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1[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3_4_0.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:320:[[Film/ManOfSteel He's about as American as it gets]].]]
3
4->''"People have this belief that actors are able to go out there and say, 'Oh, I choose this job', but most of the time we're just taking the job we can get. We don't just get offered thousands of jobs; we might earn one job a year and that's the one we'll take because we've got to pay the rent."''
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6Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill (born 5 May 1983) is a British actor. He was born in Saint Helier, UsefulNotes/{{Jersey}}, to an English father and a Jèrriaise mother of English, Irish and Scottish descent.
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8He became known for his roles in ''Series/TheTudors'' and ''Film/{{Immortals}}'', and came to prominence playing the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse incarnation of Franchise/{{Superman}} as well as Geralt of Rivia in the Creator/{{Netflix}} [[Series/TheWitcher2019 adaptation]] of ''Franchise/TheWitcher'', which he left after three seasons. He's also becoming a regular of Creator/GuyRitchie's films since ''[[Film/TheManFromUncle2015 The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'' (theatrical film adaptation of the [[Series/TheManFromUncle series]], as Napoleon Solo) and ''The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare''. He is currently set to produce and play in an adaptation of ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' by Creator/{{Amazon}}.
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10He's well-known for his bad luck early in his career, consisting of a long string of near-misses in landing important roles before his rise to prominence.
11----
12!!His roles include:
13
14[[foldercontrol]]
15
16[[folder:Films:]]
17* ''Film/{{The Count of Monte Cristo|2002}}'' (2002) as Albert Mondego
18* ''Literature/ICaptureTheCastle'' (2003) as Stephen Colly
19* ''Film/HellraiserHellworld'' (2005) as Mike
20* ''Red Riding Hood'' (2006) as Hunter / Pizza Delivery Boy
21* ''Film/TristanAndIsolde'' (2006) as Melot
22* ''Film/{{Stardust}}'' (2007) as Humphrey
23* ''Film/WhateverWorks'' (2009) as Randy Lee James
24* ''Film/{{Immortals}}'' (2011) as Theseus
25* ''The Cold Light of Day'' (2012) as Will Shaw
26* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse as [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman]]
27** ''Film/ManOfSteel'' (2013)
28** ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' (2016)
29** ''Film/{{Justice League|2017}}'' (2017)
30*** ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' (2021)
31** ''Film/{{Black Adam|2022}}'' (2022)
32* ''[[Film/TheManFromUNCLE2015 The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'' (2015) as Napoleon Solo
33* ''Film/MissionImpossibleFallout'' (2018) as August Walker
34* ''Film/{{Night Hunter|2019}}'' (2019) as Marshall
35* ''Film/EnolaHolmes'' (2020) as Literature/SherlockHolmes
36** ''Film/EnolaHolmes2'' (2022)
37** ''Enola Holmes 3'' (2025)
38* ''Film/{{Argylle}}'' (2024) as Argylle
39* ''Film/TheMinistryOfUngentlemanlyWarfare'' (2024) as Gus March-Phillipps
40* ''In the Grey'' (2025)
41* ''Franchise/{{Highlander}}'' film reboot (2026) as Connor [=MacLeod=]
42[[/folder]]
43
44[[folder:Live-Action TV:]]
45* ''Series/InspectorLynley'' (2002, episode [[Recap/InspectorLynleyS01E01WellSchooledInMurder "Well Schooled in Murder"]]) as Chas Quilter
46* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'' (2003, episode "The Green Man") as Simon Mayfield
47* ''Series/TheTudors'' (2007-2010) as Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk
48* ''Series/{{The Witcher|2019}}'' (2019-2023) as Geralt of Rivia [[note]][[TheOtherDarrin Recast]] with Creator/LiamHemsworth following his exit from the series after the third season.[[/note]]
49* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' live-action series (TBA) [[note]]Also serves as an Executive Producer.[[/note]]
50[[/folder]]
51
52!!His works provide examples of:
53* BaritoneOfStrength: Many of the badass characters he play take advantage of his deep voice. He renders it even deeper as Geralt of Rivia.
54* CelebrityEndorsement: He is the face of [[https://www.muscletech.com/ MuscleTech]] whey protein and also of [[https://www.no1botanicals.com/pages/henry-cavill No. 1 Botanicals]] rosemary water.
55* TheCharmer: His characters are usually pretty laid-back and debonair.
56* DyeingForYourArt:
57** For ''The Cold Light Of Day'', he was asked to slim down his muscle quite a bit, which he admits he would never do again.
58** For ''Immortals'', his DCEU films as Superman and ''The Witcher'', he developed a HeroicBuild.
59** He extensively trained in swordplay with Creator/VladimirFurdik for ''The Witcher''. He also went so far as using the infamous bodybuilders’ trick of dehydrating himself for days so his skin would thin out and make his muscles more prominent.
60* FakeAmerican: Has been cast in an increasing number of American roles. Most notably, he's the first non-American actor to have played Superman.
61* FanCommunityNickname: His fans have gotten the name "The Cavillry".
62* LanternJawOfJustice: Where do you think his incarnation of Franchise/{{Superman}} gets it?
63* MemeAcknowledgment: Cavill's had a lot of fun with the trouble his mustache brought to ''Justice League''.
64* MrFanservice:
65** He gets quite a few {{Shirtless Scene}}s in his works, from ''Immortals'' all the way to ''The Witcher''.
66** While it's downplayed in ''Film/EnolaHolmes'' (since it's set in Victorian England), he does fill out his suits quite well.
67** More or less invoked during one of his appearances on ''The Graham Norton Show'', when Graham told the audience that "I think it's fair if I put the cards down and [[EvenTheGuysWantHim we all just stare at Henry for a while]]."
68* JustForFun/OneOfUs: He is very well-versed in fantasy literature, video games, board games, and comic book culture.
69** Let's put this in perspective here. One of the most famous stories about Cavill is that he let the call informing him that he'd been chosen to play Superman go to voicemail ''because he was in the middle of a [[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft WoW]] raid.''
70--->'''Graham Norton:''' So did you ''win'' the video game? \
71'''Henry:''' Sadly, no.
72*** He's stated that he was looking forward to the release of the expansion ''Shadowlands'' as the level cap was changing from 120, which was realistically nigh-impossible for a busy guy like him, to 60. It was one of the reasons he got into the ''World of Warcraft: Classic'' version, which simulates the original game and its level 60 cap. He's also an Alliance fan.
73** An interview when stumping for ''Series/{{The Witcher|2019}}'' made him this for the PC gamer crowd: when asked "[=PlayStation=] or Xbox?" he responds, with mild indignation, "...PC." There's also the other fact that he claimed that he played all three games ''to completion''. Even your diehard ''Witcher'' fans cannot make that claim lightly...
74** A [[https://www.instagram.com/p/CCs-N1Eh2Z5/ video]] he uploaded in July 2020 showing him lovingly assembling his new PC with Music/BarryWhite music as soundtrack caused a frenzy.
75** During the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic lockdown, he posted an Instagram video of himself intensely painting a ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' miniature. And ''not'' just some nondescript Space Marine either, but [[https://www.instagram.com/p/B-39B5ShMWw/ an Adeptus Custodes Warden!]] You can just picture him solemnly and [[Series/TheWitcher2019 quietly grunting]] in admiration of his work upon completion. In early 2022 he was filmed visiting Warhammer World in Nottingham and was like a kid in a candy store.
76** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9L6U1vnwvo On the new set of]] ''Series/{{The Witcher|2019}}'', he could not help but notice that the chandelier looked like a [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Blackstone Fortress]] and it was killing him that no one around would understand the reference.
77** He's also a HUGE fan of ''Franchise/MassEffect'', and is lobbying to play a Male Shepard in the rumored LiveActionAdaptation that is in the works at Creator/PrimeVideo.
78** Additionally, as a comic book fan, he's expressed a keen interest in taking on the mantle of ComicBook/CaptainBritain if he should be brought to the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse.
79** He has also [[https://www.eonline.com/videos/2323761219807/henry-cavill-calls-taylor-swift-magnificent-and-admits-hes-a-swiftie recently stated that he "was never not a]] [[Music/TaylorSwift Swiftie]]", stating that he finds her "magnificent".
80* OnSetInjury: Tore his hamstring while filming ''Series/{{The Witcher|2019}}''. It was initially downplayed as a minor injury, but he later admitted that it had been severe enough to potentially [[CareerEndingInjury ruin his career]]. He relied on the assistance of a physical therapist for the rest of the shoot simply to manage the pain--which turned into EnforcedMethodActing as Geralt spent several episodes visibly limping with an on-screen leg injury.
81* PromotedFanboy:
82** He'd been a big fan of Superman for years before landing the role. He was so excited that he actually called up his family to tell them the news, and showed how much of a fanboy he was in interviews by listing various Superman comic storylines he'd like to be adapted.
83** He's a big fan of the video games based on ''Franchise/TheWitcher''. He landed the role of Geralt of Rivia in the ''Witcher'' series in September 2018 after lobbying heavily to Creator/{{Netflix}}'s producers. The games introduced him to the novels they were adapted from, he initially assumed the games came first because the cover art was so familiar. He apparently was a walking ''Witcher''-verse encyclopedia on the set of the series.
84** In ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammerII'''s expansion "The Warden and the Paunch", Cavill was slipped in as "[[TheDanza Cavill]], Loremaster of Hoeth" and on top of this, one of his abilities is [[Series/TheWitcher2019 White Wolf]]. He had previously declared the games one of his favorite (with the ''Total War'' series being one of his favorite franchises in general), and has admitted to being a huge High Elf fan.
85** He's set to produce and star in a Creator/{{Amazon}} adaptation of ''Warhammer 40,000''. He's very passionate about the franchise as a number of entries on this page show, and has said that much respect would be paid to the lore on the project.
86* TallDarkAndHandsome: One of the ultimate examples in Hollywood today, considering that he's 6'1 with dark hair and is [[{{Hunk}} strikingly good-looking]], and it shows in his roles.
87* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
88** He became rather famous for being among the top three contenders for certain major roles but always missing out, including Superman in a movie in development in 2003 (which eventually became ''Film/SupermanReturns'' with Creator/BrandonRouth), Cedric Diggory in ''Film/HarryPotter'', Edward in ''Film/{{Twilight}}'' and even Film/JamesBond in ''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}'' (he's remained a prime fancast candidate for the role ever since, and Creator/GuyRitchie and Creator/MatthewVaughn [[Film/TheManFromUNCLE2015 played]] [[Film/{{Argylle}} off this]]). Him finally getting the role of Superman was seen in the fan community as a ThrowTheDogABone moment, and it only snowballed from there.
89** [[http://dgaiderarchive.tumblr.com/post/109036931492/dgaider-genevrael-he-likes-nothing-better In his personal blog]], former ''Franchise/DragonAge'' lead writer David Gaider claimed that, had he known Cavill liked ''Dragon Age'' and ''Mass Effect'' back when he was on ''Series/TheTudors'', he would have lobbied hard to have him do some voice acting in one of their games. Alas, now that he's Superman, Gaider laments that he's out of their price range.
90** Cavill was to be committed to 7 seasons of ''Series/{{The Witcher|2019}}'', but he only did 3 in the end.
91** He reprised the role of Superman in TheStinger of ''Film/{{Black Adam|2022}}'' after years of ExecutiveVeto and even publicly announced returning for more... only to quit again one month later after Creator/JamesGunn took over Creator/DCStudios with intent of a full-on ContinuityReboot.

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