Christian Bale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christian Bale
|
|
|---|---|
Bale in 2019
|
|
| Born |
Christian Charles Philip Bale
30 January 1974 Haverfordwest, Wales
|
| Citizenship |
|
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1986–present |
|
Works
|
Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
Sibi Blažić
(m. 2000) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) |
|
| Relatives | Gloria Steinem (stepmother) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English American actor. He is famous for being able to change his look and body for his movie roles. He has played main characters in many different types of films. Christian Bale has won several important awards, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
Christian Bale was born in Wales to English parents. He got his first big role at age 13 in Steven Spielberg's 1987 war film Empire of the Sun. He later became well-known for playing the superhero Batman in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight movies (2005–2012). These movies are some of the highest-earning film series ever.
Besides playing Batman, Bale has starred in many other films. These include The Prestige (2006), Terminator Salvation (2009), and Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014). He won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role as boxer Dicky Eklund in The Fighter (2010). He also received more Academy Award nominations for his roles in American Hustle (2013), The Big Short (2015), and Vice (2018). His role as politician Dick Cheney in Vice earned him a second Golden Globe Award. More recently, Bale played Ken Miles in Ford v Ferrari (2019) and Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).
Contents
Early Life and First Roles
Christian Charles Philip Bale was born on January 30, 1974, in Haverfordwest, Wales. His mother, Jenny James, was a circus performer, and his father, David Bale, was an entrepreneur and activist. Christian Bale has said he is English, even though he was born in Wales. He has two older sisters and a half-sister. One of his grandfathers was a comedian.
Christian's family moved around a lot when he was young. He once said they lived in 15 different towns by the time he was 15 years old. He felt this constant moving influenced his choice to become an actor. He attended Bournemouth School and left school at age 16. When he was 17, he moved to Los Angeles with his sister and father.
As a child, Christian Bale trained in ballet. His very first acting job was at age eight in a commercial for fabric softener. He also appeared in a Pac-Man cereal commercial. He started acting professionally after his sister got a role in a West End musical. Christian Bale did not have any formal acting training. He performed alongside Rowan Atkinson in a play called The Nerd in 1984.
Career Highlights
Early Success and Big Breaks (1986–1999)
Christian Bale decided to become an actor when he was ten. He got a small role in the 1986 TV movie Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna. The star of that film, Amy Irving, recommended him to director Steven Spielberg. This led to Christian Bale being chosen for Spielberg's 1987 film Empire of the Sun. He was 13 years old and was picked from over 4,000 other young actors. In the film, he played a British boy in a World War II Japanese internment camp. This role made him famous and earned him an award for Best Performance by a Young Actor.
The fame from Empire of the Sun made acting difficult for him at first. However, actor Kenneth Branagh convinced him to appear in his film Henry V in 1989. The next year, Bale played Jim Hawkins in a TV movie of Treasure Island.
In 1992, Bale starred in the Disney musical film Newsies. In 1993, he appeared in Swing Kids, a film about teenagers who secretly listened to forbidden jazz music. He played Theodore "Laurie" Laurence in Gillian Armstrong's 1994 film Little Women. This film was very successful. In 1995, he voiced Thomas in the Disney animated film Pocahontas. He also appeared in Velvet Goldmine (1998) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999).
Becoming a Leading Actor (2000–2004)
In 2000, Christian Bale took on a challenging role in the film American Psycho. He worked hard to change his body for the part. This role helped him become known as a leading actor in Hollywood.
After American Psycho, some of Bale's films did not do as well. He played a villain in Shaft and appeared in Captain Corelli's Mandolin. In 2002, he was in Laurel Canyon, Reign of Fire, and Equilibrium. For Equilibrium, he learned a fictional martial art called "gun kata."
Christian Bale starred in the psychological thriller The Machinist (2004). For this role, he changed his body significantly to play a character who was very thin. He said this transformation helped him focus on the part. Critics praised his dedicated performance in the film.
Batman and Other Big Roles (2005–2008)
In 2005, Christian Bale was chosen by director Christopher Nolan to play Bruce Wayne and his superhero identity, Batman, in Batman Begins. To prepare, Bale gained back the weight he had lost for The Machinist and built muscle. He also trained in different fighting styles. Christian Bale used a deeper, gravelly voice for Batman, which Nolan felt made the character even stronger. Batman Begins was released in June 2005 and was very popular. Critics liked Bale's thoughtful portrayal of Bruce Wayne. He won an MTV Movie Award for Best Hero for this role.
That same year, Bale voiced the wizard Howl in the English version of the Japanese animated film Howl's Moving Castle. He also starred in the crime drama Harsh Times and the historical film The New World. In 2006, he played a US fighter pilot in Rescue Dawn, a film about a true story from the Vietnam War. The director, Werner Herzog, said Christian Bale was one of the greatest actors of his generation.
For the 2006 film The Prestige, Bale worked with director Christopher Nolan again. In this movie, he and Hugh Jackman played rival magicians in the Victorian era. The film was praised by critics. In 2007, Bale appeared in I'm Not There, where he played different versions of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. He also starred in the western film 3:10 to Yuma.
Christian Bale played Batman again in Nolan's sequel, The Dark Knight, released in July 2008. This film was very successful and earned over $1 billion worldwide. He did many of his own stunts, including one on the roof of the Willis Tower in Chicago. Many critics consider The Dark Knight to be one of the best superhero films ever made.
Completing the Dark Knight Trilogy and Awards (2009–2012)
In 2009, Christian Bale starred as rebellion leader John Connor in the action film Terminator Salvation. He later said he knew the film would not restart the Terminator series as he had hoped.
Bale played FBI agent Melvin Purvis in the crime drama Public Enemies, alongside Johnny Depp. The film was praised by critics and did well at the box office.
In 2010, Christian Bale starred in The Fighter, a biographical film about boxer Micky Ward and his brother, Dicky Eklund. Bale played Dicky Eklund and changed his body for the role. His performance was highly praised. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for this role. In 2011, he starred in the Chinese historical drama The Flowers of War.
Christian Bale played Batman for the final time in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, released in July 2012. He described Batman in this film as a character who is struggling after the events of the previous movie. After a sad event happened at a showing of the film in Aurora, Colorado, Christian Bale and his wife visited survivors and first responders to show their support. The Dark Knight Rises also earned over $1 billion worldwide. Nolan's Batman film series, known as the Dark Knight trilogy, is one of the highest-earning and most respected superhero film series. Many people believe Christian Bale's portrayal of Batman is the best on film.
Continued Success (2013–2019)
In 2013, Christian Bale played a steel mill worker in the thriller Out of the Furnace. Critics praised his work in the film. That same year, he starred in American Hustle, working again with the director of The Fighter. For this role, he gained weight and changed his look to play a con artist. His performance was called "sad, funny, and captivating." He was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for this role.
Bale played Moses in Ridley Scott's epic film Exodus: Gods and Kings, released in December 2014. He also appeared in Terrence Malick's drama Knight of Cups (2015). Later in 2015, he starred as Michael Burry, a unique hedge fund manager, in The Big Short. This film was about the financial crisis of 2007–08. His role earned him more Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations.
In the 2016 historical drama The Promise, Christian Bale played an American journalist. In 2017, he starred in Hostiles as a US Army officer. He learned the Cheyenne language for this film. In 2018, Bale voiced Bagheera in the adventure film Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.
.jpg)
For the 2018 biographical comedy drama Vice, Christian Bale again changed his body significantly. He gained weight and shaved his head to play US Vice President Dick Cheney. The film received good reviews, and critics praised Bale's believable portrayal of Cheney. This performance won him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and an Academy Award nomination.
In 2019, Bale played sports car racing driver Ken Miles in the sports drama Ford v Ferrari. For this role, he lost a lot of the weight he had gained for Vice. He was nominated for a fifth Golden Globe Award for this role. He has since said he will no longer change his weight so much for future roles.
Recent Work (2020–present)
Christian Bale played Gorr the God Butcher, a villain, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Thor: Love and Thunder, released in July 2022. Critics praised his performance. He also produced and appeared in the period film Amsterdam and the thriller The Pale Blue Eye, both released in late 2022. In 2023, Bale voiced a character in the English version of the Japanese animated film The Boy and the Heron.
Christian Bale is scheduled to play Frankenstein's monster in a fantasy film called The Bride!, which is expected in 2025.
Personal Life
Christian Bale has lived in Los Angeles since the 1990s and is a US citizen. He married Sandra "Sibi" Blažić on January 29, 2000. They have a daughter and a son. In 2000, Christian Bale's father married feminist Gloria Steinem, making her his stepmother. His father passed away in 2003.
Christian Bale became a vegetarian when he was seven years old after reading the children's book Charlotte's Web. He has said he sometimes eats meat now, but not red meat. He is an animal rights activist and supports organizations like Greenpeace and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
In December 2011, while promoting a film in China, Christian Bale tried to visit Chen Guangcheng, a blind human rights activist. He was stopped by guards. Bale later met Chen at an event and spoke about his story in a podcast. Christian Bale also helped start California Together, an organization that aims to create a village for siblings in foster care so they can stay together.
Acting Credits and Awards
Some of Christian Bale's most highly-rated films include The Dark Knight (2008), Ford v Ferrari (2019), American Hustle (2013), Little Women (1994), The Fighter (2010), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). His highest-earning films include The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Terminator Salvation (2009), Batman Begins (2005), Pocahontas (1995), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), and Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014).
Christian Bale has been nominated for four Academy Awards. He won one for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Fighter. He has also won two Golden Globe Awards: Best Supporting Actor for The Fighter and Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for Vice. He has also been nominated for eight Screen Actors Guild Awards, winning two of them.
Images for kids
-
Christian Bale's signature
See also
In Spanish: Christian Bale para niños
