Christian Bale – British Actor

Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is a Welsh-born British actor whose film credits include American Psycho, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Prestige, 3:10 To Yuma, and the upcoming film Terminator Salvation, in which he will play the role of John Connor. In addition to starring roles, such as Batman, in big budget Hollywood films, he has long been heavily involved in independent and art house 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. Entertainment Weekly called Bale one of the “Most Creative People in Entertainment”, after his performance in American Psycho.

Although Bale was born in Wales, his parents were South African-born entrepreneur, commercial pilot, and talent manager David Bale, and circus clown and performer Jenny James. He is the youngest of four children. After leaving Wales, Bale spent his childhood in several countries, including England, Portugal, and the United States.

In 1976, when Bale was two years old, his family left Wales and returned to England. They settled for four years in Bournemouth and Henley-on-Thames, where Bale attended Bournemouth School and Shiplake C of E Primary school respectively. He participated actively in rugby union. Bale has described his childhood, with respect to his mother being in the circus, as interesting. This unconventional life for a long while suited Christian’s mother, Jenny, who worked as a clown and a dancer, riding elephants and introducing acts in the circus. He recalled his first kiss was with an acrobat named Barta. As a child, he trained in ballet and guitar. His sister Louise’s work in theatre also influenced his decision to become an actor. Bale’s father David was very supportive of his son’s acting, resigning from his job as a commercial pilot to travel and manage Bale’s burgeoning career. The elder Bale later married feminist icon Gloria Steinem, and died on 30 December 2003, from brain lymphoma, aged 62.

Bale’s first foray into acting was a commercial for the fabric softener Lenor in 1982, when he was eight years old. He appeared in a Pac-Man cereal commercial playing a child rock star a year later and in 1984 made his stage debut in the The Nerd, opposite Rowan Atkinson.

On February 2, 2009, an audio tape of Bale yelling and cursing at Director of Photography Shane Hurlbut on the set of the film Terminator Salvation surfaced on the Internet. Hurlbut had allegedly ruined the scene being shot by walking into the view of the camera. Bale has since apologized for his behavior stating on the KROQ morning radio show that he took it “way too far.”

2008 Arrest

On July 22, 2008, Bale was arrested while visiting London for the UK premiere of The Dark Knight. He was accused of verbally assaulting his mother and sister after his mother reportedly insulted Bale’s wife, Sibi Blazic.4 Bale was released without being charged with verbal or physical assault.8 On July 24, 2008, it was reported that the dispute began after Christian Bale refused his sister Sharon Bale’s request for a £100,000 loan.

Other Information

• Birth name: Christian Charles Philip Bale
• Born: January 30, 1974
• Birthplace: Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales
• Height: 6 feet, 2 inches
• Film debut: Empire of the Sun (1987)
• 13 years old when filming for Empire of the Sun
• Latest role: Batman, in The Dark Knight (2008)
• Resides: Los Angeles
• Wife: Sibi Blazic (2000-present)
• Daughter: Emmaline Bale, born in 2005
• Bale was arrested in July 2008 while visiting London for the premiere of The Dark Knight

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Tags: david bale, london, steven spielberg