Christian Bale



Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor.[1] [2] He has starred in blockbuster films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses.

Bale first caught the public eye at the age of 13, when he was cast in the starring role of Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun (1987). Based on the original story by J. G. Ballard, Bale played an English boy who is separated from his parents and subsequently finds himself lost in a Japanese internment camp during World War II.[3] In 2000, he garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. He earned a reputation as a method actor after he lost 63 pounds to play the role of Trevor Reznik in The Machinist (2004).

Bale went on to receive greater commercial recognition and acclaim for his performance as Bruce Wayne / Batman in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), altogether as The Dark Knight Trilogy. He also portrayed Dicky Eklund in the biopic The Fighter (2010), for which he received critical acclaim and won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.

Trivia

 * In 2006, Bale took on four projects. Rescue Dawn, by German filmmaker Werner Herzog, had him playing U.S. Fighter pilot Dieter Dengler, who has to fight for his life after being shot down while on a mission during the Vietnam War. Bale left a strong impression on Herzog, with the director complimenting his acting abilities: "I find him one of the greatest talents of his generation. We made up our own minds long before he did Batman."
 * Bale was originally cast to play George W. Bush in Oliver Stone's film W., but dropped out due to the prosthetics involved.[48] Bale played John Connor in Terminator Salvation[49] and FBI agent Melvin Purvis in Michael Mann's Public Enemies.
 * In July 2008, Bale flew into an angry tirade on the sets of Terminator Salvation, while filming in New Mexico.[51] In February 2009, the audio recording of the incident was released.[52] [53] The tirade was directed at Shane Hurlbut, director of photography for the film. According to Bale, Hurlbut had, for the second time, ruined his concentration by walking onto the set during a scene.[51] [54] [55] The recording is of Bale directing profanities at Hurlbut, threatening and belittling him, and finally threatening to quit the film if Hurlbut repeated the offense without being fired for it.[54] It was reported that Warner film executives sent the tape to the insurer of the film in case Bale decided to quit the movie.[56] In an interview with E! Online, assistant director and producer of Terminator Salvation, Bruce Franklin, said it was an isolated incident. "If you are working in a very intense scene and someone takes you out of your groove ... It was the most emotional scene in the movie ... and for him to get stopped in the middle of it. He is very intensely involved in his character. He didn't walk around like that all day long. It was just a moment and it passed," Franklin said.
 * On 29 January 2000, Bale married Sandra "Sibi" Blažić (born 1970), a former model, make-up artist, and personal assistant to Winona Ryder; the couple have a daughter, Emmeline,[87] who was born on 27 March 2005 in Santa Monica, California.[88] [89]
 * Since 1992, Bale has resided in Los Angeles.
 * Like his late father, Bale actively supports environmental groups such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund. Feminist activist Gloria Steinem became Bale's stepmother on 3 September 2000;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Broughton_91-0">[91] it was her first marriage (at the age of 66), and the couple were together until David Bale's death.

As Batman (2005-2012)
It was reported that Bale had previously auditioned for the role of Robin in Batman Forever (1995) and later Batman and Robin (1997), but lost out to Chris O'Donnell. However, this rumour was later dispelled by Bale himself in a magazine interview in 2008.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30">[30] In 2004, after completing filming for The Machinist, Bale won the coveted role of Batman and his alter ego Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, a reboot of the Batman film series. Bale beat out Jake Gyllenhaal, the closest competition for the role.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31">[31]

Still fresh off The Machinist, it became necessary for Bale to bulk up to match Batman's muscular physique. He was given a deadline of six months to do this. Bale recalled it as far from a simple accomplishment: "...when it actually came to building muscle, I was useless. I couldn't do one push up the first day. All of the muscles were gone, so I had a real tough time rebuilding all of that."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-IGN_24-1">[24] With the help of a personal trainer, Bale succeeded in meeting the deadline, gaining a total of 100 lb (45 kg) in six months. He went from about 130 lbs to 230 lbs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32">[32] He then discovered that he had actually gained more weight than the director desired, and dropped his weight to 190 lbs by the time filming began.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33">[33]

Bale had initial concerns about playing Batman, as he felt more ridiculous than intimidating in the Batsuit. He dealt with this by depicting Batman as a savage beast.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-IGN_24-2">[24] To attain a deeper understanding of the character, Bale read various Batman comic books. He explained his interpretation of the young boy: "Batman is his hidden, demonic rage-filled side. The creature Batman creates is an absolutely sincere creature and one that he has to control but does so in a very haphazard way. He's capable of enacting violence — and to kill — so he's constantly having to rein himself in." For Bale, the most gruelling part about playing Batman was the suit. "You stick it on, you get hot, you sweat and you get a headache in the mask," he said. "But I'm not going to bitch about it because I get to play Batman."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34">[34] When promoting the film in interviews and public events, Bale retained an American accent to avoid confusion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35">[35]

Batman Begins was released in the U.S. on 15 June 2005 and was a U.S. and international triumph for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Bros. Warner Bros.], costing approximately US$135 million to produce and taking in over US$370 million in returns worldwide.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36">[36] Bale's performance was well received by critics and fans alike, earning him the Saturn Award for Best Actor and the Best Hero award at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37">[37]

Bale reprised the role of Batman in the sequel The Dark Knight. He trained in the Keysi Fighting Method, and performed many of his own stunts.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38">[38] The Dark Knight was released in the U.S. on 18 July 2008 and stormed through the box office, with a record-breaking $158.4 million in the U.S. in its first weekend.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39">[39] It broke the $300 million barrier in 10 days, the $400 million mark in 18 days and the $500 million mark in 43 days, three new U.S. box office records set by the film.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40">[40] The film went on to gross over $1 billion at the box office worldwide, making it the fourth-highest grossing movie worldwide of all time, before adjusting for inflation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41">[41]

He reprised the role again for the finale The Dark Knight Rises, released on 20 July 2012,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42">[42] which made Bale the longest-lasting actor to portray Batman on film to date. Following the shooting at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises, he visited survivors in an Aurora, Colorado hospital.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Denver_Post_43-0">[43]