the producers preferred an older Bond. Craig ultimately landed the role. Despite reports that he was a contender for Batman in Batman Begins, Cavill confirmed that he never auditioned for, nor was offered, the role. He starred in director Joel Schumacher's horror film, Blood Creek (2008), and in 2009, he had a minor role in Woody Allen's comedy film, Whatever Works.

Cavill played the lead role of Theseus in Tarsem Singh's mythological film, Immortals, released 11 November 2011. In 2012, Cavill starred, alongside Bruce Willis, in The Cold Light of Day.

On 30 January 2011, it was announced that Cavill had been cast in the role of Clark Kent/Superman in director Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. Snyder called Cavill "the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield." Entertainment media applauded Henry Cavill on his road to success. On being chosen for the role, Cavill commented, "In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honoured to be a part of his return to the big screen." Cavill reprised the role of Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a 2016 sequel which featured a crossover with Batman and Wonder Woman. Cavill will reprise the role of Superman for the upcoming Justice League film. According to his new manager Dany Garcia, Cavill is working on a new standalone Superman movie.

Cavill has expressed interest in taking over the role of James Bond when Daniel Craig gives it up. He co-starred with Armie Hammer in the film version of spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., after Tom Cruise had to drop out to work on the fifth Mission: Impossible film. He appeared at the San Diego Comic-Con in disguise to surprise the cast of Suicide Squad.

In the media

In December 2013, Cavill was named "World's Sexiest Man" by British Glamour magazine. The same year, Empire magazine placed him third on their list of "The 100 Sexiest Movie Stars 2013".

In early 2008, Cavill became the face of the British fragrance Dunhill. A television commercial for the brand featured a suited-up Cavill walking through the Union Jack, before mounting a helicopter. A second television commercial featured Cavill driving a car through a deserted London at night, and meeting with a young woman.

In August 2014, Cavill took part in an Ice Bucket Challenge in support of the ALS Association, where he was soaked with six large buckets of water (doing the challenge in his full Superman costume).

Charity work

Cavill is a spokesman for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and an ambassador for The Royal Marines Charity. He launched the running phase of the Royal Marines 1664 Challenge and took part in The Gibraltar Rock Run 2014.

Personal life

Cavill was engaged to English showjumper Ellen Whitaker, however they split in 2012. He also dated Gina Carano, but they ended their relationship after a second time in 2014. He was in a relationship with student Tara King from 2015, but split in 2016. He has also been linked to Kaley Cuoco.