facets of British excellence
Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30.01.1974) is an English actor who is known for his roles in the films Newsies, Empire of the Sun, American Psycho, The Prestige and Batman Begins. Bale is also known for his versatility as an actor, including mimicking nearly any English-based accents, harsh regimens of shedding and gaining weight, and generally inhabiting the characters he plays.
Christian Bale was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales. He is the youngest of four children. His parents are businessman David Bale and circus performer Jenny James, both English. Bale spent his childhood in several countries including the United Kingdom, Portugal, and the United States.
David Bale was very supportive of Christian’s acting. He resigned his job as a commercial pilot, to travel and manage Christian’s burgeoning career. In 1976, when Christian was two years old, the Bale family left Wales. Bale’s family settled for four years in Bournemouth, where he attended Bournemouth School and participated actively in rugby. Christian has described his childhood, with respect to his mother being in the circus, as interesting. He recalled his first kiss was with an acrobat named Barta. As a child, he trained in ballet and on guitar. His sister Louise’s work in theatre also influenced his decision to become an actor.
Bale’s first foray into acting was a Lenor commercial in 1982, when he was 8. He appeared in a Pac-Man cereal commercial playing a child rock star a year later. In 1984, he made his stage debut in the West End play The Nerd, opposite Rowan Atkinson.
He made his film debut as Tsarevich Alexei of Russia in the made-for-television film Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna in 1986, which was followed by leading roles in the miniseries Heart of the Country and the fantasy adventure Mio in the Land of Faraway, in which he appeared for the first time with Christopher Lee.
In 1987, Amy Irving, his co-star in Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, recommended Bale to her then-husband, Steven Spielberg, for a role in Empire of the Sun, adapted from the J.G. Ballard semi-autobiography. Bale’s performance as Jim Graham earned him widespread critical praise and the first ever “Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor” award from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures (the Board created the award especially for him). The attention the press and his schoolmates lavished upon him after this took a toll on Bale, and he contemplated giving up acting, until Kenneth Branagh approached him, and persuaded him to appear in Henry V in 1989.
Bale starred in the musical films “Newsies” and “Swing Kids”, the latter about teenagers who secretly listened to forbidden jazz during the rise of Nazi Germany. Bale was recommended by actress Winona Ryder to star in director Gillian Armstrong's 1994 film Little Women. Bale voiced Thomas, a young compatriot of Captain John Smith, in Disney’s “Pocahontas” (1995). In 1997 he played Arthur Stuart in Velvet Goldmine, Todd Haynes' tribute to glam rock. In 1999, Bale contributed to an all-star cast, including Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stanley Tucci, and Rupert Everett, portraying Demetrius in an updated version of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream.
In 1999, Bale prepared to undertake what would arguably be his most acclaimed role, as serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. He prepared himself physically for the role by spending months tanning and exercising rigorously in order to achieve Bateman’s Olympian physique, even going so far as to distance himself from the cast and crew in order to preserve the darker side of Bateman’s character. American Psycho premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival to much controversy.
Equilibrium was Bale’s third film of 2002 and it landed a potentially severe blow to his career. This commercial failure may at least in part have been due to Dimension Films not issuing Equilibrium a wide release, lacking faith in promoting it. Nevertheless, it gained such a cult following upon its release on DVD that director Kurt Wimmer was granted a US$30,000,000 budget to direct Ultraviolet.
It’s not who I am underneath but what I do that defines me.
After a year’s hiatus, Bale returned in 2004 to play Trevor Reznik, the title character in the psychological thriller The Machinist. Reznik was an chronic insomniac, tormented by a mysterious stalker. Bale devoted himself to the role to an extent he had never gone to, sacrificing his mental and physical well being to achieve Reznik’s emaciated, skeletal appearance for the sake of an authentic, naturalistic performance. He went without proper rest for prolonged periods, and placed himself on a crash diet that saw his weight dropping by a startling sixty pounds in a matter of months. Bale took the Reznik role because the script “intrigued” him, and it helped him cope with his depression.
Bale, an admirer of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, was cast as the voice of the title character, Howl, in the English language dub of the Japanese director’s fantasy anime adventure Howl’s Moving Castle, an adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones’ children’s novel. Bale was cast as one of the two leads in the South Central David Ayer-helmed crime drama Harsh Times, co-starring with Freddy Rodriguez. Bale played Jim David, a grim Gulf War veteran afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder, inexplicably approached by the Department of Homeland Security and hired as a federal agent.
2006 saw Bale take on a trio of projects. Rescue Dawn by German filmmaker Werner Herzog had him playing a U.S. Fighter pilot who has to fight for his life after being shot down while on a mission during the Vietnam War. Bale left a strong impression on Herzog, with the director complimenting his acting abilities: “I find him one of the greatest talents of his generation. We made up our own minds long before he did Batman.” In The Prestige, an adaptation of the Christopher Priest novel about a rivalry between two Victorian stage magicians, Bale reunites with Michael Caine and Christopher Nolan, who is directing the film. The cast of The Prestige also included Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Piper Perabo, and David Bowie.
Bale starred alongside Mark Wahlberg in David O. Russell’s 2010 drama film “The Fighter”. Bale’s portrayal of Dicky Eklund was universally acclaimed: he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and 30 other awards in 2011 for the performance.
In 2013, Bale portrayed Russell Baze in Scott Cooper's thriller “Out of the Furnace”. He starred as Moses in Ridley Scott’s Biblical epic, “Exodus: Gods and Kings”, which was released on December 2014.
Bale starred in “American Hustle”, which reunited him with director David O. Russell, after their work on “The Fighter”. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Bale went to great lengths to play American Hustle's lead Irving Rosenfeld, a con man. He gained 20 kg, shaved his head to yield a realistic comb over, and affected a slouch, shortening his height by 3 inches. This resulted in a herniated disc. De Niro, who had a cameo role in the film, reportedly did not recognize him when they were introduced.
Bale starred in Adam McKay’s biopic “The Big Short”, a film based on the book of same name by Michael Lewis about the financial crisis of 2007–08. In the film, Bale played Michael Burry, a man with Asperger syndrome who becomes a neurologist and then a hedge fund manager. The film earned Bale nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.Bale appeared in “Knight of Cups”, directed by Terrence Malick. In the historical drama “The Promise”, set during the Armenian Genocide, Bale played an American journalist who becomes involved in a love triangle among a woman, an Armenian medical student. In the period western “Hostiles”, directed by Scott Cooper, Bale starred as a U.S. Cavalry officer escorting a gravely ill Cheyenne war chief and his family, who have been released from prison, back to their home in Montana.For the 2018 biographical comedy drama “Vice”, written and directed by Adam McKay, Bale underwent a major body transformation once again, as he gained over 18 kg and shaved his head to portray US Vice President Dick Cheney. Lauded by critics, the performance won Bale the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and garnered him an Academy Award nomination.
Bale portrayed sports car racing driver Ken Miles in the 2019 sports drama “Ford v Ferrari”, for which he lost 32 kg after playing Cheney. Directed by James Mangold, the film follows Miles and automotive designer Carroll Shelby in events surrounding the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The role earned Bale a fifth Golden Globe Award nomination. While promoting the film, he said he would no longer go through weight fluctuations for roles.
Bale played Gorr the God Butcher, a villain, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film “Thor: Love and Thunder”, which was released in 2022. He produced and appeared in David O. Russell’s period film “Amsterdam” and Scott Cooper’s thriller “The Pale Blue Eye”, reuniting with both directors for the third time.
If everyone really knew what a jerk I am in real life, I wouldn’t be so adored in the slightest.
Christian has three older sisters: Erin — musician; Sharon — computer specialist; Louise — director and actress.On 29 January 2000, Bale married Sandra “Sibi” Blažić, an former model, make-up artist, and personal assistant to actress Winona Ryder. The couple have two children: a daughter, Emmaline (born 2005), and a son, Joseph (born 2014). In 2000, Bale became the stepson of feminist Gloria Steinem, who married his father David Bale that year. The senior Bale died in 2003 of a brain lymphoma.Bale currently resides in Brentwood, Los Angeles. He applied for U.S. citizenship in 2010 and completed the naturalization process in 2014.Bale actively supports environmental groups such as Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Greenpeace, and the World Wildlife Fund. Along with his wife, Sibi, he is on the Board of Trustees of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
