Henry Cavill

Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill was born in the Bailiwick of Jersey, a British Crown dependency in the Channel Islands. His mother, Marianne (Dalgliesh), a housewife, was also born on Jersey and is of Irish, Scottish, and English ancestry. His father, Colin Richard Cavill, a stockbroker, is of English origin, born in Chester, England. Henry is the second youngest of five sons. He attended St. Michael's Preparatory School in Saint Saviour, Jersey, before moving to Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, England.

Cavill's interest in acting began at an early age, with school play performances of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and a portrayal of Sonny LaTierri in "Grease." He also starred in and directed a production of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" for the BBC documentary "40 Minutes." At age 17, he was discovered by casting directors at his school who were searching for a young actor to play Albert Mondego in *The Count of Monte Cristo* (2002). He later appeared in *Vendetta* (2001), the BBC series *The Inspector Lynley Mysteries* (2001), the television film *Goodbye, Mr. Chips* (2002), and the series *Midsomer Murders* (1997).

At age 20, Cavill secured starring roles in *I Capture the Castle* (2003), *Hellraiser: Hellworld* (2005), *Red Riding Hood* (2006), and *Tristan + Isolde* (2006). He also had a minor role in the fantasy-adventure film *Stardust* (2007), alongside Sienna Miller and Ben Barnes. Between 2007 and 2010, he played a leading role in the television series *The Tudors* (2007) as Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. The show was successful and earned a Golden Globe nomination in 2007 and an Emmy Award in 2008. *Entertainment Weekly* named him "Most Dashing Duke."

Cavill also appeared in *Blood Creek* (2006) and Woody Allen's comedy *Whatever Works* (2009). On January 30, 2011, it was announced that Cavill had been cast as Superman in *Man of Steel* (2013), making him the first non-American actor to portray the character. The film was directed by Zach Snyder, produced by Christopher Nolan, and written by David S. Goyer. On November 7, 2011, he starred in Tarsem Singh's fantasy-adventure film *Immortals* (2011), alongside Mickey Rourke, Freida Pinto, and Luke Evans. On September 7, 2012, he appeared in the action-thriller *Cold Light of Day* (2012), alongside Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver.

On June 10, 2013, *Man of Steel* (2013) premiered in New York City, followed by screenings in London, the Bailiwick of Jersey, Sicily, Madrid, Shanghai, Sydney, and Tokyo. The film became the highest-grossing Superman film to date and the second-highest-grossing reboot behind *The Amazing Spider-Man* (2012). *Glamour* magazine ranked him as the #1 "Sexiest Man." In August 2014, Cavill became an ambassador for Durrell Wildlife Park and launched a website and social media campaign, #CavillConservation, to raise funds and awareness for wildlife conservation. On November 3, 2014, it was announced that Cavill, his brother Charlie, and London-based producer Rex Glensy had formed a British production company, Promethean Productions. On August 7, 2015, *The Man from U.N.C.L.E.* (2015) premiered at Somerset House in London, followed by its world premiere in New York City, Toronto, and Rio de Janeiro. Cavill reprised his role as Superman in *Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice* (2016) and *Justice League* (2017).