Henry Cavill is a British actor best known for his portrayal of Superman in movies such as ‘Man of Steel’ and ‘Justice League’ and for starring in the action spy movie ‘Mission: Impossible- Fallout.’ And while Cavill’s career is often discussed, not much is know about his upbringing. This leads to the question: Where did Henry Cavill grow up?
Henry Cavill grew up on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands, an archipelago of islands in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. He went to primary school in Jersey, before then moving to England for secondary school, where he then stayed and began his acting career.
Read more about Henry Cavill’s remote upbringing on the Channel Islands, why he ultimately left Jersey and where Cavill lives now.
Childhood on the Channel Islands
Henry Cavill was on May 5th 1983 on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands.
The Channel Islands are a group of islands in the English Channel off the coast of France.
They include two Crown dependencies, the Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands, the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
While not anymore part of the UK, the Channel Islands remain under its responsibility for the defence and international relations.
Growing up on such a remote and small island, Cavill enjoyed a rural childhood.
He was born into a Catholic family and is the fourth-eldest among the five sons of his family.
Growing up, his mother, Marianne Dalgliesh, was a secretary in a bank, and his father, Colin Cavill, was a local stockbroker.
Cavill was first educated at St Michael’s Preparatory School in Saint Saviour, Jersey, before then moving to England to attend Stowe School in Stowe, Buckinghamshire.
Cavill then decided to remain in England to pursue a career in acting.
He moved to London, where he slowly began his acting career and started to star in smaller TV productions in England.
His first role in a film was in American screenwriter and film director Kevin Reynolds’ adaptation of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ (2002).
Followingly, he scored TV appearances in the BBC’s ‘The Inspector Lynley Mysteries’ (2002) and movies like ‘Red Riding Hood’ (2006) and ‘Tristan & Isolde’ (2006).
Cavill’s Career
Cavill was catapulted to fame when he landed a leading role as Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, in the Emmy-winning series ‘The Tudors’ between 2007 and 2010.
The series was received with much critical acclaim, which subsequently turned Cavill into a renowned Hollywood actor.
Cavill got a firm place in the media landscape, as he started receiving media attention for his looks, with ‘Entertainment Weekly’ naming Cavill him ‘The Most Dashing Duke’, and British ‘Glamour’ magazine naming him the ‘World’s Sexiest Man.’
Solidifying his popularity, Cavill then became the face of the British fragrance ‘Dunhill.’
Many high-profile roles in Hollywood followed for Cavill: He was cast in the productions ‘Man of Steel’ (2001), ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ (2016) and ‘Justice League’ (2017).
Cavill also co-starred with Armie Hammer in the Hollywood film version of spy series ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’, while later on also starring in the action spy film ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ and the Netflix series ‘The Witcher.’
While spending a lot of time shooting movies in Hollywood, Cavill still lives in London, in the area of South Kensington, together with his dog, Kal.
This shows that while Henry Cavill may have grown up on a remote and small island off the coast of France, he has since carved a respectable career for himself in the British film industry and in Hollywood. And having remained so close to where he grew up suggests that Cavill is, after all, still tied to his upbringing.