Christian Charles Philip Bale[2] was born on 30 January 1974 inHaverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, to English parents—Jenny James, a circus performer, andDavid Bale, an entrepreneur and activist.[3][4][5] Bale has remarked, "I was born in Wales but I'm not Welsh—I'm English".[1] He has two elder sisters, Sharon and Louise, and a half-sister from his father's first marriage, Erin.[5] One of his grandfathers was a comedian while the other was a stand-in forJohn Wayne.[6] Bale and his family left Wales when he was two years old,[7] and after living in Portugal andOxfordshire, England, they settled inBournemouth, England.[8] As well as saying that the family had lived in 15 towns by the time he was 15, Bale described the frequent relocation as being driven by "necessity rather than choice" and acknowledged that it had a major influence on his career selection.[7][9][10]
He attendedBournemouth School until the age of 16.[11][12] Bale's parents divorced in 1991, and at age 17, he moved with his sister Louise and their father toLos Angeles, California, in the United States.[13]
Bale trained inballet as a child.[14] His first acting role came at eight years old in a commercial for the fabric softenerLenor.[15] He also appeared in aPac-Man cereal commercial.[16] After his sister was cast in aWest End musical, Bale considered taking up acting professionally.[17] He said later he did not find acting appealing but pursued it at the request of those around him because he had no reason not to do so.[18] After participating in school plays, Bale performed oppositeRowan Atkinson in the playThe Nerd in the West End in 1984.[12][15] He did not undergo any formal acting training.[12]
Career
Early roles and breakthrough (1986–1999)
After deciding to become an actor at age ten, Bale secured a minor role in the 1986 television filmAnastasia: The Mystery of Anna. Its star,Amy Irving, who was married to the directorSteven Spielberg, subsequently recommended Bale for Spielberg's 1987 filmEmpire of the Sun.[19] At age 13, Bale was chosen from over 4,000 actors to portray a British boy in aSecond World War Japanese internment camp.[20] For the film, he spoke with an upper-class cadence without the help of a dialogue coach.[21] The role propelled Bale to fame,[22] and his work earned him acclaim and the inaugural Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor Award from theNational Board of Review of Motion Pictures.[23] Earlier in the same year, he starred in the fantasy filmMio in the Land of Faraway, based on the novelMio, My Son byAstrid Lindgren.[24][25] The fame fromEmpire of the Sun led to Bale being bullied in school and finding the pressures of working as an actor unbearable.[26] He grew distrustful of the acting profession because of media attention but said that he felt obligated at a young age to continue to act for financial reasons.[22] Around this time, the actor and filmmakerKenneth Branagh persuaded Bale to appear in his filmHenry V in 1989, which drew him back into acting.[23] The following year, Bale playedJim Hawkins oppositeCharlton Heston asLong John Silver inTreasure Island, a television film adaptation ofRobert Louis Stevenson's1883 novel.[27]
Rise to prominence and commercial decline (2000–2004)
Bale playedPatrick Bateman, an investment banker and serial killer, inAmerican Psycho, a film adaptation ofBret Easton Ellis'snovel of the same name, directed byMary Harron. While Harron had chosen Bale for the part, the film's production and distribution company,Lionsgate, originally disagreed and hiredLeonardo DiCaprio to play Bateman withOliver Stone to direct. Bale and Harron were brought back after DiCaprio and Stone had left the project.[37][38] Bale exercised and tanned himself for months to achieve Bateman's chiseled physique and had his teeth capped to assimilate to the character's narcissistic nature.[39][40]American Psycho premiered at the 2000Sundance Film Festival. Harron said the film criticRoger Ebert named it the most hated film at the event.[41] Of Bale's work, Ebert wrote he "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."[42] The film was released in April 2000, becoming a commercial and critical success and later developing acult following;[43][44] the role established Bale as aleading man.[15][45]
In the four years that followedAmerican Psycho, Bale's career experienced critical and commercial failure.[46] He next played a villainous real estate heir inJohn Singleton's action filmShaft and appeared inJohn Madden'sfilm adaptation of theLouis de Bernières novelCaptain Corelli's Mandolin as Mandras, a Greek fisherman who vies withNicolas Cage's title character for the affections of Pelagia, played byPenélope Cruz.[34] Bale said he found it refreshing to play Mandras, who is emotionally humane, after working onAmerican Psycho andShaft.[47] In 2002, he appeared in three films:Laurel Canyon,Reign of Fire andEquilibrium.[23] ReviewingLaurel Canyon forEntertainment Weekly,Lisa Schwarzbaum called Bale's performance "fussy".[48] After having reservations about joining thepost-apocalypticReign of Fire, which involvedcomputer-generated imagery, Bale professed his enjoyment of making films that could go awry and cited directorRob Bowman as a reason for his involvement.[49][50] InEquilibrium, he plays a police officer in a futuristic society and performsgun kata, a fictional martial art that incorporates gunfighting.[34][51][52]IGN's Jeff Otto characterisedReign of Fire as "poorly received" andEquilibrium as "highly underrated", whileThe Independent's Stephen Applebaum described the two films along withShaft andCaptain Corelli's Mandolin as "mediocre fare".[53][54]
Bale starred as the insomnia-ridden, emotionally dysfunctional title character in the psychological thrillerThe Machinist. To prepare for the role, he initially only smoked cigarettes and drank whiskey. His diet later expanded to include black coffee, an apple and a can of tuna per day.[55][56] Bale lost 63 pounds (29 kg), weighing 121 pounds (55 kg) to play the character, who was written in the script as "a walking skeleton".[57] His weight loss prompted comparisons withRobert De Niro's weight gain in preparation to playJake LaMotta in the 1980 filmRaging Bull.[58] Describing his transformation as mentally calming, Bale claimed he had stopped working for a while because he did not come upon scripts that piqued his interest and that the film's script drew him to lose weight for the part.[59][60]The Machinist was released in October 2004; it performed poorly at the box office.[57] Roger Moore of theOrlando Sentinel regarded it as one of the best films of the year, andTodd McCarthy ofVariety wrote that Bale's "haunted, aggressive and finally wrenching performance" gave it a "strong anchor".[61][62]
Bale portrayedBruce Wayne and his superhero alias,Batman, inChristopher Nolan'sBatman Begins, areboot of theBatman film series. Nolan cast Bale, who was still fairly unknown at the time, because Bale had "exactly the balance of darkness and light" Nolan sought.[63][64] For the part, Bale regained the weight he lost forThe Machinist and built muscle, weighing 220 pounds (100 kg).[65] He trained in weapons,Wing Chun Kung Fu and theKeysi Fighting Method.[66] Acknowledging the story's peculiar circumstances involving a character "who thinks he can run around in abatsuit in the middle of the night", Bale said he and Nolan had deliberately approached it with "as realistic a motivation as possible", referencing Wayne's parents' murder.[54] Bale voiced Wayne and Batman differently. He employed gravelly tone qualities for Batman, which Nolan believed reinforced the character's visual appearance.[67]Batman Begins was released in the US in June 2005.[68] Tim Grierson andWill Leitch ofVulture complimented Bale's "sensitive, intelligent portrayal of a spoiled, wayward Bruce who finally grows up (and fights crime)."[34] The performance earned Bale theMTV Movie Award for Best Hero.[69]
For the 2006 filmThe Prestige, Bale reunited withBatman Begins director Nolan, who said that Bale was cast after offering himself for the part. It is based onthe 1995 novel byChristopher Priest about a rivalry between twoVictorian era magicians, whom Bale andHugh Jackman play in the film.[76][77] While it attracted acclaim from critics, the film performed more modestly during its run in theatres, earning $110 million against a $40 million budget.[78][79][80] In his review forThe New York Times,A. O. Scott highlighted Bale's "fierce inwardness" and called his performance "something to savor".[81] Bale next starred in the 2007 drama filmsI'm Not There, portraying two incarnations of singer-songwriterBob Dylan, and in3:10 to Yuma, playing a justice-seekingcattleman. He characterised his Dylan incarnations as "two men on a real quest for truth" and attributed his interest in3:10 to Yuma to his affinity for films where he gets to "just be dirty and crawling in the mud".[82][83] Bale reprised the role of Batman in Nolan'sBatman Begins sequelThe Dark Knight, which received acclaim and became the fourth film to gross more than $1 billion worldwide upon its July 2008 release.[84][85] He did many of his own stunts, including one that involved standing on the roof of theSears Tower in Chicago.[86]The Dark Knight has been regarded by critics as the bestsuperhero film.[87][88]
TheDark Knight trilogy completion and acclaim (2009–2012)
In February 2008,Warner Bros. announced that Bale would star as the rebellion leaderJohn Connor in the post-apocalyptic action filmTerminator Salvation,[89] directed byMcG, who cited Bale as "the most credible actor of his generation".[90] In February 2009 an audio recording of a tirade on the film's set in July 2008 involving Bale was released. It captured him directing profanities towards and threatening to attack the film's cinematographerShane Hurlbut, who walked onto the set during the filming of a scene acted by Bale andBryce Dallas Howard, and culminated in Bale threatening to quit the film if Hurlbut was not fired.[91][92] Several colleagues in the film industry defended Bale, attributing the incident to his dedication to acting.[91][93][94] Bale publicly apologised in February 2009, calling the outburst "inexcusable" and his behaviour "way out of order" and affirming to have made amends with Hurlbut.[95][96]Terminator Salvation was released in May 2009 to tepid reviews.[97][98]Claudia Puig ofUSA Today considered Bale's work to be "surprisingly one-dimensional", whileThe Age's Jake Wilson wrote he gave one of his least compelling performances.[99][100] Bale later admitted he knew during production that the film would not revitalise theTerminator franchise as he had wished.[101] He asserted he would not work with McG again.[98]
Bale played Batman again under Nolan's direction in the sequelThe Dark Knight Rises, released in July 2012.[113] He described Batman in the film as a remorseful recluse in poor mental and physical health, who has surrendered following the events ofThe Dark Knight.[114] Followinga mass shooting at a midnight showing of the film inAurora, Colorado, US, Bale and his wife visited survivors, doctors and first responders atthe Medical Center of Aurora as well as a memorial to victims.[115]The Dark Knight Rises was the 11th film to gross more than $1 billion worldwide, surpassingThe Dark Knight.[116] Nolan's Batman film series, dubbed theDark Knight trilogy, is one of the highest-grossing film franchises.[117][118] It is also regarded as one of the best comic book film franchises.[119] Bale's performance in the three films garnered universal acclaim,[15][120] withThe Guardian,The Indian Express,MovieWeb,NME and a poll conducted by theRadio Times ranking it as the best portrayal of Batman on film.[121] Bale later revealed his dissatisfaction with his work throughout the trilogy, saying he "didn't quite nail" his part and that he "didn't quite manage" what he had hoped he would as Batman.[122]
Continued critical success (2013–2019)
In 2013 Bale played a steel mill worker inScott Cooper's thrillerOut of the Furnace.[123] Cooper rewrote the film's script with Bale in mind before the two even met and would not proceed with the project without the actor's involvement.[12] Critics commended the film and deemed it an excellent beginning of the next phase in Bale's career after playing Batman,[124][125] with Kristopher Tapley ofVariety noting his work in the film was his best.[126] That same year, he starred inAmerican Hustle, which reunited him with David O. Russell after their work onThe Fighter.[127] To play the con artist Irving Rosenfeld, Bale studied footage of interviews with the real-world con artistMel Weinberg, who served as inspiration for the character.[12] He gained 43 pounds (20 kg), shaved part of his head and adopted a slouched posture, which reduced his height by 3 inches (7.6 cm) and caused him to suffer aherniated disc.[128][129] Russell indicated that Robert De Niro, who appeared in an uncredited role, did not recognise Bale when they were first introduced.[130] Writing for theNew York Daily News, Joe Neumaier found Bale's performance to be "sad, funny and riveting".[131] He was nominated for anAcademy Award and aGolden Globe Award for his work.[110][132]
Bale portrayedMoses inRidley Scott's epic filmExodus: Gods and Kings. Released in December 2014, the film faced accusations ofwhitewashing for the casting of Caucasian actors inMiddle Eastern roles. Scott justified casting decisions citing financing needs, Bale stating that Scott had been forthright in getting the film made.[133] Its critical response varied between negative and mixed,[134] and theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch's Joe Williams called Bale's performance in the film the most apathetic of his career.[135] Bale appeared in Terrence Malick's dramaKnight of Cups, whichThe Atlantic critic David Sims dubbed a "noble failure".[136] During its premiere at the65th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2015, he said he filmed the project without having learned any dialogue and that Malick had only given him a character description.[137] Later that year, he starred asMichael Burry, an antisocial hedge fund manager, inAdam McKay'sThe Big Short, a biographical comedy-drama film about the2008 financial crisis.[34]The Wall Street Journal'sJoe Morgenstern found his portrayal "scarily hilarious—or in one-liners and quick takes, deftly edited".[138] The role earned Bale Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor.[139][140]
In the 2016 historical dramaThe Promise, set during theArmenian genocide, he played an American journalist who becomes involved in alove triangle with a woman, played byCharlotte Le Bon, and an Armenian medical student, played byOscar Isaac.[34] Critics disapproved of the film, which accrued a $102 million loss.[141] Reviewing the film forThe New York Times, Jeannette Catsoulis wrote that Bale appeared "muffled and indistinct".[142] About the film, Bale says, “It’s got to be a larger conversation because it has to be relevant today… often the violators get away with impunity. But it’s such an important part of modern history, so tragic, so barbaric.”[143][144] In Cooper's 2017 filmHostiles, Bale starred as aUS Army officer escorting a gravely illCheyenne war chief and his family back to their home inMontana. He calls the film "a western with brutal, modern-day resonance" and his character "a bigoted and hate-filled man".[15][145] Bale learned theCheyenne language while working on the film.[145]Empire critic Dan Jolin considered his performance striking and one of the strongest of his career.[146] In 2018, Bale voicedBagheera in the adventure filmMowgli: Legend of the Jungle.Rolling Stone's David Fear wrote that his voice work and that ofAndy Serkis, who directed the film, "bring the soul as well as sound and fury".[147]
For the 2018 biographical comedy dramaVice, written and directed by Adam McKay, Bale underwent a major body transformation once again, as he gained over 40 pounds (18 kg) and shaved his head to portray US Vice PresidentDick Cheney.[128] He described Cheney, who is reckoned the most influential and loathed vice president in US history, as "quiet and secretive".[148][149] The film reunited Bale withAmy Adams, with whom he had co-starred inThe Fighter andAmerican Hustle.[150] It received positive reviews, andThe Guardian'sPeter Bradshaw commended Bale's "terrifically and in fact rather scarily plausible" Cheney impersonation.[151] Lauded by critics, the performance won Bale theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and garnered him an Academy Award nomination.[152][153] During his acceptance speech at the76th Golden Globe Awards, Bale thankedSatan for inspiring his Cheney portrayal, which elicited a response from Cheney's daughter andUS RepresentativeLiz Cheney, who stated that Bale ruined his opportunity to play "a real superhero".[154]
Bale portrayed the sports car racing driverKen Miles in the 2019 sports dramaFord v Ferrari, for which he lost 70 pounds (32 kg) after playing Cheney.[155] Directed byJames Mangold, the film follows Miles and the automotive designerCarroll Shelby, played byMatt Damon, in events surrounding the1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race.[156] The role earned Bale a fifth Golden Globe Award nomination.[157] While promoting the film, he said he would no longer go through weight fluctuations for roles.[155]
Limited work (2020–present)
Bale playedGorr the God Butcher, a villain, in theMarvel Cinematic Universe superhero filmThor: Love and Thunder, which was released in July 2022. He cited a character in the music video for theAphex Twin song "Come to Daddy" as an inspiration for his characterization of Gorr.[158] Bale's portrayal drew praise from critics, who deemed it "grounded and non-campy".[159] He produced and appeared in David O. Russell's period filmAmsterdam and Scott Cooper's thrillerThe Pale Blue Eye,[160] reuniting with both directors for the third time.[161][162]Amsterdam was released in October 2022, receiving dire reviews and failing at the box office.[163][164]The Pale Blue Eye, adapted fromthe 2006 novel byLouis Bayard, was released in December 2022, receiving mixed reviews from critics.[160][165] With his involvement in the 2023 Japanese animated filmThe Boy and the Heron, Bale voiced a character in an English-language dub of a film by Hayao Miyazaki for the second time.[166]
Bale is known for his exhaustive dedication to the weight fluctuations that his parts demand as well as "the intensity with which he completely inhabits his roles",[6][169] withThe Washington Post'sAnn Hornaday rating him among the most physically gifted actors of his generation.[170] Max O'Connell ofRogerEbert.com deemed Bale's commitment to altering his physical appearance "an anchoring facet to a depiction of obsession" in his performances,[171] while theLos Angeles Times's Hugh Hart likened the urgency that drives Bale's acting style tomethod acting, adding that it "convincingly animates even his most extreme physical transformations."[128] Bale has said that he does not practise method acting and that he does not use a particular technique.[172] He namedRowan Atkinson as his template as an actor and added that he was mesmerised by him when they worked together.[173] He also studied the work ofGary Oldman, crediting him as the reason for his pursuit of acting.[174]
Bale has been recognised for his versatility;[40][126] Martha Ross ofThe Mercury News named him one of his generation's most versatile actors.[175] Known to be very private about his personal life,[9] Bale has said that his objective was to embody characters without showing any aspect of himself.[176] He explained that "letting people know who you are" does not help create different characters, viewing anonymity as "what's giving you the ability to play those characters".[18] During interviews to promote films in which he puts on an accent, Bale would continue speaking in the given accent.[177] Bale has also been noted for portraying roles with an American accent, withThe Atlantic's Joe Reid listing him among those who "work least in their native accents";[178][179] in real life, Bale speaks in an "emphatic, non-posh" English accent.[15]
Bale has lived in Los Angeles since the 1990s.[15] He holds US citizenship.[148][183] Bale married Sandra "Sibi" Blažić, an American former model ofSerbian descent, in Las Vegas on 29 January 2000.[177][184][185][186] They have a daughter and a son.[184] In 2000, Bale became the feministGloria Steinem's stepson following her marriage to his father, who died in 2003 ofbrain lymphoma.[187][188]
On 22 July 2008, Bale was arrested in London after his mother and his sister Sharon reported him to the police for an alleged assault at a hotel.[8] He was released onbail.[8] Bale denied the allegations and later called the incident "a deeply personal matter".[35] On 14 August, theCrown Prosecution Service declared they would take no further action against him because of "insufficient evidence to afford a realistic prospect of conviction".[189]
Bale is the co-founder of Together California, an organization working to build a foster care village inPalmdale, California, US.[196] The project, which Bale has pursued for 16 years, aims to keep siblings infoster care together. He co-founded the organisation with Eric Esrailian, a physician, and Tim McCormick, a foster care expert.[196][197] After a groundbreaking ceremony on 7 February 2024, construction began on the $22 million village, which will include 12 homes, a 7,000-square-foot community centre, and two studio flats for youth transitioning out of the foster system. The first homes are expected to open in late 2025 or early 2026.[196][198][199]
According to thereview aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes, which assigns films scores based on the number of positive critical reviews they receive, some of Bale's highest-scoring films areThe Dark Knight (2008),Ford v Ferrari (2019),American Hustle (2013),Little Women (1994),The Fighter (2010),Rescue Dawn (2007),3:10 to Yuma (2007),The Big Short (2015),Howl's Moving Castle (2005) andThe Dark Knight Rises (2012); the first, third and last of which are also listed by the data websiteThe Numbers as his highest-grossing films, alongsideTerminator Salvation (2009),Batman Begins (2005),Pocahontas (1995),Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) andExodus: Gods and Kings (2014).[200][201]
Bale has garnered four Academy Award nominations, including two in theBest Actor category for his work inAmerican Hustle andVice (2018) as well as two in theBest Supporting Actor category for his work inThe Fighter andThe Big Short; he won one forThe Fighter.[202] He has earned two Golden Globe Awards, including Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for his role inThe Fighter and Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his role inVice, and received two nominations for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performances inAmerican Hustle andThe Big Short and a nomination forBest Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his performance inFord v Ferrari.[110][157] Bale has also been nominated for eightScreen Actors Guild Awards,[203] winning in theOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role category forThe Fighter and theOutstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture category as part of theAmerican Hustle cast.[204][205]
Footnotes
^ Bale has said: "I was born in Wales but I'm not Welsh—I'm English".[1]
.jpg)
