Biography
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Christian Bale first gained fame when cast in the
starring role of
Steven
Spielberg's Empire of the Sun at the age of 13.
Recently, Bale has earned praise as the newest Batman in
the 2005 movie Batman Begins, co-starring Sir Michael
Caine and Cillian Murphy.
Christian Bale was born to the late businessman David
Bale, and Jenny James, a circus performer. Although
Bale's birthplace was in Wales, both of his parents are
of English descent, and Bale is known to consider
himself English. Bale spent his childhood in a variety
of countries including the United Kingdom, Portugal, and
the United States.
Bale is active in several environmental and animal
protection organizations including Greenpeace, and the
World Wildlife Fund.
On January 29, 2000, he married independent film
producer Sandra "Sibi" Blazic (who is not only an
ex-model and make-up artist but also the former personal
assistant of Winona Ryder, who reportedly introduced
them at one of her parties). Their first child, a girl,
was born on March 27, 2005 in Los Angeles, but the
notoriously private Bale has not revealed her name to
the public.
Christian Bale is Gloria Steinem's stepson due to her
marriage in 2000 to David Bale (until the latter's death
in 2003).
Bale lost more than 60 pounds for his role in The
Machinist After The Machinist, Bale regained original
weight and 20 pounds more for Batman Begins. Bale
began his acting career by appearing in a Pac-Man cereal
advertisement in the UK at age 9 and then appeared a
year later in the West End play The Nerd. His
breakthrough came in 1987 when he was picked for the
role of Jim in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun.
Bale next appeared in Henry V and TV roles before taking
on several movie projects, starting in 1992 with the
Disney musical feature film Newsies. For this role and
his role in the 1993 film Swing Kids, Bale trained for
10 weeks in dancing and martial arts.
Bale garnered further attention when he won the
much-coveted role of Laurie in Little Women, after being
hand-picked for the role by Winona Ryder, who portrayed
Jo in the film. He has since won roles in notable films
such as Velvet Goldmine and the lead in American Psycho.
His portrayal of yuppie businessman/ serial killer
Patrick Bateman was met with rave reviews and critical
acclaim, but due to the controversy surrounding the book
on which the movie was based, it was only a moderate
financial success. He recently played the title role in
Batman Begins to yet more critical acclaim.
Christian Bale was in the news when he lost a record 60
pounds for his role in The Machinist, going from
muscular to cadaverous and seriously risking his health.
For his very next role, Batman Begins, he regained the
weight and added on an additional 20-odd pounds of
muscle. The results are shocking when comparing the
pictures (right). He has said this most likely damaged
his metabolism, but to observers, it definitively gained
him status as one of the most dedicated method actors of
his generation.
Bale is usually critically lauded not only because of
his acting abilities, but also in the nature of his film
roles. Bale seems interested in often portraying
menacing, dark, or mentally complex characters, rather
than mainstream-type heroes who would more immediately
attract an audience. For instance, Bale seems unafraid
to portray controversial characters, like the violent
Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, or a homos--ual
character in Velvet Goldmine, in spite of the potential
risks both to his career and his public reputation.
Christian Bale is renowned for his ability to mimic
accents. He has used a different one in almost every
movie he has acted in, even conducting publicity
interviews for Batman
Begins with an American accent.
Filmography
- Christian Bale as Batman in the critically acclaimed Batman BeginsImage:PrestonLG.jpg Christian Bale in the sci-fi action/thriller EquilibriumUnitled Batman Sequel (2008) (announced) .... Bruce Wayne/Batman
- The Prestige (2006) (pre-production) .... Alfred Borden
- I'm Not There: Suppositions on a film Concerning Dylan (2006) (pre-production)
- Rescue Dawn (2006) (post-production) .... Dieter Dengler
- Harsh Times (2006) .... Jim David
- The New World (2005) .... John Rolfe
- Batman Begins (2005) .... Bruce Wayne/Batman
- Howl's Moving Castle (2004) (English version) .... Howl (Voice)
- The Machinist (2004) .... Trevor Reznik
- Equilibrium (2002) .... John Preston
- Reign of Fire (2002) .... Quinn Abercromby
- Laurel Canyon (2002) .... Sam
- Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001) .... Mandras
- Shaft (2000) .... Walter Wade, Jr.
- American Psycho (2000) .... Patrick Bateman
- Mary, Mother of Jesus (1999) (TV) .... Jesus of Nazareth
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999) .... Demetrius
- All the Little animals (1998) .... Bobby Platt
- Velvet Goldmine (1998) .... Arthur Stuart
- Metroland (1997) .... Chris
- The Portrait of a Lady (1996) .... Edward Rosier
- The Secret Agent (1996) .... Stevie
- Pocahontas (1995) (voice) .... Thomas
- Little Women (1994) .... Laurie
- Prince of Jutland (1994) .... Prince Amled
- Swing Kids (1993) .... Thomas Berger
- Newsies (1992) .... Jack Kelly/Francis Sullivan
- A Murder of Quality (1991) (TV) .... Tim Perkins
- Treasure Island (1990) (TV) .... Jim Hawkins
- Henry V (1989) .... Falstaff's Boy
- Empire of the Sun (1987) .... Jim
- Mio min Mio (1987) .... Jum-Jum
- Heart of the Country (1987) (mini TV series) .... Ben Harris
- Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986) (TV) .... Alexei