Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill is a British actor who was born on the Bailiwick of Jersey, a British Crown Dependency in the Channel Islands, His mother, Marianne (Dalgliesh), is a bank secretary, and his father, Colin Richard Cavill, is a stockbroker. His father is English, and his mother, also born on Jersey island, is of Irish, Scottish, and English descent. He is the second youngest with four brothers.He was privately educated at St. Michael's Preparatory School in Saint Saviour, Jersey before attending Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, England.
Henry's interest in acting started at an early age with school play renditions of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and Sonny in "Grease". He also starred and directed Hamlet in "40 Minutes".
It was at the age of seventeen when Henry was discovered by casting directors at school who were looking for a young boy to play Albert Mondego in La venganza del conde de Montecristo (2002). He went on to star in Laguna (2001), appear in BBC's "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries", TV film Goodbye, Mr. Chips (2002), and TV series "Midsummer Murders" (2003).
When Henry was twenty years old, he gained starring roles in El castillo soñado (2003),Red Riding Hood (2006), Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005), and Tristán + Isolda (2006). He also had a minor role in "Stardust" (2007) alongside Sienna Miller and Ben Barnes.
During 2007-2010, Henry had a leading role in TV series Los Tudor (2007) as Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. The series was a hit and was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2007 and won an Emmy in 2008. Entertainment Weekly named him 'Most Dashing Duke'.
He also starred in Blood Creek (2006) and Woody Allen's comedy film Si la cosa funciona(2009).
On January 30, 2011, it was announced that Henry Cavill had been cast as the next Superman in El hombre de acero (2013), making him the first non-American actor to play Superman. El hombre de acero (2013) was directed by Zach Snyder, produced byChristopher Nolan, and scripted by David S. Goyer.
On November 7, 2011, Henry starred in Tarsem Singh's mythological special effects film Immortals (2011) alongside Mickey Rourke, Freida Pinto, and Luke Evans.
On September 7, 2012, Henry starred in action-thriller Cold Light of Day (2003) alongside Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver.
On June 10, 2013, El hombre de acero (2013) kicked off its world premiere in New York City followed by London, Bailiwick of Jersey, Sicily, Madrid, Shanghai, Sydney, and Tokyo.
El hombre de acero (2013) became the highest-grossing Superman film to date, and the second-highest-grossing reboot of all time behind The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). Glamour magazine ranked him the #1 "Sexiest Man".
On November 3, 2014, it was announced that actor Henry Cavill, brother Charlie and London-based producer Rex Glensy, formed their own British production company, Promethean Productions. Their first feature project will be Stratton; an action thriller based on an eight-novel series by British author and former Royal Marines, Duncan Falconer. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Henry Cavill Fan
Trade Mark
Strong, defined jawline
Macho, heroic, stoic characters
Muscular physique
Trivia
His dream role is to play Alexander the Great
Likes rugby, but no longer plays due to injuries.
His favorite item of clothing is a brown leather jacket, an item he says he could not live without.
Author Stephanie Meyer based the description of Edward Cullen in her Twilight novels on Henry and even lobbied for him to play the role before Robert Pattinson was cast, but was considered too old to play a 17-year old by the time the movie was produced.
In 2005, Henry became a young contender for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale(2006), and performed in a final screen test. However, the producers believed Henry was too young for the role, and gave it to Daniel Craig. He also under heavy consideration and auditioned for the role of Superman in Superman Returns (El regreso) (2006), but eventually the role was given to Brandon Routh. Due to all this, Empire Magazine dubbed Henry Cavill "the most unlucky man in Hollywood" in December 2005.
Says if he hadn't picked up acting, he would have joined the armed forces to fulfill his "patriotic pride".
Has an interest in History, especially in Egyptology and Greek.
In being cast as Superman in El hombre de acero (2013), he becomes the third British actor to play the lead role in reboot of a successful screen adaptation of an American comic book series. Before him, Christian Bale was cast as Batman, and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man.
The first non-American actor to play Superman.
Is a fan of video games.
Lost two roles to Robert Pattinson: Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter y el cáliz de fuego(2005) and the role of Edward Cullen in Crepúsculo (2008) which author Stephanie Meyer had described him as "Perfect for".
His favorite film is Gladiator (2000).
His favorite actors are Mel Gibson and Russell Crowe. He will be playing the son of Crowe's character Jor-El in El hombre de acero (2013).
Has a knack for languages. He's already fluent in French, has conversational skills in Italian and German, and can order a beer in Czech.
Started a tradition in 2012 for giving out commemorative coins as a token of appreciation to people he has worked with. They include Gym Jones who helped Henry get physically fit for Superman, and crew members of El hombre de acero (2013), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015), and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
Henry's last name 'Cavill' is pronounced like the word 'travel'.
Resides in London, United Kingdom and Jersey, Channel Islands.
His older brother, Major Niki Richard Dalgliesh Cavill, received an MBE as a heroic Royal Marine for keeping the vulnerable safe in a hostile environment in Afghanistan.
Has worked with actor Bill Nighy twice, once in El castillo soñado (2003) and also The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2001).
He is a big comic book fan although he says he did not get to read them growing up due to his time at boarding school.
His favorite Superman story lines and the ones he used for inspiration are "Death Of Superman", "Return Of Superman", "Superman: Red Son" and "Earth-One". He is also a big fan of Grant Morrison's "New 52" work.
His favorite Superman story arc is "New Krypton" by Geoff Johns.
For his role as Clark Kent/Superman in El hombre de acero (2013), he followed a strict work-out regimen and consumed 5000 calories a day for six months. He also dyed his hair black.
He did not watch any previous Superman films or television shows while making _Man Of Steel (2013)_, using the comics solely as a reference for his portrayal of Superman.
He achieved 6% body fat for Immortals (2011) and then went even further for El hombre de acero (2013) where he achieved a body fat percentage of 3%, which is what body-builders reach during competitions.
During his childhood he was bullied a lot at school for his chubbiness and known as "Fat Cavill" because he was fat as a kid. He started to turn things around when he landed a role in the movie La venganza del conde de Montecristo (2002) where he had to lose a lot of weight to get the part. The biggest turning point came when he landed the lead role inImmortals (2011). Cavill went shirtless for half the movie and sported extremely chiseled eight pack abs that vowed the audience. He has never been called "fat" since then.
Played a role with the name Colley twice, and back to back. Soldier Colley in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (2002) and Stephen Colley in El castillo soñado (2003).
Was engaged to British Showjumper Ellen Whitaker in May 2011, but split up later that same year. They met at the 2009 Olympia International Horse Show in London.
Ranked the #1 "Sexiest Man" by Glamour (2013).
Voted as one of the "World's Sexiest Men" in a poll by Attitude (2013), behind Tom Daley.
While working as an extra in Prueba de vida (2000), Cavill asked Russell Crowe for advice about acting, since he had aspirations of pursuing a full-time career as an actor. A few days after their conversation, he received a box of gifts from Crowe that included a signed picture of him in Gladiator (2000) with the words, "Dear Henry: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" written on it. Crowe would later play Henry's father in El hombre de acero (2013).
He is the first actor since Christopher Reeve to play the role of Clark Kent/Superman in more than one film.
Good friends with Amy Adams, Luke Evans, and Jason Momoa.
Henry's paternal grandparents, Richard Cavill and Gladys Jesse May Smith, were English. Henry's maternal grandfather, Alan Gardner Dalgliesh, was born in Guatemala, of English and Scottish descent, while Henry's maternal grandmother, Mary Kathleen O'Donnell, was Irish.
Bought an American Akita dog in January 2014 from Big Bear Akitas breeders in Arkansas, United States. Henry named him Kal-El, after his role as Superman. Fans have nicknamed his dog, Super Puppy.
Henry participated in the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) training programme during his time as a student at Stowe School.
Traditionally wears a signet "gentleman's" ring featuring his family coat of arms on the small finger of his left hand.
His fans have been called ''The Cavillry''.
His favorite food is Italian.
Personal Quotes
With Crepúsculo (2008), there were all sorts of rumors going around, [but] I was never sent a script, never asked to be in the film... I think Stephenie Meyer wanted me initially when she saw me in La venganza del conde de Montecristo (2002), but by the time the movie went into pre-production I was too old. Batman ( Batman Begins (2005) ), I may have been spoken about in a room at some stage, but never auditioned or screen-tested. Superman ( Superman Returns (El regreso) (2006) ), yes, that came very close. And Bond ( Casino Royale (2006) ) came very close as well.
[on not being able to get into contact with his friends, girlfriend or family after winning the role of Superman]: I thought to myself this is ridiculous! I just won the role of a lifetime and nobody's answering their bloody phones!
[on understanding the importance of playing Superman] Very much so, yes. It's important to do the role justice. There are a lot of people relying on me to do this well. I gladly accept that responsibility, and it's a great one to have because it's a wonderful opportunity. I don't let the pressures get to me because that's going to hinder my performance and, therefore, let people down. So I choose to ignore the pressure side of it and focus on doing justice to Superman.
[on how he got his eight pack for _Immortals (2011)_] You can train and train until you are blue in the face but you've got to diet, you've got to have that leanness because if you are not lean, your abs won't show. Of course the training has to be put in, but then you've to shed all the fat and keep the fat off. And that's how you get an eight pack.
[on the anxiety he faced before the filming of his shirtless scenes for Immortals (2011) where he was required to show a perfectly ripped eight-pack]It's very stressful waking up Monday morning and saying, 'Can I still see that vein in my abs?' You get the fear every morning, 'Do I look good enough?' And of course you do. But in your own head, you never look good enough. I had a big sense of pride. I was like, 'No shading. I don't want you to draw abs on me. I don't want you to put dirt in the right places. I just want to do it myself. I want to have the body.' It's a pride thing.
I suppose that when I'm building a character, it's usually related to what their family is like and who their parents are, as well as how I grew up - that nurture side.
[on the 'Man of Steel' version of Superman] We've given him a very human essence. As much as he's not susceptible to the frailties of the human physical body, he's very much susceptible to the frailties of the human psyche, and that is what really keeps us in touch with someone else, makes us go, 'I know your pain', or 'Yeah, I've felt that happy before'. We've brought that to the character.
[explaining the current fascination with super-heroes in tne movies] It's the same thing we've always needed, which is that sense of hope. There's always something wrong in the world. It just shifts depending on the generation. And it's always nice to have that fantasy where there's someone who's going to fix everything. It's beating the odds, and that's been the same with mythological characters since the dawn of time, since we could think up gods.
[on the Program he followed to achieve his Superman physique] It was work... a lot of work! I have always loved sports and physical activities, but I have never worked out like this before. To become Clark Kent, I had to be the best friend of Mark Twight, my trainer! The program involved three stages. The first was to gain weight/mass. So I spent weeks eating nearly 5000 calories daily while lifting extremely heavy, to grow bigger. I love eating, so this stage was not difficult for me, even though I can understand that some people end up having enough of drinking protein shakes 1000 calories a glass. At the end of this stage, I looked like a swole bodybuilder, and I felt like I was going to explode. The second stage was to lose fat to sculpt the muscles. I had to do hours and hours of cardio to burn all the fat. And in the last stage, we targeted specific areas of the body. Mark helped me to make my abs bulge out and my muscles more defined. The workout program was designed according to the needs of the film. The only thing I did not like is the rowing machine, a machine that simulates the movement of rowing. It is torture!
[on auditioning for the Superman role in Christopher Reeve's original costume] It was petrifying, mortifying and embarrassing all at the same time. I was coming off a movie where I had to be out of shape, and then I had gone through Christmas, so I was extra out of shape. I just had to throw on the Lycra-like outfit, and that never looks good when it's basically a sort of sausage casing.
Entering the acting world, it's a very lonely life. You all get so close, and then you promise to e-mail and text each other, but you never do. So that idea of being a sort of lone traveler I can definitely associate with.
[on why he developed an eight-pack physique for Immortals] Tarsem's brief was that he didn't want a "big" guy, he wanted a very ripped, very lean, very Greek statuesque type thing. He said after the very first meeting, "I don't want a six-pack, I want an eight-pack". I was far from having even a six-pack, then [let alone an eight-pack]. But I took it as a challenge. So I went for it.
[on why it was important to him to have a shirtless scene in Man Of Steel] It's only a small sequence in the movie but it is an essential thing for something like Superman. You've got to prove to everybody that actually it's a "Super" man, it's not all fake, it's not all smoke and mirrors.
[on how to convincingly appear muscular on screen] You can't act your way into a six-pack. You have to put the [hours and hours of] work in the gym.
[on whether his abs were digitally enhanced in Man Of Steel (2013)] Oh that's 100 per cent me, believe me. And I am not afraid of saying it because I went through hell to get them.
[on his extreme leaning phase during Man of Steel (2013) to shoot his most difficult scenes] Shooting the oil rig scenes - where I am half-naked and soaking wet - was the toughest because of the "extreme leaning'' phase I was on to show all the hard [muscle] definition. I dropped down to 2,500 calories per day (from 5,000 previously) which , at the size I was and at the shooting workload I had, and the gym training I was doing at the same time, was extremely low and absolutely exhausting. And we did it for six long weeks! Normally bodybuilders lean down for a week or two before a show but I had to keep it down there at whatever it was - 4 per cent, 5 per cent body fat - for the entire six weeks. And, on top of that, have my shirt off, outdoors, in Vancouver in winter with a helicopter above me, while covered in water!
[on enjoying being Superman despite the hard work it entails] I'm really enjoying it, getting my hands dirty and just immersing myself in the job. I'm just coming off of a 45-day lean because there were various shirtless scenes and representing Superman in that physical way both efficiently and sufficiently for the fans. I'm sure you probably saw [the pictures] online over the past month. To lean and to train and to work 12 hours a day is taxing on the willpower and the body, but the stuff [images and footage] we're getting is fantastic. And I get to wake up every morning and say, "I'm Superman." I'm not complaining.
[on enjoying the experience of being in shape for Immortals (2011)] Training to that level is difficult enough but when you're also 'leaning' [stripping away all fat from the body to get ripped] for 10 months, it's insane. Being in that kind of shape is something everyone should do at least once. It's a great feeling - and I don't mean that in an arrogant way. You go to the gym, train hard and learn how far you can push yourself.
[on how his appearance changed after he had trained to become Superman] The body got harder and leaner. But the biggest change was the waist getting smaller. A lot smaller. I genuinely had to throw my clothes out, since my shoulders are too big and my waist is too small. Everything just doesn't fit like it used to. I have never been this big.
[on seeing himself shirtless on the big screen] It's one of those things where on the day you always think you can do better. You always think you haven't done enough. You watch the movie later and go 'whoa, OK, I did OK. I did OK'.
