10 Best Henry Cavill Movies And TV Shows Ranked

Henry Cavill has become one of the most recognizable actors of his generation. The road to his current level of fame and success has been long, and it has featured all sorts of roles in often peculiar movies and TV shows. This, in turn, has given the actor a sizable résumé that has many surprises to go with his most famous hits. Both before and after he broke through as Superman in 2013's "Man of Steel," Cavill has appeared in many highly entertaining roles — and some of his most watchable movies and TV shows might not be what you think. 

In any objective and serious ranking of worst and best "Hellraiser" movies, 2005's "Hellraiser: Hellworld" likely stands among the runts of the litter. Then again, it doesn't even attempt to be an Oscar contender. The movie knows that it's a wacky bit of Cenobite horror fun, and Henry Cavill knows what this entails. His character, Mike, is one of the kids who become entangled in a bizarre revenge scheme inspired by a Cenobite-themed online game. Watching the future Superman play a slightly annoying prankster who both dresses up as a Cenobite and falls victim to one is a surreal experience, and the fact that the surprisingly star-studded movie features folks like genre mainstay Lance Henriksen and "Vikings" star Katheryn Winnick only adds to its guilty pleasure charms.

Another truly deep cut in the Henry Cavill filmography, 2006's "Tristan & Isolde" sees the actor in full period drama mode. This reimagining of the classic medieval romance tale features James Franco and Sophia Myles as the titular lovers, supported by a strong collection of actors like Mark Strong and Rufus Sewell. Cavill's character is Melot, a jealous knight who dislikes Tristan and ultimately betrays the protagonists to the villainous Wictred (Strong). Though he's known for his protagonist roles, Cavill has always played a mean villain, and Melot is a good early example of what he can do with an outwardly chivalrous character's darker impulses.

In 2002, Henry Cavill dipped his toes in the world of British crime drama. He appears in "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries" Season 1, Episode 2, "Well Schooled in Murder," playing the amazingly-named boarding school prefect Chas Quilter. 

Based on Elizabeth George's 1990 detective mystery of the same name, the story takes Inspector Lynley (Nathaniel Parker) to investigate a murder in a school for rich kids. If "Henry Cavill as a school kid in a murder mystery" isn't enough to sell "Well Schooled in Murder" to you, he also gets a tragic character arc that provides some of the episode's biggest surprises.

The 2002 historical adventure "The Count of Monte Cristo" is a quality adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' 19th-century classic, as well as an opportunity to see young Henry Cavill in one of his earliest notable movie roles. He plays Albert Mondego, the son of main character Edmond Dantès' (Jim Caviezel) mortal enemy Ferdinand Montego (Guy Pearce), and an instrumental component in Edmond's quest for vengeance. While Cavill's role isn't particularly complicated, it's fun to see the young actor cutting his teeth in a sizeable costume drama production that features titans like Richard Harris, Luis Guzmán, and Helen McCrory. 

Even the most enthusiastic detractor of the DC Extended Universe might find it hard to argue that Henry Cavill isn't a great choice to play Superman. Unfortunately, most of the movies he appears in — "Man of Steel," 2017's "Justice League," "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," and technically "Black Adam" — simply aren't what you'd call critical darlings. Fortunately, there's one exception.

2021's "Zack Snyder's Justice League" might have its confusing moments, but the 242-minute "Snyder Cut" far surpasses the 2017 original — and thus gives Cavill a Superman movie that actually got positive reviews. Strange as it may seem, history might just end up remembering the mammoth film that features an edgy, black-clad resurrected Superman as Cavill's definitive take on the character.

Everyone forgets Henry Cavill plays a character in "Stardust," Matthew Vaughn's fun 2007 adventure fantasy about Tristan (Charlie Cox) — a young man who enters a fantasy world to find a star to woo Victoria (Sienna Miller), only to discover that said star is a woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes). "Stardust" boasts an incredibly stacked cast that features names like Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, and Mark Strong, each playing larger-than-life fantasy characters. As such, Cavill's muted role as Tristan's duel-happy romantic rival Humphrey is easy to miss, especially since the character's peculiar mustache and hairstyle render him borderline unrecognizable. Still, his character is a pivotal one for the movie's plot, and knowing that the megastar is one of the many A-listers with "Stardust" in their CV doesn't hurt the movie's allure. 

2020's "Enola Holmes" reimagines the Sherlock Holmes mythos by focusing on the Great Detective's young sister Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) while featuring the other members of the Holmes family in major supporting roles. Here, Henry Cavill joins Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr. on the list of great contemporary Sherlocks with his distant, yet charming take on the character. 

2022's "Enola Holmes 2" is the superior sequel to the already very good original. At this point, everyone has their characters down to a tee, and Cavill has a ton of fun with his Sherlock's strengths and weaknesses. It's easy to see that he's relishing the opportunity to play what must be, from an actor's viewpoint, one of the juiciest supporting character roles imaginable. 

In 2003, a young Henry Cavill made a guest star appearance in the iconic British crime drama "Midsomer Murders." Cavill appears in the show's Series 7, Episode 1, "The Green Man." He plays Simon Mayfield, a boy who's quite literally caught with his pants down by Tom (David Bradley), an eccentric hermit who's the center of the episode. A petty bully and a hapless victim, Simon is a very atypical Cavill character. Seeing him interact with "Game of Thrones" star Bradley in a humble piece of quality rural police drama is a strange, yet fun experience.

When Netflix's "The Witcher" premiered in 2019, the world found out that Superman isn't the only iconic character Henry Cavill was born to play. The actor is a known and self-admitted nerd who loves "The Witcher" video games, and his journey to land the role of Geralt of Rivia was bittersweet. After first being told that he was not a great fit for the role, he was nevertheless cast as Geralt, and he threw himself at the work with all his dedication and might. The end result is an excellent fantasy series that features Cavill in his finest — and definitely gruffest — protagonist mode to date. 

The attitude. The ability to match Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) in the field. The iconic arm-reloading moment in the bathroom fight scene. The mustache. Henry Cavill's confrontational CIA operative August Walker has no problem establishing himself as one of the coolest characters in the entire "Mission: Impossible" franchise — and that's before it turns out that he's secretly John Lark, the main antagonist of "Mission: Impossible – Fallout."

With his villain antics alone, Cavill challenges Sean Harris' "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" Big Bad Solomon Lane as the most memorable bad guy in the franchise. However, since he spends the majority of the movie posing as an ally, he should really be in the discussion for the most memorable supporting character in the film series, period. As Walker, Cavill is as intense, charismatic, and captivating as he's ever been ... and knowing the actor's work, that's saying something.