Henry Cavill biography, girlfriend, net worth, age, Witcher, photos as a kid, Superman, height and weight 2025

Henry Cavill's Biography

Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill is a British actor best known for his role in the historical drama series "The Tudors" and for playing Superman in the DC Extended Universe films.

Hanry Cavill appeared in many roles, besides Superman

Henry Cavill's Childhood

Henry Cavill was born in Jersey, which is a Crown dependency located near the coast of Normandy, France. Henry was the fourth child born into a big, loving family. However, since his older brothers – Piers, Nick and Simon – were much older when he was born, his mother, Marianne Cavill, became his best friend.

Henry Cavill with mom and brothers at the "Man of Steel" premiere

But that friendship lasted only until his little brother Chuck was born. Henry loved being a big brother and enjoyed babysitting, and when Chuck got older, the boys became inseparable. They both attended St Michael's Preparatory School in Saint Saviour, Jersey.

His father, Colin Cavill, served in the Navy, so the kids didn't see him very often. By the time he retired from service, Henry had already been sent to a selective independent school – Stowe School in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. This turned out to be quite an unpleasant experience for Henry – he called his mom several times a day, crying and begging to come home, but his father was relentless. There was absolutely no place for whiners and mama's boys in his family. Especially since his older brothers weren't as soft-hearted – Piers is a former army officer, Nick is a major in the Royal Marines, and Simon had just started working in financial services. That's why the head of the family wanted his fourth son to either join the military or work in finance.

Food became Henry's main coping mechanism, and as he ate his stress away, he gained a significant amount of weight. He was even called "Fat Cavill"! Even though he was part of the rugby team and had to train every day, his love for French fries with ketchup took its toll.

It was during this time that Henry became interested in theater – he participated in all the plays staged by the Drama club. His teachers praised him, though the young boy admitted that being in the spotlight gave him both an adrenaline rush and anxiety. But when the film crew of "Proof of Life" came to shoot on location at Henry's school and he saw the filming process from the inside, he truly became enamored with the idea of becoming an actor.

The insecure schoolboy got to talk to Russell Crowe between takes and told him about his dream of becoming an actor. A couple of days later, to everyone's surprise, he received a package from the movie star with a card that read: "Dear Henry, remember: a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Henry Cavill considers Russell Crowe to be the "godfather" of his career

The young actor took his first step the following year when casting agents arrived at Stowe School, scouting for promising young talent for Kevin Reynolds' adaptation of "The Count of Monte Cristo." Henry was among the first to sign up for the audition. His drama club experience didn't go unnoticed – the project's casting manager took note of Henry's performance. There was one condition though: Henry had to lose at least 20 pounds. Everyone was highly skeptical that "Fat Cavill" could pull it off, but through strict dieting and regular exercise, he managed to meet the requirement.

Henry Cavill's workout for the untitled Superman project

Henry Cavill's acting career

His small supporting role as Albert Mondego in the adventure drama "The Count of Monte Cristo" made him a local celebrity.

Henry lost a lot of weight for "The Count of Monte Cristo"

However, he had no time to bask in the glory – he was soon cast in "Laguna," where he filmed his first-ever love scene with none other than Emmanuelle Seigner!

Henry landed a supporting role in "I Capture the Castle," playing seasoned womanizer Stephen Colley. Since his cinema debut, the actor appeared in two more productions – a cameo in an episode of British crime drama "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries" and the TV film "Goodbye, Mr. Chips." His parents, initially opposed to his acting aspirations, eventually came around to his career choice: "When fate gives you a chance, don't miss it."

More roles followed: Henry appeared in the American musical "Red Riding Hood", the horror film "Hellraiser: Hellworld" and the epic romantic drama "Tristan & Isolde".

Of course, there were numerous setbacks along the way. Henry Cavill was rejected for "Twilight" casting, even though author Stephenie Meyer considered him the "perfect Edward". But producers felt Cavill was too old to play a 17-year-old vampire. Making it doubly frustrating, he'd already lost out on a role to Robert Pattinson, who landed Cedric Diggory in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". Earlier, Henry Cavill had been in the running for James Bond in "Casino Royale", but was deemed too young, with the role going to Daniel Craig instead. Due to all this, Empire magazine dubbed Henry Cavill "the unluckiest man in Hollywood" in December 2005.

Empire magazine: "Henry Cavill – the unluckiest man in Hollywood"

Henry was ready to throw in the towel when he got called in to audition for the historical drama series "The Tudors". He didn't expect to land a main role and figured he'd be lucky to get a few episodes as a supporting character. But producers recognized his potential and offered him the role of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, one of the main characters. Cavill ended up spending four years on "The Tudors" – from 2007 to 2011.

"The Tudors": Henry Cavill takes a break in-between the takes

While shooting the series, he took on several other projects – the romantic fantasy adventure "Stardust", horror film "Blood Creek" alongside Michael Fassbender, and Woody Allen's comedy "Whatever Works". The shooting of the last season of "The Tudors" coincided with the filming of Tarsem Singh's epic mythological film "Immortals", where Henry Cavill had a starring role opposite Freida Pinto and Mickey Rourke.

2011 turned out to be Henry Cavill's breakthrough year when he was offered the role of Superman in Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel". Henry had actually auditioned for the same role back in 2005, and Brett Ratner, who was set to direct the film, saw him as the top contender. But Ratner was soon replaced by Bryan Singer, who renamed the film "Superman Returns" and cast Brandon Routh in the title role.

In 2015 Henry Cavill together with Armie Hammer appeared at the CinemaCon, where they presented a new Guy Ritchie's spy series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E".

"The Man from U.N.C.L.E", starring Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer

Henry Cavill isn't hanging up the Superman cape anytime soon – he's locked into a DC Extended Universe contract for four more films. The first of these hit theaters in April 2016 – "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", with Batman (portrayed by Ben Affleck) as the main antagonist. Amy Adams portrayed Superman's love interest, Gal Gadot brought Wonder Woman to life and Jesse Eisenberg portrayed Lex Luthor, a young businessman, obsessed with defeating Superman.

The sequel to 2016's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" – "Justice League" – dropped in 2017. In 2018, Henry starred in the thriller "Night Hunter", which earned praise from both audiences and critics. A year later, The Witcher premiered with Cavill taking on the role of Geralt of Rivia. The series became one of the year's biggest hits and got renewed for another season. Cavill's estimated net worth sits at $40 million.

Henry Cavill's Personal Life

In 2009, a friend managed to drag Henry Cavill out to a show jumping tournament – no easy feat, considering the actor had become quite the homebody after a string of casting disappointments. The friend figured this posh uptown event would snap the actor out of his funk, and he was right – Henry couldn't take his eyes off the arena. But it wasn't the horses that caught his attention – it was the equestrian, Ellen Whitaker. It was love at first sight.

According to Zoomboola.com, in May of the following year, the couple announced their engagement. However, Cavill was constantly filming in the USA while Ellen trained in England. They couldn't make the long-distance relationship work and called off the engagement in May 2012.

In summer 2013, Henry was spotted with American actress Kaley Cuoco, known for portraying Penny on the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory". The couple didn't shy away from the paparazzi, but it turned out to be nothing more than a fling – they broke up just two weeks later.

Henry Cavill dated Gina Carano for two years

Next, the actor dated actress and MMA fighter Gina Carano for about two years. After they split, he was spotted with Marisa Gonzalo.

In 2015, Tara King, a 19-year-old University of Bristol student, managed to capture the heart of Hollywood's Superman. She was 13 years younger than Cavill, but the couple didn't let that bother them. They were spotted together at an Oscars after-party and at the Mini Clubman presentation in China.

In 2019, word got out that Henry Cavill was dating a female firefighter. Both fans and the media had a field day with this – according to many, the "superhero" had chosen his real-life "supergirl." Nothing more is known about their relationship – soon after the couple went public, they vanished from the spotlight.

In 2020, Cavill spent Valentine's Day solo, posting an Instagram photo with his dog and encouraging all single guys not to despair over their lack of a valentine.

In 2021, Natalie Viscuso became the actor's girlfriend. She's a film producer who works at Legendary Pictures and happens to be a huge Henry Cavill fan.

Henry Cavill Today

2020 brought the premiere of the adventure film "Enola Holmes," focusing on the famous detective's younger sister. In the film, Henry takes on the role of Sherlock Holmes. That same year also saw production resume on The Witcher's second season after coronavirus pandemic delays.

Netflix dropped the highly anticipated second season of "The Witcher" in December 2021. Ahead of the premiere, Henry sat down with Digital Spy for a promotional interview, where he revealed he'd played through "The Witcher 3" multiple times, always choosing Jennifer [in the game, you can develop a romantic line not only with Jennifer, but also with Triss Merigold] instinctively feeling that Geralt and Yen are soulmates. Co-star Joey Batey (Jaskier) backed him up, declaring himself firmly on "Team Jennifer."

A big interview with Henry Cavill on WitcherCon for the second season of The Witcher

Henry Cavill is set to star in the upcoming Highlander reboot, of which he has been a fan since childhood. Once again, the actor shows his knack for landing major franchise roles.

Henry Cavill: latest news and articles

Why I Think Henry Cavill Won't Be Able to Overshadow Christopher Lambert in the New "Highlander"

23 Jun 2025

Seven major roles that Henry Cavill missed out on

19 May 2025

Michele Woods

Cool actor, courageous with a relevant roles, I would say his roles are really great for him

2021-05-11 23:47:52
Virginia Lawson

It`s a superman! I was curious which actor they will choose for this role. I love Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, epic and cool!

2021-04-17 16:43:11
Jason Morton

After his role in The Witcher I started to look different on him. Probably he just got into the role very well and played good.

2021-04-12 10:24:37
Glenda Horton

It`s classic appearance of American `super guy`. Big chin, dimples, his look. He is perfect for the super man role.

2021-03-24 09:31:16
Mae Fitzgerald

I`m a fan of The Witcher and as a fan I can say that he played awful there. They needed to find another actor.

2021-03-05 08:52:01

Photos: Henry Cavill