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Christian Charles Philip Bale (also known professionally as Christian Morgan Bale; born 30 January 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 (particularly for The Machinist, Batman Begins and, most recently, Rescue Dawn), and generally inhabiting the characters he plays. 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 a British boy who becomes separated from his parents and subsequently finds himself 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. Entertainment Weekly also called Bale one of the "Most Creative People in Entertainment," after his performance in American Psycho.
Early life
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.
Career
Early Work
He made his film debut as Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich 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.
1990s
In 1992, he starred as Jack Kelly in the Disney musical Newsies. Then in 1993, he starred in Swing Kids, a movie about teenagers who secretly listened to jazz and went to dances in the middle of Nazi Germany.
2000s
In 1999, Bale prepared to undertake what would arguably be his most acclaimed role, as serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Director Mary Harron, who had previously helmed the Valerie Solanas biopic I Shot Andy Warhol, was given the reins to the adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ controversial novel, but dropped out of the project when she learned Leonardo DiCaprio was set to star instead of Bale, her first choice. Harron cited budget concerns, believing DiCaprio to be too expensive for the production. Oliver Stone replaced Harron as director, but when DiCaprio abandoned the project for The Beach, Stone left as well, and a pregnant Harron was contracted once more, this time with her wish for Bale to star granted. Bale had never read the novel before being contacted about the film, but took on the role because he was surprised and humoured by the script, which he described as “the opposite of anything I’d ever done before.” Harron’s decision to cast Bale lay in that she thought he resembled a male Lili Taylor “in the sense that there was a lot below the surface,” and that “he had a sense of mystery and depth in his face.”
The film diverged from the novel in some instances, but was generally faithful. Bateman was, on the outward, a stereotypical yuppie, but underneath the public image he had created for himself he was actually a murderous psychopath. Bale researched Bateman by studying the novel. 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. Famed American critic Roger Ebert seemed to condemn the film at first, calling it “film pornography” and “the most loathed film at Sundance,” but gave it a favourable review, writing that Harron “transformed a novel about bloodlust into a movie about men’s vanity.” Of Bale’s performance, he wrote, “Christian Bale is heroic in the way he allows the character to leap joyfully into despicability; there is no instinct for self-preservation here, and that is one mark of a good actor.”
On April 14, 2000, Lions Gate Films finally released American Psycho in theatres. The film’s overall budget and marketing costs amounted to US$17,000,000. It made a tidy worldwide profit of US$34,266,564. More importantly, it strengthened Bale’s reputation as a committed and capable actor, and further cemented his cult status. Bale was approached to make a cameo appearance in another Bret Easton Ellis adaptation, The Rules of Attraction, which was loosely connected to American Psycho. He declined out of loyalty to Mary Harron’s vision of Bateman, which he felt could not be properly expressed by anyone else.
In the 2000 sequel to 1971's Shaft, Bale played a villainous character similar to Patrick Bateman, an unhinged racist yuppie named Walter Wade, Jr., a decision which generated observations about the two roles being too alike. Bale acknowledged that perhaps taking on such a similar role so soon was a possible mistake on his part.
Bale played an assortment of diverse characters from 2001 onwards. His first role after American Psycho was in the John Madden adaptation of the best-selling novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin, which was a significant departure from the novel. Bale played Mandras, a Greek fisherman who vied with Nicolas Cage’s title character for the affections of the desirable Pelagia (Penelope Cruz). The Mandras of the novel was a more developed character with his own subplot; Bale’s Mandras was relegated to a supporting character, and his subplot was eliminated, much of the camera being devoted to Corelli and Pelagia. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin was Bale’s second time working with John Hurt, after All the Little Animals.
2002 was a busy and disappointing year for Bale. He starred in three feature films, none of which were successful at the box office. Laurel Canyon (2002), an independent film about love and longing, divided critics. The film’s script and the director’s ego were questioned, but critics, by and large, agreed that Frances McDormand outshone the rest of the cast, including Bale.
Reign of Fire was Bale’s first action vehicle. It had an immense budget (over US$90,000,000) compared to all his previous work. The film’s plot involved a fire-breathing dragon that had been awakened from hibernation, bringing with it thousands more that threatened the world. Bale entered into negotiations about starring in the film with reservations, but director Rob Bowman convinced him to take the lead role. Chavel, Sean. "Interview with Christian Bale of Reign of Fire" UnderGroundOnline, retrieved on June 8, 2006. Bale starred as Quinn Abercromby opposite Matthew McConaughey’s Denton Van Zan, two heroes with identical goals but different methods. Bale and McConaughey trained for their respective roles by boxing and working out. The film was largely panned by critics, failed at the U.S. box office and contributed to Bale’s growing depression.
Equilibrium was Bale’s third film of 2002 and it landed a potentially severe blow to his career, costing US$20,000,000 to produce but earning just over US$5,000,000 worldwide. 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. Bale played John Preston, an elite lawman in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic society. Equilibrium featured a fictional martial art called Gun Kata, inspired by The Matrix and John Woo’s films that combined gunfighting with hand-to-hand combat. Preston was a master of Gun Kata, which made him a particularly memorable protagonist. Preston’s fanbase was so strong that a number of fans banded together to develop a total conversion mod for the computer game Max Payne 2 dubbed Hall of Mirrors. According to moviebodycounts.com, the character of John Preston has the most onscreen kills in a single movie ever. His kill-o-meter is set at 118, exactly half the movie total of 236.
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. (In one scene, Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character quipped, “If you were any thinner, you wouldn’t exist.”) 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 (see List of actors who gained or lost weight for a role). Gilchrist, Todd. “IGN Interviews Christian Bale” IGN FilmForce, October 15, 2004, retrieved on May 16, 2006. He was compared to Robert De Niro, whose alternate weight-gaining regimen saw him putting on fifty-five pounds for his role as Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull. Bale took the Reznik role because the script “intrigued” him, and it helped him cope with his depression. The Machinist garnered mostly positive reviews—critics were impressed by Bale’s dedication. It was a humble production, costing roughly US$5,000,000 to produce. It was given only a limited U.S. release and made most of its profits overseas.
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. Its profits in the United States made up a mere US$4,711,096 in of its staggering worldwide gross (US$230,458,788). Bale’s Howl, a wizard who lived in a spectacular walking castle, was debonair, princely and ostentatious, a quality shared with one half of Bale’s next role.
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. Harsh Times premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival and had a wide release on November 10, 2006.
Terrence Malick directed The New World, a period piece inspired by the stories of Pocahontas, and Bale was cast as John Rolfe, his second time participating in a dramatization of Pocahontas. He shared the screen with Colin Farrell and Q'Orianka Kilcher, who played lovers John Smith and Pocahontas. The majority of screen time was devoted to Farrell and Kilcher; Bale was a secondary character, and only appeared during the last third of the film. The New World left critics to contend whether its indulgence and the dramatic liberties it took over historical accuracy made the film a champion or a dud. Opinions were extremely divided. Filmgoers were uninterested. 'The film was a failure at the U.S. box office and its worldwide total (US$29,506,437) fell just short of turning a profit (the production budget was placed at US$30,000,000).
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. I'm Not There, a film that sees Bale working again with Colin Farrell, is an artistic reflection of the life of Bob Dylan, and also includes Cate Blanchett (another master of accents), Richard Gere, Julianne Moore, and Charlotte Gainsbourg as part of the cast.
Filmography
Year Film Role Other notes
1986 Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (TV) Alexei
1987 Empire of the Sun Jim Graham
Mio in the Land of Faraway Jum-Jum
Heart of the Country (mini) Ben Harris
1989 Henry V Falstaff’s Boy
1990 Treasure Island (TV) Jim Hawkins
1991 A Murder of Quality (TV) Tim Perkins
1992 Newsies Jack “Cowboy” Kelly
1993 Swing Kids Thomas Berger
1994 Little Women Laurie
Prince of Jutland Amled
1995 Pocahontas Thomas
1996 The Portrait of a Lady Edward Rosier
The Secret Agent Stevie
1997 Metroland Chris
1998 All the Little Animals Bobby Platt
Velvet Goldmine Arthur Stuart
1999 Mary, Mother of Jesus (TV) Jesus of Nazareth
A Midsummer Night's Dream Demetrius
2000 Shaft Walter Wade, Jr.
American Psycho Patrick Bateman
2001 Captain Corelli's Mandolin Mandras
2002 Equilibrium Cleric John Preston
Reign of Fire Quinn Abercromby
Laurel Canyon Sam
2004 Howl's Moving Castle Howl (English voice, released in 2005 in America)
The Machinist Trevor Reznik
2005 The New World John Rolfe
Batman Begins Bruce Wayne/Batman
2006 The Prestige Alfred Borden
Rescue Dawn Dieter
Harsh Times Jim Davis
2007 I'm Not There Bob Dylan Post-production
3:10 to Yuma Dan Evans Filming
2008 The Dark Knight Bruce Wayne/Batman Pre-production
| Latest news about Christian Bale |
Anatomy of a Hit: ‘The Dark Knight’Luckily for Warners, the key cast — including Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman — had signed on to reprise their roles, although Katie Holmes declined to return and was replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal. ... Continue reading
The Weekend Warrior: August 29 - Sept. 1 (TDK Related)Either way, Labor Day is often seen as a catch-up weekend for people to see the movies they’ve missed over the summer, so we can probably see highly-touted movies like The Dark Knight and Tropic Thunder picking up some extra business. ... Continue reading
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and a bit more of my spontaneous christian bale film festivalThe good news about this one is that Jesus is Christian Bale; the bad news is he's kind of a mama's boy. It's a bit of a maternal fantasy, in fact. Mary gets a lot credit: the parables, for instance, are stories that she told Jesus at ... Continue reading
Christian Bale to play Solid Snake?http://www.n4g.com/News-67033.aspx It gives a link to a "full story" posted on a PS3 board that you need to register for in order to... Continue reading
Rank ‘em: Christian Bale FilmsAside from Howl’s Moving Castle (which is animated anyway, so it doesn’t count), I realized that I’ve seen every single one of Christian Bale’s films since the year 2000; in which he finally made a name for himself with American Psycho. ... Continue reading
Newsies - Christian Bale's Dancing Wang.Before he was Batman, he danced to "Santa Fe," and sang in a flawless Brooklyn accent. Selling "papes" on the streets of New York, and singing and dancing about. Unionizing the newsies against Pulitzer (that prize guy) and fending off ... Continue reading
They are my favourite-est people in the world. Im meeting them ...They are my favourite-est people in the world. Im meeting them tomorrow, at 11 after school ends. We'll be going back to Haig Girls' and then to Hoiki's for ice cream and playground. They are what you'll call true friends. ... Continue reading
spontaneous christian bale film festivalThe story doofs around looking pretty harebrained most of the time: Bale is John Preston, virtuoso of the gestapo in charge of tamping down all that crazy emoting, until his partner crosses over to the emote-y side, and then he meets a ... Continue reading
Christian Bale’s Acting Finesse Came From Studying HorsesChristian Bale grew up a vegetarian and was instilled with a strong appreciation for animal welfare. That childhood education has carried over to adulthood as all of the actor’s pets were at one time stray cats and dogs. ... Continue reading
Hollywood Actors Jessica alba Christian Bale pictures and Christian Bale biography
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