Henry Cavill

Henry Cavill
Cavill at the Sydney premiere of Man of Steel, June 2013
Born	Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill (1983-05-05) 5 May 1983[1] Saint Saviour, Jersey, Channel Islands, U.K.
Nationality	British
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2001–present

Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill (born 5 May 1983) is a British actor. He is best known for his role as Clark Kent / Kal-El in the 2013 film Man of Steel. He has also appeared in the films The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), Tristan & Isolde (2006), Stardust (2007) and Immortals (2011), and on the series The Tudors as Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, from 2007–2010.

Early life

Cavill was born on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands.^[2] His mother, Marianne, was a secretary in a bank, and his father, Colin, a stockbroker.^[3] Henry has four brothers.^[4] He was educated at St. Michael's Preparatory School in Saint Saviour, Jersey, before attending Stowe School in England.^[5]

Career

Cavill had his first film role in Kevin Reynolds' 2002 adaptation, The Count of Monte Cristo. He went on to star in Laguna (2001), and afterwards appeared 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).

Cavill at the Vanity Fair celebration for the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival

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."^[6] Entertainment Weekly named him the "Most Dashing Duke" and praised his work on The Tudors for displaying "charm, depth and a killer bod".^[7]

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.^[8][9] 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).^[10] 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,^[11] calling him her "perfect Edward".^[12] However, by the time production of the film began, Cavill was too old to play the character,^[12][13] and again the role went to Pattinson.

In 2005, Cavill was a final choice for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale.^[14] The producers and director Martin Campbell were torn between him and Daniel Craig; reportedly Campbell supported Cavill but the producers preferred an older Bond.^[8][15] 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.^[8][14]

Cavill at the Man of Steel panel at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con International

In early 2008, Cavill became a model/spokesman for Dunhill fragrances.^[16] The television ad featured a suited-up Cavill walking through the Union Jack, before mounting a helicopter.^[17] A second television ad featured Cavill driving a car through a deserted London at night, and meeting with a young woman.^[18] 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, big-budget special effects film, Immortals, released 11 November 2011.^[19] 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.^[20] Snyder called Cavill "the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield."^[21][22] Entertainment media applauded Henry Cavill on his road to success.^[23][24] 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."^[25] Cavill will reprise the role of Superman in a 2016 sequel, which will feature a crossover with Batman^[26] and Wonder Woman.^[27][28]

Cavill has expressed interest in taking over the role of James Bond when Daniel Craig gives it up.^[29] He has been cast alongside Armie Hammer in a film version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. after Tom Cruise had to drop out to work on the next Mission: Impossible film.^[30][31][32] In 2013, it was announced that Cavill will appear in the 2014 film The Great Wall.^[33]

Personal life

In 2009, Cavill began dating British equestrian rider Ellen Whitaker after they had met at the Olympia London International Horse Show. They became engaged in May 2011. In May 2012, the pair terminated their engagement.^[34][35]

Filmography

Cavill at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con International

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Henry Cavill.

• Henry Cavill at the Internet Movie Database