<P> Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill (/ ˈkævɪl /; born 5 May 1983) is a British actor . Cavill began his career starring in the film adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) and I Capture the Castle (2003). He later appeared in minor and supporting roles in television shows such as BBC's The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, ITV's Midsomer Murders and Showtime's The Tudors, then crossed to mainstream Hollywood films such as Tristan & Isolde (2006), Stardust (2007), Blood Creek (2009) and Immortals (2011). </P> <P> Cavill starred as Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk in the Showtime television series The Tudors; and in 2008 became the official spokesman for the Dunhill fragrance collection for men . </P> <P> Cavill gained further prominence and international fame playing the titular superhero Superman in the DC Extended Universe starting with the 2013 reboot film Man of Steel, originally the highest - grossing Superman film of all time until it was surpassed by 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, where he reprised his role as Superman; making it his highest - grossing film to date . In 2015, he co-starred with Armie Hammer in the spy film The Man from U.N.C.L.E. </P> <P> Cavill was born the fourth of five boys on Jersey in the Channel Islands, a self - governing possession of the Crown (Crown dependency). His mother, Marianne (Dalgliesh), was a secretary in a bank, and his father, Colin Cavill, was a stockbroker . He was educated at St Michael's Preparatory School in Saint Saviour, Jersey, before attending Stowe School in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England . </P>

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