Christian Bale

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Christian Charles Philip Bale (born January 30, 1974) is an English actor, born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire/Sir Benfro,Wales. Bale gained fame when cast in the starring role of Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun at the age of 13. Recently, Bale has earned praise as the newest Batman in 2005's Batman Begins, co-starring Sir Michael Caine and Cillian Murphy.

1 Acting career
2 Biography
3 Filmography
4 External links

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Acting career

Bale began his acting career by appearing in a Pac-Man cereal advertisement in the UK at age 9 and then appeared a year later in the West End play The Nerd. His breakthrough came in 1987 when he was picked for the role of Jim in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun. Bale next appeared in Henry V and TV roles before taking on several movie projects, starting in 1992 with the Disney musical feature film Newsies. For this role and his role in the 1993 film Swing Kids, Bale trained for 10 weeks in dancing and martial arts.

After this he drew further attention when he won the much-coveted role of Laurie in Little Women, having been hand-picked for the role by Winona Ryder who portrayed Jo in the film. He has since won roles in notable films such as Velvet Goldmine and the lead in American Psycho. His brilliant portrayal of yuppie businessman serial killer Patrick Bateman was met with rave reviews and critical acclaim, but due to the controversy surrounding the book on which the movie was based, it was only a moderate financial success. He recently played the title role in Batman Begins to yet more critical acclaim.

Christian Bale was in the news this year when he lost a record 60 pounds for his role in The Machinist, going from muscular to cadaverous. For his very next role, Batman Begins, he regained the weight and added on an additional 20-odd pounds of muscle. The results are shocking when comparing the pictures (right). He has said this most likely damaged his metabolism, but to observers, it definitively gained him status as one of the most dedicated method actors of his generation.Image:BaleMachine.jpg Image:BBBale.jpg

Bale is usually critically lauded not only because of his excellent acting abilities, but also in the nature of his film roles. Bale seems interested in often portraying menacing, dark, or mentally complex characters, rather than mainstream-type heroes who would more immediately attract an audience. For instance, Bale seems unafraid to portray controversial characters, like the violent Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, or a homosexual character in Velvet Goldmine. Taking on these characters could have been great risks both to his career and his public reputation. However, they have earned him respect and kudos from many film critics and loyal fans.

Christian Bale is known for his flawless ability to mimic accents. He has used a different one in almost every movie he has acted in.

Because of his remarkable turn as the crazed, superficial New York City yuppie Patrick Bateman in the controversial American Psycho, Bale became quite a cult figure, once ranked in the top fifteen cult figures of all time by film experts.

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Biography

Christian Bale was born to businessman David Bale and Jenny James, a circus performer. Although Bale's birthplace was in Wales, both of his parents are of English descent, and Bale is known to consider himself English. Bale spent his childhood in a variety of countries including the United Kingdom, Portugal, and the United States.

Bale is active in several environmental and animal protection organizations including the Ark Trust, Greenpeace, and the World Wildlife Fund.

On January 29, 2000 he married Sibi Blazic (Winona Ryder's personal assistant, who introduced them). Their daughter was born March 27, 2005, but they have refused to reveal her name to the public.

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