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Christian Bale

Born 30 Jan 1974, in Haverfordwest, Wales

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. He has since risen in stature with each role, often choosing unusual roles, as much for his interest in them as for their ability to develop his career.

Standout roles are the lead in American Psycho and more recently the title role in the psychological thriller The Machinist. 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, natural performance. He lost 60 pounds (27 kilograms) in a matter of months.[21] Bale wanted to lose more, but everyone from the director to his doctor forbade him (Bale weighed 130 pounds (54 kg) by the end of filming).

Next came Batman Begins, which returned the Batman franchise to the darkness of its comic book roots and once again re-ignited the franchise as much due to Bales performance as an ensemble cast and superb director in Christopher Nolan.

<b> Wise words: </b> "At first, I was somewhat hesitant to do the role. I mean, after all, Batman is an icon. But I remember, as clear as day, being at the grocery store the day the movie opened, and this little boy saw me. He couldn't have been more than five years old. He just walked right up to me and hugged me. He hugged me, and I was so moved by it that I hugged him back. Then he looked up at me and said "You're my hero." And in that moment, I knew that not only as an actor that I had done my job, but that I had made the right decision to play Batman. And I've never looked back on my the decision to play Batman since."

The Prestige gave Bale a chance to show another side of his character skills. The film is split into three storylines, each resembling one of the three stages of magic. Bale played opposite Hugh Jackman as rival magicians consumed the desire to upstage each other and deliver the perfect third act; know as the "prestige".

3:10 To Yuma saw Bale in a Western that also featured Russell Crowe and opened to raputrous reviews.

Bale returns to Batman in this summers The Dark Knight which is notable for also being the swansong of Heath Ledger, who takes on the role of The Joker.


News | What members say | Filmography | Downloads (6)

Christian Bale - news / articles


  • Bale: Playing the Joker did not affect Ledger - 17 June 2008
    Christian Bale has said there is no substance in rumours which suggest Heath Ledger's role as The Joker was a factor in his death.-Ledger played the disturbed villain in the forthcoming Batman film, amid suggestions that he was obsessed with the part to such an extent t


  • Bale signs up for Terminator trilogy - 22 May 2008
    Christian Bale has signed up for three Terminator sequels, the franchise's production company has announced.-The Machinist star is attached to play the role of John Connor in Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins and is likely to star in two further spin-offs, said Ha


  • Christian Bale in talks for Terminator sequel - 3 December 2007
    Batman Begins actor Christian Bale is currently in talks to star in the forthcoming Terminator instalment, according to the Hollywood Reporter.-Bale, who is known for his work in films such as The Prestige and American Psycho, may take a role in Terminator Salvation: Th

Christian Bale - what members say


  • American Psycho
  • American Psycho review by Michael Greenwood from England
    Rated - 5 stars Outstanding! 23 November 2004
    ...ituation by stating ' I'm just going to return some video tapes'. Only thing is Christian Bale is now typecast as Patrick Bateman for me, I've watched most of his other films...  
  • Equilibrium
  • Equilibrium review by A customer from London, England.
    Rated - 5 stars Emotion aplenty! 7 April 2004
    ... Matrix inspired but still startlingly original. The acting is incredible from Christian Bale, the lead. The way he portrays his emotions gradually increasing in strength t...  
  • The Machinist
  • The Machinist review by Alistair McFarlane from Leeds, England
    Rated - 4 stars Cult Classic! 25 March 2005
    ...Christian Bale looking his worst and acting at his best. If you like films that make you think, then this film is awesome and not to be missed. Though it's sinistercism will ...  

Christian Bale - filmography


  • I'm Not There
  • I'm Not There on DVD (2007)
    Starring: Marcus Carl Franklin,  Christian Bale,  Ben Whishaw
    Director: Todd Haynes
    Certificate: 15
    Todd Haynes (VELVET GOLDMINE, FAR FROM HEAVEN) delivers this dazzling, experimental take on the life of popular music's most revered and enigmatic artist: Bob Dylan. In keeping with the impossible-to-pin-down nature of Dylan himself, Haynes chose to cast six different actors to portray several ...
    Rate this: 3.0 (57%)
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  • Rescue Dawn
  • Rescue Dawn on DVD (2006)
    Starring: Christian Bale,  Steve Zahn,  Jeremy Davies
    Director: Werner Herzog
    Certificate: 12
    Incomparable director Werner Herzog takes another strange turn in his eclectic career with RESCUE DAWN--a major studio picture starring Christian Bale (BATMAN BEGINS). The film is an adaptation of Herzog's 1997 documentary LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY, which focused on Dieter Dengler, a pilot who was ...
    Rate this: 3.5 (67%)
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  • Harsh Times
  • Harsh Times on DVD (2006)
    Starring: Christian Bale,  Freddy Rodríguez,  Eva Longoria
    Director: David Ayer
    Certificate: 15
    Haunted by nightmares from his murderous military past, the honourably discharged Jim (Christian Bale) spends his time between his impoverished fiancee in rural Mexico and cruising the streets of east L.A., knocking back beers and smoking joints with his buddy Mike (Freddy Rodriguez). They also ...
    Rate this: 3.0 (57%)
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  • Prestige, The - HD DVD Version
  • Prestige, The - HD DVD Version (2006)
    Starring: Hugh Jackman,  Piper Perabo,  Michael Caine
    Director: Christopher Nolan
    Certificate: 12
    Director Christopher Nolan's (MEMENTO) eclectic resume gains another interesting entry with THE PRESTIGE. Set in early 20th-century London, the film centres on the bitter rivalry between two magicians who go to increasingly dangerous lengths to upstage one another. Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman, X-...
    Rate this: 4.0 (77%)
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  • Batman Begins
  • Batman Begins on DVD (2005)
    Starring: Christian Bale,  Katie Holmes,  Cillian Murphy
    Director: Christopher Nolan
    Certificate: 12
    Years ago, a young boy watched a street thug murder his parents. His life went cold. He left the city for the Far East, where he trained. He grew strong. But so did the darkness. And now the man is returning to Gotham City. The black, boiling drive for vengeance will cause Bruce Wayne to create a ...
    Rate this: 3.5 (76%)
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  • Reign Of Fire
  • Reign Of Fire on DVD (2002)
    Starring: Christian Bale,  Matthew McConaughey,  Izabella Scorupco
    Director: Rob Bowman
    Certificate: 12
    In present-day London, 10 year-old Quinn visits his construction engineer mother at her work. When he crawls into a cavern the workers have uncovered, he finds a large, fire-breathing dragon--which destroys the site and kills his mother. Fast-forward to 2020. Quinn (Christian Bale, AMERICAN PSYCHO) ...
    Rate this: 3.0 (63%)
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  • Equilibrium - BLU-RAY Version
  • Equilibrium - BLU-RAY Version (2002)
    Starring: Christian Bale,  Emily Watson,  Angus Macfadyen
    Director: Kurt Wimmer
    Certificate: 15
    In a futuristic society where the government requires the people to stay tranquil and submissive by taking a psychological drug, people no longer have emotions. Because of this, there are no more wars. But when one of the enforcement agents realizes that maybe peaceful oblivion is not the answer, ...
    Rate this: 3.5 (72%)
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  • Equilibrium
  • Equilibrium on DVD (2002)
    Starring: Christian Bale,  Emily Watson,  Angus Macfadyen
    Director: Kurt Wimmer
    Certificate: 15
    In a futuristic society where the government requires the people to stay tranquil and submissive by taking a psychological drug, people no longer have emotions. Because of this, there are no more wars. But when one of the enforcement agents realizes that maybe peaceful oblivion is not the answer, ...
    Rate this: 3.0 (68%)
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  • Captain Corelli's Mandolin
  • Captain Corelli's Mandolin on DVD (2001)
    Starring: Nicolas Cage,  Penelope Cruz,  John Hurt
    Director: John Madden
    Certificate: 15
    In keeping with Hollywood's time-honoured tradition of turning celebrated novels into cinematic spectacles, director John Madden brings Louis de Berniere's acclaimed 1994 work, CORELLI'S MANDOLIN, to life. Set on the Greek island of Cephalonia in 1940, the film tells the story of the beautiful ...
    Rate this: 3.0 (61%)
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  • American Psycho
  • American Psycho on DVD (2000)
    Starring: Christian Bale,  Willem Dafoe,  Jared Leto
    Director: Mary Harron
    Certificate: 18
    Patrick Bateman is young, white, beautiful, ivy leagued, and indistinguishable from his Wall Street colleagues. Shielded by conformity, privilege, and wealth, Bateman is also the ultimate serial killer, roaming freely and fearlessly. His murderous impulses are fueled by zealous materialism and ...
    Rate this: 3.0 (70%)
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  • Shaft
  • Shaft on DVD (2000)
    Starring: Samuel L. Jackson,  Vanessa Williams,  Christian Bale
    Director: John Singleton
    Certificate: 18
    Samuel L. Jackson stars as detective John Shaft, a new-generation "black private dick who's a sex machine with all the chicks" in this stylish, action-packed update of the classic blaxploitation trilogy (SHAFT, SHAFT'S BIG SCORE!, and SHAFT IN AFRICA) from the early 1970s. Shaft's nemesis this time ...
    Rate this: 3.0 (60%)
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  • Velvet Goldmine
  • Velvet Goldmine on DVD (1998)
    Starring: Ewan McGregor,  Toni Collette,  Eddie Izzard
    Director: Todd Haynes
    Certificate: 18
    Loosely based on the experiences and personalities of David Bowie and Iggy Pop, VELVET GOLDMINE is a wild, glitter-laced trip through the 1970s era of glam rock. Fictional characters Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) and Curt Wild (Ewan McGregor) are personifications of glam rock's ideals, with ...
    Rate this: 2.5 (61%)
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  • Little Women
  • Little Women on DVD (1994)
    Starring: Winona Ryder,  Gabriel Byrne,  Trini Alvarado
    Director: Gillian Armstrong
    Certificate: U
    The fourth screen adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic 1869 novel, LITTLE WOMEN, is given a realistic and rounded treatment by screenwriter Jo Swicord and Australian director Gillian Armstrong, whose perspective emphasises a feminist tone. The story chronicles the lives of a mother and four ...
    Rate this: 3.5 (73%)
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