Henry Cavill

Actor

• Born: May 5, 1983
• Place of Birth: Jersey

Henry Cavill is a British actor best known for his roles in Immortals (2010) and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015); as Superman in Man of Steel (2013), Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Justice League (2017), Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), and Black Adam (2022); and as Geralt of Rivia in the television series The Witcher between 2019 and 2023.

Background

Henry Cavill was born in 1983 in Jersey, one of the Channel Islands and a British Crown dependency. He was the second youngest of five brothers born to Colin and Marianne Cavill. His oldest brother, Piers, served as an officer in the British Army, while the second oldest, Niki, became a Royal Marine, serving in Sierra Leone and Iraq and receiving an MBE in 2012 for his service in Afghanistan.

Cavill attended Stowe School, a boarding school in Buckingham, England, starting at age thirteen. When he was seventeen, Cavill and several schoolmates were cast as extras in the film Proof of Life (2000), starring Russell Crowe. During filming, Cavill had a chance to meet Crowe and spoke with the veteran actor about what it was like to work in films. More than eleven years later, Crowe and Cavill were reunited when they played father and son in Man of Steel.

Career

Cavill’s first break into major films was a small but notable role in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002). Cavill has said in interviews that he had a considerable weight problem as a child and was called “Fat Cavill” at boarding school. He lost twenty-one pounds for his role as Albert Mondego in the film when the casting agent told Cavill’s mother that he was too heavy for the role.

For the next five years, Cavill was only able to land bit parts in films and television. He spent much of this time traveling, looking for work, and wondering if he was in the right field. Cavill played Melot in the film Tristan & Isolde (2006), alongside James Franco and also appeared in the 2006 film Red Riding Hood. In 2007, Cavill had a minor role in the British fantasy film Stardust, based on the beloved Neil Gaiman novel of the same name.

Cavill then appeared in the Showtime original series The Tudors, which filmed in Dublin from 2007 to 2010. He played Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk, and his numerous partially nude scenes won him a following among his female fans, some of whom refer to themselves as the “Cavillry.”

Cavill’s first starring role in a film was as the mythological hero Theseus in the fantasy-action film Immortals (2011). The film was loosely based on Greek mythology but departed substantially from written accounts of the Theseus myth. While Immortals received mixed reviews, it provided Cavill experience and exposure as an action hero and gave him the opportunity to work alongside Mickey Rourke and Stephen Dorff.

In 2011, Cavil was cast to play the iconic comic-book hero Superman—and his alter ego, Clark Kent—in Man of Steel (2013), directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Christopher Nolan. Cavill starred alongside childhood hero Russell Crowe as well as Kevin Costner, playing Superman’s Krypton and Earth fathers, respectively. The film centers on a young Superman coming to grips with his superpowers and eventually defending Earth from fellow Kryptonian General Zod. In addition to Costner and Crowe, Man of Steel also stars Amy Adams as Superman’s love interest, reporter Lois Lane.

Cavill endured a strenuous workout routine to prepare for the film, eating a reported five thousand calories per day and working with well-known Hollywood trainer Mark Twight. Cavill has refused to say how much weight he added for the role, preferring not to feed media gossip about his training routine.

Man of Steel was not the first time that Cavill had auditioned to play Superman in a film. In 2004, he nearly landed the starring role in a planned Warner Bros. film tentatively called Superman: Flyby, which was to be directed by Joseph McGinty “McG” Nichol. When the director backed out of the project, Warner Bros. brought in director Bryan Singer, who decided to cast Brandon Routh in the role for his 2008 film Superman Returns. Journalists have also repeatedly noted that Cavill was being considered for the role of James Bond in the rebooted Bond franchise before producers decided on Daniel Craig for the role, believing Cavill to be too young.

Following Man of Steel, Cavill signed on to play Napoleon Solo in director Guy Ritchie’s film remake of the classic television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., replacing Tom Cruise, who dropped out of the role. The film hit theaters in 2015. His next project had him putting on his superhero cape once more to portray Superman in the film Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), which sees the two superheroes battling one another over issues of power and distrust. After appearing in the military film Sand Castle (2017), he then reprised his role as Superman once more for the DC heroes team-up film Justice League (2017), the cast of characters of which also includes Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and the Flash. (Cavill was also credited in the recut version of the film, Zack Snyder's Justice League, when it was released in 2021). Though briefly, Cavill's Superman also appeared in Black Adam (2022), an appearance that was expected to be his last as the superhero. Meanwhile, he ventured into the Mission: Impossible franchise with a significant role in Mission: Impossible—Fallout (2018). In Night Hunter, also released in 2018, he played a detective investigating a death. He later appeared as Sherlock Holmes in the Netflix original film Enola Holmes (2020), starring Millie Bobby Brown as the detective's younger sister, before returning to the role for 2022's Enola Holmes 2.

In 2019, Cavill had begun starring as Geralt of Rivia in the television series The Witcher. Based on the fantasy book series by Andrzej Sapkowski and video game series of the same name, The Witcher follows Geralt, Princess Ciri (Freya Allan), and Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) as their destinies wind them closer and closer together. The second season of the show appeared on Netflix in December 2021, and the third season followed in 2023. By that point, however, it had been announced that Cavill would no longer play Geralt. Still, in 2024 alone, he played the title role in Argylle, Gus March-Phillips in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and the Cavillrine in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Impact

Cavill has said that he took the responsibility of playing Superman seriously because the character has become such an iconic figure in American pop culture. He felt that playing Superman was important because of the character’s influence on young fans who view the character as a symbol of hope and justice.

Personal Life

Cavill has said in interviews that he is a fan of online gaming, stemming from his youth when his father purchased PCs for Cavill and his four brothers. He still plays single-player games and spends as much time as possible gaming with his brothers online. From September 2012 to May 2013, Cavill was dating actor and former mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carano. Following the breakup, he briefly dated Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco. In April 2024, he announced that he was expecting his first child with his girlfriend, entertainment industry executive Natalie Viscuso.

Bibliography

Cavill, Henry. "Batman v Superman: Henry Cavill on the Damage of Superman." Interview by Anthony Breznican. EW, 8 Mar. 2016, ew.com/article/2016/03/08/batman-v-superman-henry-cavill-interview. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.

Cavill, Henry. “Man of Steel: Henry Cavill Interview.” Interview by John Hiscock. Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 11 June 2013. Web. 16 July 2013.

Dargis, Manohla. “Part Man, Part God, All Hunk.” Rev. of Man of Steel, dir. Zack Snyder. New York Times. New York Times Co., 13 June 2013. Web. 16 July 2013.

"Henry Cavill." IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0147147. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.

Kahn, Howie. “Henry Cavill: Meet the New Superman.” Details. Condé Nast, June 2013. Web. 16 July 2013.

McGurk, Stuart. “Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.” GQ British. Condé Nast UK, 5 June 2013. Web. 16 July 2013.

McIntyre, Gina. “Man of Steel Star Henry Cavill Knows How Clark Kent Feels.” Hero Complex. Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2013. Web. 16 July 2013.

Saad, Nardine. “Amy Adams Talks Daughter’s Crush on Man of Steel’s Henry Cavill.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2013. Web. 16 July 2013.

Sacks, Hannah, and Angel Saunders. "Henry Cavill and Girlfriend Natalie Viscuso Expecting First Baby Together." People, 15 Apr. 2024, people.com/henry-cavill-and-girlfriend-natalie-viscuso-expecting-first-baby-together-8633567. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.