Henry Cavill
Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill (/ˈkævəl/ KAV-əl; born 5 May 1983) is a British actor. He is known for his portrayal of Charles Brandon in Showtime's The Tudors (2007–2010), Superman in the DC Extended Universe (2013–2023), Geralt of Rivia in the Netflix fantasy series The Witcher (2019–2023), and Sherlock Holmes in the Netflix film Enola Holmes (2020) and its 2022 sequel.
Cavill began his career with roles in the film adaptations The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) and I Capture the Castle (2003). He played supporting roles in several television series, including BBC's The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2002) and ITV's Midsomer Murders (2003), and later appeared in other films, such as Tristan & Isolde (2006), Stardust (2007), and Immortals (2011). Following his international breakthrough as Superman,[1] he starred in the spy films The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) and Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018).
Early life
Cavill was born on 5 May 1983, fourth of five boys in a Roman Catholic family in Saint Helier, Jersey, in the Channel Islands.[2] His Jersey-born mother, Marianne Dalgliesh, is of Scottish, English and Irish heritage and worked as a secretary in a bank.[3] His father, Colin Cavill, was born in Chester, England and is a former stockbroker.[3][4] He was educated at St Michael's Preparatory School in Saint Saviour, Jersey, before attending Stowe School in Stowe, Buckinghamshire.[5]
At Stowe, Cavill was active in both sport and drama. He portrayed a member of the T-Birds in a 1999 school production of Grease and took the lead role in a performance of Dogg's Hamlet, which was made by his own Grafton house as their submission for an intra-school drama festival.[6][7] He played field hockey for the 1st XI and rugby for the 3rd XV.[8]
In 2000, while playing rugby, 16-year-old Cavill met actor Russell Crowe, who was shooting on location at Stowe for the film Proof of Life.[9] The actor shared some acting tips and later sent a package to Cavill. The two actors later worked together on Man of Steel.[10][11]
Public image
Cavill was listed as one of GQ's 50 best-dressed British men in 2012.[69] In December 2013, he was named "World's Sexiest Man" by British Glamour magazine.[70] The same year, Empire magazine placed him third on their list of "The 100 Sexiest Movie Stars 2013".[71]
In early 2008, Cavill became the face of the British fragrance Dunhill.[72] He appeared in two television commercials for the brand.[73][74]
Personal life
Cavill was born on Jersey, an island in the Channel Islands. Cavill resides in South Kensington, London.[75][76][77] He was engaged to English show jumper Ellen Whitaker from 2011 until
2012.[78][79] In May 2021,[80] he announced his relationship with Natalie Viscuso.[81] On 15 April 2024, it was announced that they are expecting their first child.[82]
In 2016, Cavill started practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu, having been seen training at Roger Gracie's academy in London.[83] Cavill supports the Jersey Rugby Club.[84] While living in the United States, Cavill began to watch American football and became a supporter of the National Football League's (NFL) Kansas City Chiefs.[85]
He has been an avid gamer since childhood,[86][87] at one point missing a phone call from Zack Snyder telling him he got the role of Superman because he was too busy playing World of Warcraft.[88] He prefers PC gaming over consoles, having been introduced to it by his father when he was a young boy,[89] and has been building and maintaining his own gaming computer.[90][91][92] He credited his experience playing The Witcher video game series prior to the show's production with motivating him to seek out the role of Geralt.[86] He has also named the Total War series of strategy games to be among his favourites,[93] and in May 2020 it was announced that a new character paying tribute to Cavill and his Witcher character Geralt would be added to Total War: Warhammer II via DLC: Cavill, Loremaster of Hoeth.[94] Cavill also enjoys the Warhammer 40,000 series of games and fiction, saying he "genuinely can't get enough of the lore they have built over the decades."[95]
Cavill is a spokesman for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust,[96] and an ambassador for The Royal Marines Charity.[97] He launched the running phase of the Royal Marines 1664 Challenge and took part in The Gibraltar Rock Run 2014.[98][99]