Henry Cavill | |
---|---|
Born | Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill 5 May 1983 |
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2001–present |
Signature | |
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), Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) Argylle (2024) and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024).
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]
Cavill began his film career with a role in Laguna (2001) and Kevin Reynolds' adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo (2002). He continued with appearances 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). [12]
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 commercially well-received and it went on to be 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." [13] Entertainment Weekly named him the "Most Dashing Duke" and praised his work on The Tudors for displaying "charm, depth and a killer bod". [14]
Cavill had been set to play Superman in McG's 2004 film, Superman: Flyby. 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 . [15] [16] 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). [17] The role eventually went to Robert Pattinson. Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight series, was outspoken in favour of Cavill playing the character of Edward Cullen in the Twilight film, [18] calling him her "perfect Edward". [19] However, by the time production of the film began, Cavill was too old to play the character, [19] [20] and again the role went to Pattinson. Despite reports that he was a contender for Batman in Batman Begins , Cavill confirmed that he never auditioned for, nor was offered, the role. [15] [21]
In 2005, Cavill was a final choice for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale . [21] The producers and director Martin Campbell were torn between him and Daniel Craig; reportedly Campbell supported Cavill but the producers preferred an older Bond, and Craig ultimately landed the role. [15] [22]
While appearing in The Tudors, Cavill starred in director Joel Schumacher's horror film, Blood Creek (2008), and had a supporting role in Woody Allen's comedy film Whatever Works (2009). [23] He went on to play the lead role of Theseus in Tarsem Singh's mythological film, Immortals , released 11 November 2011, [24] and starred, alongside Bruce Willis, in The Cold Light of Day released in 2012. [25]
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 . [26] Snyder called Cavill "the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield." [27] [28] Entertainment media applauded Henry Cavill on his road to success. [29] [30] 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." [31] Cavill reprised the role of Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , a 2016 sequel which featured a crossover with Batman [32] and Wonder Woman. [33] [34] He attended the San Diego Comic-Con in disguise to surprise the cast of Suicide Squad . [35]
Cavill returned as Superman in the 2017 theatrical version of Justice League , which had been reworked by director Joss Whedon after Snyder left the project due to a family tragedy. [36] He appeared again in Zack Snyder's Justice League which premiered on HBO Max in March 2021 after an intense fan campaign to see the Snyder cut. [37] His manager Dany Garcia said in 2016 that he was working on a new standalone Superman film. [38] Directors Matthew Vaughn [39] and Christopher McQuarrie [40] were reportedly interested. Shortly after the release of Justice League, Cavill revealed he was under contract to play Superman in one more film. [41]
In 2015, he co-starred with Armie Hammer in the film version of spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E , directed by Guy Ritchie. [42] [43] [44] In 2018, Cavill co-starred as August Walker in the action spy film Mission: Impossible – Fallout , the sixth installment of the film series. Later that year, he starred in the psychological thriller Night Hunter (originally titled Nomis). [45] Cavill has expressed interest in taking over the role of James Bond after Daniel Craig leaves the role. [46]
From 2019 to 2023, Cavill portrayed the mutant monster hunter Geralt of Rivia in the hit Netflix fantasy drama The Witcher , an adaptation of the book series of the same name by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. [47] [48] [49] The series premiered on 20 December 2019 [50] and had its early premiere on Służewiec Racetrack in Warsaw on 18 December 2019. [51] In late October 2022, Cavill and Netflix announced that he would exit from The Witcher after the third season released in 2023, and would be replaced by Liam Hemsworth. [52] [53]
In 2020, Cavill portrayed Sherlock Holmes in Legendary Entertainment's film adaptation of The Enola Holmes Mysteries , with Millie Bobby Brown starring in the eponymous role as the younger sister of the famous detective. [54] In 2022, Cavill reprised his role as Sherlock in Enola Holmes 2 . [55] On 7 November 2023, Collider reported that Netflix was developing a screenplay for Enola Holmes 3. [56]
In May 2021, it was announced that Cavill would portray the lead role in the reboot of Highlander, although his exact character is unknown. [57] In July 2021, it was also announced that Cavill would join an all-star cast for director Matthew Vaughn's new spy film Argylle . [58] [59] The same month, an article by Deadline reported that he would star in The Rosie Project, directed by Steve Falk and based on the book of the same name, written by Australian author Graeme Simsion. [60]
Cavill negotiated what was intended to be a one-time contract with Warner Bros. to return as Superman in Black Adam , [61] and appeared in a cameo in the mid-credit scene of the film. [62] [63] Later a sequel to Man of Steel was put back in development, with Cavill set to return. [64] He confirmed in October 2022 that he would appear in future DCEU films and referred to his mid-credits cameo as "just a very small taste of things to come". [65] However, in December 2022 Cavill released a statement saying that his future involvement as Superman was no longer moving forward after meeting with new DC Studios executives James Gunn and Peter Safran; Variety reported that Cavill was eyed to play a different DC character. [66]
In April 2024, Cavill re-teamed with director Guy Ritchie on the World War II spy action film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare , with Jerry Bruckheimer producing. [67] The film is based on a true story by British author Damien Lewis. Cavill will reunite with Ritchie in the director’s action thriller film In The Grey which is set to release in January 2025.
After the acquisition of global rights to the Warhammer 40,000 franchise by Amazon Studios in December 2022, Cavill was attached to star in and executive produce projects related to it. [68]
In July 2024, Cavill made a surprise cameo appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Deadpool & Wolverine as a variant of Wolverine dubbed "Cavillrine".
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]
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]
† | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | Chas Quilter | Episode: "Well Schooled in Murder" | |
Goodbye, Mr. Chips | Soldier Colley | Television film | ||
2003 | Midsomer Murders | Simon Mayfield | Episode: "The Green Man" | [106] [107] |
2007–2010 | The Tudors | Charles Brandon | Main role | |
2019–2023 | The Witcher | Geralt of Rivia | [108] |
Year | Title | Voice role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
TBA | Squadron 42 † | Ryan Enright |
Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Critics' Choice Movie Awards | 2014 | Best Actor in an Action Movie | Man of Steel | Nominated | [109] |
Critics' Choice Super Awards | 2022 | Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series | The Witcher | [110] | |
Golden Raspberry Awards | 2017 | Worst Actor | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | [111] | |
Worst Screen Combo (shared with Ben Affleck) | Won | ||||
HCA TV Awards | 2022 | Best Actor in a Streaming Series, Drama | The Witcher | Nominated | [112] |
Kids' Choice Awards | 2017 | Favorite Movie Actor | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | [113] | |
Favorite Butt Kicker | |||||
Favorite Frenemies (shared with Ben Affleck) | |||||
MTV Movie Awards | 2014 | Best Hero | Man of Steel | Won | [114] |
NewNowNext Awards | 2012 | Cause You're Hot | The Tudors | Nominated | [115] |
2013 | Man of Steel | [116] | |||
Saturn Awards | 2021 | Best Actor on Television | The Witcher | [117] | |
Teen Choice Awards | 2013 | Choice Summer Movie Star: Male | Man of Steel | [118] | |
Choice Liplock (shared with Amy Adams) | |||||
2016 | Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | [119] | ||
Choice Liplock (shared with Amy Adams) | |||||
2018 | Choice Action Movie Actor | Justice League | [120] | ||
Brandon Routh is an American actor. He portrayed Superman in the 2006 film Superman Returns, which garnered him international fame. In 2011, he played the title character of the film Dylan Dog: Dead of Night. He also had a recurring role in the NBC series Chuck, as Daniel Shaw. Routh also played a supporting role in the film Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), and played Todd Ingram in the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), reprising the role in the animated series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023).
DC Comics's Superman franchise, based on the character of the same name created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in June 1938, has seen the release of various films since its inception. The character debuted in cinemas in a series of animated shorts beginning in 1941, and then was the protagonist of two movie serials in 1948 and 1950. An independent studio, Lippert Pictures, released the first Superman feature film, Superman and the Mole Men, starring George Reeves, in 1951. In 1973, the film rights to the Superman character were purchased by Ilya Salkind, Alexander Salkind, and Pierre Spengler. After numerous scripts and several years in development, Richard Donner was hired as their director, and he shot two films, Superman (1978), and Superman II (1980), at the same time, both starring Christopher Reeve. Donner had already shot eighty percent of Superman II before it was decided to finish shooting the first film. The Salkinds fired Donner after Superman's release and commissioned Richard Lester as the director to finish Superman II. Lester returned to direct Superman III (1983). The Salkinds also produced the related spin-off Supergirl (1984). They then sold the rights to Cannon Films, which produced the poorly reviewed Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). Ilya Salkind commissioned a fifth Superman script before Warner Bros. acquired the rights entirely in 1993.
Geralt of Rivia is a fictional character and the protagonist of The Witcher series of short stories and novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. He is a magically enhanced monster-hunter known as a "witcher", who possesses supernatural abilities due to his mutations.
The Enola Holmes Mysteries is a young adult fiction series of detective novels by American author Nancy Springer, starring Enola Holmes as the 14-year-old sister of an already famous Sherlock Holmes, twenty years her senior. There are nine books in the series, and one short story all written from 2006–2023. This pastiche series borrows characters and settings from the established canon of Sherlock Holmes, but the Enola character is Springer's creation and specific to this series.
Liam Hemsworth is an Australian actor. He played the roles of Josh Taylor in the soap opera Neighbours and Marcus in the children's television series The Elephant Princess. In American films, Hemsworth starred as Will Blakelee in The Last Song (2010), as Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games film series (2012–2015), and as Jake Morrison in Independence Day: Resurgence (2016).
The Witcher is a fantasy drama television series created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich for Netflix. It is based on the book series by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. Set on a fictional, medieval-inspired landmass known as the Continent, The Witcher explores the legend of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg and Princess Ciri. It stars Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, and Freya Allan.
Anna Maureen Barth Shaffer is an English actress. She gained prominence through her roles as Romilda Vane in the Harry Potter films (2009–2011) and Ruby Button in the E4 soap opera Hollyoaks (2011–2018). As of 2019, she plays Triss Merigold in the Netflix adaptation of The Witcher.
Man of Steel is a 2013 superhero film based on the DC Comics character Superman. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, DC Entertainment, and Syncopy, it was directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay written by David S. Goyer who developed the story with producer Christopher Nolan. The film is a reboot of the Superman film series, depicting the character's origin story, and it is the first installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill as Superman in the title role along with Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, and Russell Crowe. In the film, Clark Kent learns that he is a superpowered alien from the planet Krypton. He assumes the role of mankind's protector as Superman, making the choice to face General Zod and prevent him from destroying humanity.
The Witcher is a series of six fantasy novels and 15 short stories by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The series revolves around the eponymous "witcher", Geralt of Rivia. "Witchers" are monster hunters given superhuman abilities for the purpose of killing dangerous creatures. The Witcher began with a titular 1986 short story that Sapkowski entered into a competition held by Fantastyka magazine, marking his debut as an author. Due to reader demand, Sapkowski wrote 14 more stories before starting a series of novels in 1994. Known as The Witcher Saga, he wrote one book a year until the fifth and final installment in 1999. A standalone prequel novel, Season of Storms, was published in 2013.
Mimî Michelle Ndiweni, since 2021 credited as Mimî M. Khayisa, is a British actress. She is known for playing Fringilla Vigo in Netflix's The Witcher, Tilly Brockless in the television series Mr Selfridge, and Ester/Jekasai in the stage production of The Convert at The Gate Theatre in London. She has also appeared on film in Catherine Called Birdy, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Cinderella and The Legend of Tarzan.
Black Adam is a 2022 American superhero film based on the DC character of the same name. Produced by New Line Cinema, DC Films, Seven Bucks Productions, and FlynnPictureCo. and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a spin-off from Shazam! (2019) and the eleventh film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra from a script by Adam Sztykiel and the writing team of Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, the film stars Dwayne Johnson as Teth-Adam / Black Adam, an ancient superhuman who is released from his magic imprisonment by a group of archeologists to free the nation of Kahndaq from the crime syndicate Intergang, whose local leader plans to obtain an ancient relic called the Crown of Sabbac to take control of it. Pierce Brosnan, Aldis Hodge, Quintessa Swindell and Noah Centineo appear in supporting roles.
Enola Holmes is a 2020 mystery film starring Millie Bobby Brown as the title character, the teenage sister of the already famous Victorian-era detective Sherlock Holmes. The film is directed by Harry Bradbeer from a screenplay by Jack Thorne that adapts the first novel in The Enola Holmes Mysteries series by Nancy Springer. In the film, Enola travels to London to find her missing mother but ends up on a thrilling adventure, pairing up with a runaway lord as they attempt to solve a mystery that threatens the entire country. In addition to Brown, the film also stars Sam Claflin, Henry Cavill, and Helena Bonham Carter.
Anya Chalotra is a British actress. She is best known for her role as Yennefer of Vengerberg in the Netflix series The Witcher. She began her career in a 2017 production of the play Much Ado About Nothing, and made her screen debut with BBC dramas Wanderlust and The ABC Murders in 2018.
Freya Allan is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Princess Cirilla of Cintra in the Netflix series The Witcher, for which she was nominated for two Saturn Awards. She also appears as young Sam in the 2021 film Gunpowder Milkshake, as the younger version of The Widow in the AMC series Into the Badlands, and as Mae in the film Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024).
Joey Batey is an English actor, musician, singer, and songwriter. He portrays the bard Jaskier in the fantasy series The Witcher, where he sang "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher", as well as other songs featured in the series.
Clark Kent, best known by his superhero persona Superman, is a superhero in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) series of films, based on the DC Comics character of the same name created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. In the films, he is a survivor from the destroyed planet Krypton who lands on Earth and develops superhuman abilities due to environmental differences between the planets and their respective star systems.
Louis Patrick James Partridge is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Lord Tewkesbury in the Netflix films Enola Holmes (2020) and Enola Holmes 2 (2022), and Sid Vicious in the miniseries Pistol (2022).
Enola Holmes 2 is a 2022 mystery film and the sequel to the 2020 film Enola Holmes, both of which star Millie Bobby Brown as the title character, the teenage sister of the already-famous Victorian-era detective Sherlock Holmes. The film is directed by Harry Bradbeer from a screenplay by Jack Thorne that adapts the book series The Enola Holmes Mysteries by Nancy Springer. Unlike the film's predecessor, it does not adapt one of Springer's novels and instead takes real-life inspiration from the 1888 matchgirls' strike. In addition to Brown, Henry Cavill, Louis Partridge, Susie Wokoma, Adeel Akhtar, and Helena Bonham Carter reprise their supporting roles, while David Thewlis and Sharon Duncan-Brewster join the cast.
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep is an upcoming animated fantasy drama film set in The Witcher universe. It was directed by Kang Hei Chul and written by Mike Ostrowski and Rae Benjamin.