Biography
Bale was born in Wales to the English parents late businessman David Bale and Jenny James, a circus performer. Bale spent his childhood in a variety of countries including the United Kingdom, Portugal and the United States.
On January 29, 2000, he married independent film producer Sibi Blazic (an ex-model, ex-makeup artist, and a former personal assistant of Winona Ryder, who reportedly introduced them at one of her parties). Together they have a daughter who was born on March 27, 2005 in Los Angeles, but the notoriously private Bale has not revealed her name to the public.
Bale is Gloria Steinem's stepson due to her marriage in 2000 to David Bale (he passed away in 2003).
Bale is active in several environmental and animal protection organizations including Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund.
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, a performance for which he received an enormous amount of critical praise. Bale next appeared in Kenneth Branagh's 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.
Bale garnered further attention when he won the much-coveted role of Laurie in the 1994 film adaptation of Little Women, after being 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 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 and adulation from many comic book fans who were finally satisfied with what is seen as a proper portrayal of the character.
Bale lost more than 60 pounds for his role in The Machinist
After The Machinist, Bale regained original weight and 20 pounds more for Batman Begins
Bale was in the news when he lost 60 pounds for his role in The Machinist, going from muscular to cadaverous and seriously risking his health. Immediately after wrapping that film, Bale regained the weight and added on an additional 20-odd pounds of muscle for his role in Batman Begins, within four months. He has said this most likely damaged his metabolism, but to observers, it gained him status as one of the most dedicated character actors of his generation.
Bale is known to become the character he plays. Director Mary Harron of American Psycho once noted that during the satirical business card comparison scene, Bale would sweat at the exact same moment during multiple takes which led to Harron dubbing him 'Roboactor'.
Bale is especially noted for his online fan following, becoming a cult icon. The 10th Anniversary issue of Entertainment Weekly crowned Bale as one of the "Top 8 Most Powerful Cult Figures" of the past decade, citing his incredible and legendary cult status on the Internet. Entertainment Weekly also called Bale one of the "Most Creative People in Entertainment" after his turn in American Psycho. It was various online polls asking who would best suit the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman that got the attention of producers for Batman Begins. Bale was the clear fan favorite and is considered to be one of the best actors to ever portray a comic book character.
Bale is usually critically lauded not only for his acting abilities, but also for 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, a homosexual character in Velvet Goldmine, the psychologically disturbed and complex Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman Begins, or the emaciated and insane title character of The Machinist, in spite of the potential risks to both his career and his public reputation.
Bale was reported to be on George Lucas's short list of potential actors to play the role of Anakin Skywalker in episodes two and three of Star Wars, which instead went to Hayden Christensen.
Bale is renowned for his flawless ability to mimic accents. He has used a different one in every movie he has acted in, even conducting publicity interviews for Batman Begins with an American accent (his true accent is Welsh but due to moving around has become more typical modern English).
Filmography
Bale as Batman in Batman Begins
Untitled Batman Begins Sequel (2008) (pre-production) .... Bruce Wayne/Batman
I'm Not There: Suppositions on a Film Concerning Dylan (2006) (pre-production)
The Prestige (2006) (filming) .... Alfred Borden
Rescue Dawn (2006) (completed) .... Dieter Dengler
The New World (2005) .... John Rolfe
Harsh Times (2005) .... Jim David
Batman Begins (2005) .... Bruce Wayne/Batman
Howl's Moving Castle (2004) (English version) .... Howl (voice)
The Machinist (2004) .... Trevor Reznik
Equilibrium (2002) .... John Preston
Reign of Fire (2002) .... Quinn Abercromby
Laurel Canyon (2002) .... Sam
Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001) .... Mandras
Shaft (2000) .... Walter Wade, Jr.
American Psycho (2000) .... Patrick Bateman
Mary, Mother of Jesus (1999) (TV) .... Jesus of Nazareth
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999) .... Demetrius
All the Little Animals (1998) .... Bobby Platt
Velvet Goldmine (1998) .... Arthur Stuart
Metroland (1997) .... Chris
The Portrait of a Lady (1996) .... Edward Rosier
The Secret Agent (1996) .... Stevie
Pocahontas (1995) .... Thomas (voice)
Little Women (1994) .... Laurie
Prince of Jutland (1994) .... Prince Amled
Swing Kids (1993) .... Thomas Berger
Newsies (1992) .... Jack Kelly
A Murder of Quality (1991) (TV) .... Tim Perkins
Treasure Island (1990) (TV) .... Jim Hawkins
Henry V (1989) .... Falstaff's Boy
Empire of the Sun (1987) .... Jim
Mio min Mio (1987) .... Jum-Jum
Heart of the Country (1987) (mini TV series) .... Ben Harris
Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986) (TV) .... Alexei
