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He's from Jersey -

Henry Cavill was born on May 5, 1983, in Jersey, part of the Channel Islands, a Crown dependency of the UK.

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Cavill's parents -

His mother, Marianne, was a secretary in a bank, and his father, Colin, was a stockbroker.

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Many brothers -

Cavill is the fourth of five brothers. His older brother, Major Niki Richard Dalgliesh Cavill, received an MBE as a heroic Royal Marine for his service in Afghanistan.

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Education -

He was educated at St Michael’s Preparatory School in Saint Saviour, Jersey, before attending Stowe School in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England.

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Cavill is now a Londoner -

Instead of living in Los Angeles like many A-listers, Cavill resides in South Kensington, London.

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The start of his acting career -

Cavill first caught the attention of audiences as Albert Mondego in the 2002 film adaptation of 'The Count of Monte Cristo.' He's seen here at the LA premiere.

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He was up for big roles -

The actor was up for the role of Bruce Wayne in 'Batman Begins' (2005), which went to Christian Bale, and he lost out to Daniel Craig for the James Bond role in 'Casino Royale' (2006). Of course, each film spawned several sequels. Remarkably, he also lost out to Brandon Routh for the role of Superman in 'Superman Returns' (2006).

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He was in 'The Tudors' -

Though Cavill mostly starred in low-profile films, he eventually got his big break playing Charles Brandon in the Showtime series 'The Tudors,' from 2007 to 2010.

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He was eyed for Robert Pattinson’s role in 'Twilight' (2009) -

Cavill was reportedly author Stephenie Meyer‘s top pick to play Edward Cullen. But by the time of shooting, he was 25 and didn't resemble a 17-year-old.

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An unforgettable encounter -

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' (2000). They later worked together on 'Man of Steel' (2013).

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He’s fluent in four languages -

The British actor can speak English, Spanish, French, and Italian.

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He didn’t know he landed the Superman role until hours before it was announced -

In an extremely secretive casting process, Cavill was a top three choice since day one. One of his closest competitors for the Superman role was fellow British actor Matthew Goode.

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A British superhero -

In his role as Superman in 'Man of Steel' (2013), Cavill became the third British actor to play the lead role in a reboot of a successful screen adaption of an American comic book series. Before him, the aforementioned Christian Bale was cast as Batman, and Andrew Garfield was Spider-Man.

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Comics were his reference -

Cavill didn't watch any of the previous Superman films or television shows while making 'Man of Steel' (2013). He only used the comics as a reference for his portrayal of Superman.

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His main inspiration -

His favorite Superman storylines, and the ones he used for inspiration, are 'Death of Superman,' 'Return of Superman,' 'Superman Red Son,' and 'Earth-One.'

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He has played Superman in more than one film -

Cavill is the first actor since Christopher Reeve to play the role of Clark Kent, or Superman, in more than one film.

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He struggles with his American accent -

He has admitted that he struggles switching back to his natural English accent after using an American accent. Especially after filming for a long period of time.

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A personal tradition -

In 2012, Cavill started a tradition of giving out commemorative coins as a token of appreciation to people he has worked with.

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He wears a signet ring -

To honor his family and their history, Cavill wears signet rings that hold the Cavill family crest.

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Cavill is a rugby fan -

The actor is a big fan of rugby and supports his hometown's Jersey Rugby Football Club.

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He's a gamer -

Cavill is an avid gamer. He especially enjoys playing online games and World of Warcraft.

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He loves animals -

Cavill is a big animal lover, and works with the conservation park Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. He also has an adopted black-and-white Akita named Kal-El, after Superman's birth name.

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He’s committed to working out -

No surprise here! The actor is super vocal about being physically active and practices running and Brazilian jiujitsu.

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He's a comic book fan -

Cavill is a big comic book fan. However, he has said that he didn't get to read them growing up due to his time at boarding school.

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He needs a few drinks to dance -

Cavill doesn't consider himself a good dancer. But in an interview with Cosmopolitan, he has said that "after a few drinks, I definitely enjoy a dance."

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The face of a brand -

In 2008, Cavill became the face and official spokesperson of the Dunhill fragrance men's collection.

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He's taken -

In 2021, the A-lister made his relationship with Hollywood executive Natalie Viscuso public.

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Charity work -

Besides being a spokesman for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Cavill is an ambassador for The Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund.

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If he hadn't picked acting... -

Cavill has revealed that if he hadn’t picked up acting, he would have joined the British Armed Forces to fulfill his "patriotic pride."

See also: Celebrities who were nearly cast as superheroes

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