- While working as an extra in Proof of Life (2000), Cavill asked Russell Crowe for advice about acting, since he had aspirations of pursuing a full-time career as an actor. A few days after their conversation, he received a box of gifts from Crowe that included a signed picture of him in Gladiator (2000) with the words, "Dear Henry: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" written on it. Crowe would later play Henry's father in Man of Steel (2013).
- Admitted during an interview with Conan O'Brien that he narrowly missed the call from Zack Snyder, informing him that he had won the coveted role of Superman because he was busy playing World of Warcraft. Cavill said he only noticed Snyder's name on Caller ID at the last second and by the time he put his hand on the phone to pick it up, it was too late, so he called Snyder back immediately, jokingly stating he was busy saving someone's life.
- He did not watch any previous Superman films or television series while making Man of Steel (2013), using the comics solely as a reference for his portrayal of Superman.
- For his role as Clark Kent/Superman in Man of Steel (2013), he followed a strict work-out regimen and consumed 5000 calories a day for six months. He also dyed his hair black.
- Traditionally wears a signet "gentleman's" ring featuring his family coat of arms on the small finger of his left hand.
- He once shared a story about his nephew Thomas. One day at school, the class was talking about their families, and Thomas told the class that his uncle was Superman. The teacher and the entire class didn't believe him, which led to everyone making fun of the boy. After Thomas' mother, who is the sister-in-law of Cavill, was called in to the school, she confirmed what her son had told the class. She later called Cavill and asked him to take her son to school, and he happily agreed to do so.
- His favorite movie is the epic drama Gladiator (2000).
- Has an interest in Ancient History, especially in Egyptology, Greek, and Ancient Rome.
- His dream role is to play Alexander the Great.
- Author Stephanie Meyer based the description of Edward Cullen in her Twilight novels on Henry and even lobbied for him to play the role before Robert Pattinson was cast, but he was considered too old to play a 17-year-old by the time the film was produced.
- Is a huge fan of comic books although he says he did not get to read them growing up due to his time at boarding school.
- His favorite actor is Russell Crowe. He will be playing the son of Crowe's character Jor-El in Man of Steel (2013).
- His older brother, Major Niki Richard Dalgliesh Cavill, received an MBE as a heroic Royal Marine for keeping the vulnerable safe in a hostile environment in Afghanistan.
- Started a tradition in 2012 for giving out commemorative coins as a token of appreciation to people he has worked with. They include Gym Jones who helped Henry get physically fit for Superman, and crew members of Man of Steel (2013), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015), and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
- Has a knack for languages. He's already fluent in French, has conversational skills in Italian and German, and can order a beer in Czech.
- Likes rugby, but no longer plays due to injuries.
- Lost two roles to Robert Pattinson: Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) and the role of Edward Cullen in Twilight (2008) which author Stephanie Meyer had described him as "Perfect for".
- An admitted long time gamer Cavill posted a video to YouTube in July of 2020 (which has almost one million views) showing him constructing a new gaming PC by himself.
- Made his first trip to the United States to attend the Hollywood premiere of 'The Count of Monte Cristo' (2002).
- During his childhood he was bullied a lot at school for his chubbiness and known as "Fat Cavill" because he was fat as a kid. He started to turn things around when he landed a role in the movie The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) where he had to lose a lot of weight to get the part. The biggest turning point came when he landed the lead role in Immortals (2011). Cavill went shirtless for half the movie and sported extremely chiseled eight pack abs that wowed the audience. He has never been called "fat" since then.
- Fan of the NFL football team the Kansas City Chiefs. Became a fan of the Chiefs because Clark Kent was from Kansas. Usually attends 2-3 games every year at Arrowhead Stadium. Proudly shows his loyalty by wearing his Chiefs gear on his movie sets. Cavill is seen frequently on Instagram wearing a Chiefs hat and even was on the sidelines at Arrowhead Stadium when the Chiefs played the Steelers in the playoffs two seasons ago.
- Is the first non-American actor to play Superman.
- Resides in London, United Kingdom and Jersey, Channel Islands.
- Bought an American Akita dog in January 2014 from Big Bear Akitas breeders in Arkansas, United States. Henry named him Kal, after his role as Superman. Fans have nicknamed his dog, Super Puppy.
- Is the first actor since Christopher Reeve to play the role of Clark Kent/Superman in more than one film.
- In 2005, Henry became a young contender for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale (2006), and performed in a final screen test. However, the producers believed Henry was too young for the role, and gave it to Daniel Craig. He also under heavy consideration and auditioned for the role of Superman in Superman Returns (2006), but eventually the role was given to Brandon Routh. Due to all this, Empire magazine dubbed Henry Cavill "the most unlucky man in Hollywood" in December 2005.
- He achieved 6% body fat for Immortals (2011) and then went even further for Man of Steel (2013) where he achieved a body fat percentage of 3%, which is what body-builders reach during competitions.
- Says if he had not picked up acting, he would have joined the armed forces to fulfill his "patriotic pride".
- Henry's last name 'Cavill' is pronounced like the word 'travel'.
- He is trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
- In being cast as Superman in Man of Steel (2013), he becomes the third British actor to play the lead role in reboot of a successful screen adaptation of an American comic book series. Before him, Christian Bale was cast as Batman, and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man.
- His fans have been called ''The Cavillry''.
- Was engaged to British Showjumper Ellen Whitaker in May 2011, but separated later that same year. They met at the 2009 Olympia International Horse Show in London.
- Ranked the #1 "Sexiest Man" by Glamour magazine (2013).
- Henry's paternal grandparents, Richard Cavill and Gladys Jesse May Smith, were English. Henry's maternal grandfather, Alan Gardner Dalgliesh, was born in Guatemala, of English and Scottish descent, while Henry's maternal grandmother, Mary Kathleen O'Donnell, was Irish.
- His favorite Superman storylines and the ones he used for inspiration are "Death of Superman", "Return of Superman", "Superman: Red Son" and "Earth-One". He is also a huge fan of Grant Morrison's "New 52" work.
- Henry participated in the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) training programme during his time as a student at Stowe School.
- Attended the London premiere of Suicide Squad (2016) along with fellow Justice League (2017) cast member Jason Momoa. (August 2016)
- Was director Martin Campbell's choice for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale (2006), but he was outvoted by the producers who felt he was too young for the role. The role went to Daniel Craig.
- One of the few A list stars in Hollywood to sport a full "eight pack" configuration of abs instead of the more common "six pack". The more prized eight-pack results from very focused targeted training and development of the abdominal muscles over an extended period of time, lower body fat levels and genetics. Cavill first achieved an eight-pack at director Tarsem Singh's request for his breakout role in the film Immortals (2011). It got a lot of attention for the film because of its relative rarity, the heavy focus of marketing on it and Cavill's near constant display of it within the film itself. Cavill was asked to talk about it in every interview for the film and "It's not a six-pack, it's an eight-pack" became a familiar talking point as he explained his process. It proved to not be a one-off though as Cavill subsequently also showed a full eight-pack in films like Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017). He revealed in an interview with the Telegraph in December 2018 that he would be bringing "his eight-pack back to the screen - the small screen, this time" for upcoming Netflix series The Witcher (2019).
- Second actor to play Geralt of Rivia in an official live-action adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher novels. The first was Michal Zebrowski. Cavill is the first British actor to play the role.
- Cavill is a very active Warhammer 40,000 player, a tabletop turn-based game which is produced by British gaming company Games Workshop. Cavill frequently posts pictures and videos on Instagram of himself assembling and painting miniatures for his armies.
- His favorite Superman story arc is "New Krypton" by Geoff Johns.
- Voted as one of the "World's Sexiest Men" in a poll by Attitude (2013), behind Tom Daley.
- In 2002, he appeared in both The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (2002). Both were remakes of earlier films that originally starred Robert Donat in the title roles.
- Has worked with actor Bill Nighy twice, once in I Capture the Castle (2003) and also The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2001).
- Has two roles in common with Jacek Rozenek: the first is Geralt of Rivia from Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher universe, whom Rozenek voiced in video game series and Cavill is set to play in the live-action TV adaptation The Witcher (2019). The second is Superman/Clark Kent, played by Cavill in the DC expanded film universe and dubbed by Rozenek in the Polish localization of the animated series Justice League (2001).
- Played a role with the name Colley twice, and back to back. Soldier Colley in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (2002) and Stephen Colley in I Capture the Castle (2003).
- Born at 2:40 AM (GDT).
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