Christian Bale

About Christian Bale

Christian Charles Philip Bale (also known professionally as Christian Morgan Bale; born 30 January 1974) is a Welsh-born English actor whose film credits include Empire of the Sun, The Prestige, American Psycho, Equilibrium, 3:10 To Yuma, The Machinist, Batman Begins, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, The Dark Knight and the upcoming film Terminator Salvation, where he will play the role of John Connor. Bale is known for his mastery of accents and harsh regimens of shedding and gaining weight (particularly for The Machinist, Batman Begins and, most recently, Rescue Dawn). Before he found success in playing Batman, he was heavily involved in independent films.

Bale first caught the public eye when he was cast in the starring role of Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun at the age of 13, playing an English boy who becomes separated from his parents and subsequently finds himself lost in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Since then, he has portrayed a wide range of characters. Bale is especially noted for his cult following. The tenth anniversary issue of Entertainment Weekly hailed him as one of the “Top 8 Most Powerful Cult Figures of the Past Decade”, citing his impressive cult status on the Internet. In a 2007 poll of IMDb users, he was voted their favourite actor who is under 40. Entertainment Weekly also called Bale one of the “Most Creative People in Entertainment,” after his dynamic performance in American Psycho.

Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales to entrepreneur, commercial pilot, and talent manager David Bale and circus clown and performer Jenny James, both English. He is the youngest of four children. After leaving Wales, Bale spent his childhood in several countries, including England, Portugal, and the United States.