Superman will live within us no matter how old he gets: Henry Cavill on Man of Steel's 80th birthday

LONDON: On Superman's 80th birth anniversary, "Man of Steel" star Henry Cavill paid his tributes to the righteous superhero, saying he will continue to live among the people, irrespective of his age.

The 34-year-old actor, who gained international fame starring as Superman in the 2013 DC film, took to Instagram to express his gratitude to the iconic character first created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster in 1933 that gave him hope and allowed him the "space to push myself beyond the limits of my patience".

"For 80 years he has been saving our tails and indeed perhaps our souls. Inspiring us to be greater than we thought ourselves able. He's certainly changed me, given me hope, allowed me space to push myself beyond the limits of my patience. Truly, what would a world be without Superman? He paved the way for all of our favourite heroes even if he's not yours personally.

"A huge thank you to the incredibly talented artists and writers over the years who have given us so much. Within us, Superman will now live no matter how old he gets. Happy Birthday my friend," Cavill wrote.

He also shared the portrait of Superman by artiste Eddie Liu, who imagined how he would at the age of 80.

The actor also starred as Superman in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (2016) and "Justice League" (2017).

He will also star as the superhero in forthcoming film "Shazam!" Actor Zachary Levi, who stars in the lead in "Shazam!", also wished Superman on his birthday.

"Happy birthday, old man! You don't look a day past 75. Now stop running into my fist!#supermanis80 @henrycavill," Levi captioned a comic strip in which Shazam can be seen punching Superman.

Besides Cavill, actors George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Dean Cain, Brandon Routh, and Tyler Hoechlin have also essayed the epic character in films and on TV.