Henry Cavill made his screen debut in the 2001 drama thriller film ‘Laguna’ directed by Dennis Berry. In 2002, he starred as ‘Albert Mondego’ in the Kevin Reynolds-directed American historical adventure film ‘The Count of Monte Cristo.’ The film opened to a positive reception and grossed over $75.4 million on a budget of $35 million. He continued to star in films like ‘I Capture the Castle’ (2003), ‘Hellraiser: Hellworld’ (2005), ‘Tristan & Isolde’ (2006), and ‘Red Riding Hood’ (2006). In 2007, he starred as ‘Humphrey’ in the romantic fantasy adventure film ‘Stardust’ directed by Matthew Vaughn. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed over $137 million on a $70–88.5 million budget. The same year, he became a part of the historical fiction television series ‘The Tudors’ created by Michael Hirst. He portrayed ‘Charles Brandon’ and remained on the show until it went off-air in 2010. He next starred in films like ‘Whatever Works’ (2009), ‘Blood Creek’ (2009), ‘Immortals’ (2011), and ‘The Cold Light of Day’ (2012). Cavill played the role of ‘Clark Kent / Kal-El / Superman’ in the 2013 superhero film ‘Man of Steel’ directed by Zack Snyder. While the film received a mixed response from critics, it turned out to be a box office success and grossed over $668 million on a $225–258 million budget. Cavill also became a recipient of the ‘MTV Movie Award’ for his performance in the film.
In 2015, he starred as ‘Napoleon Solo’ in the Guy Ritchie-directed spy film ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ The film received mixed reviews from critics and ultimately tanked at the box office. Cavill reprised his role as ‘Clark Kent / Kal-El / Superman’ in the 2016 American superhero film ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ directed by Zack Snyder. The film, despite opening to a mixed critical reception, managed to gross over $873.6 million on a budget of $250–300 million. He was next seen in films like ‘Sand Castle’ (2017), ‘Justice League’ (2017), ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ (2018), and ‘Night Hunter’ (2018). In 2019, he joined the cast of the fantasy drama television series ‘The Witcher’ as ‘Geralt of Rivia.’ The series was renewed for a third season in 2021. He last appeared in the 2021 director's cut of the 2017 American superhero film, ‘Justice League.’ The film received a positive response from critics upon release.