Henry Cavill |
His casting as the Man of Steel means that America's greatest superheroes are played by a triumvirate of British talent. Andrew Garfield has taken on the role of Spider-Man, while Christian Bale is currently filming his third Batman movie.
It has been a long audition process for Cavill, 27.
In 2004, he screen-tested for the lead in Superman Returns, but the producers chose Brandon Routh. He was also considered for Bale's role in Batman Begins and was considered for James Bond before Daniel Craig landed the part. The near-misses led Empire magazine to dub him "the most unlucky man in Hollywood".
One of five brothers, Cavill attended prep school in his native Jersey before boarding at Stowe School, Bucks, where he appeared in several productions. "As a young boy I appeared in my first play at prep school. Afterwards all the parents came up and said, 'You were great', and it was totally unexpected. I really learned to love the stage," he said.