Biography of Christian Bale

Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is a British-born actor with dual citizenship of the United States, known for his intense method acting style, often transforming his body drastically for his roles. Bale is the recipient of many awards, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globes, and was featured in the Time 100 list of 2011.

Born in Haverfordwest, Wales, to English parents, Bale had his first starring role at age 13 in Steven Spielberg's war film Empire of the Sun (1987). Following a decade of leading and supporting roles, including in Little Women (1994), he gained wider recognition for portraying the serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho (2000). In 2004, he lost 63 pounds for his role in the psychological thriller The Machinist (2004). Within six months, he gained 100 pounds to star as Batman in Christopher Nolan's superhero film Batman Begins (2005). He later reprised his role in The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

Bale continued to take on starring roles, in Nolan's period drama The Prestige (2006), the western 3:10 to Yuma (2007), the science fiction film Terminator Salvation (2009), and the crime drama Public Enemies (2009). He won the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Dicky Eklund in the David O. Russell-directed biographical film The Fighter (2010). This acclaim continued with his Oscar-nominated roles in Russell's black comedy American Hustle (2013) and in Adam McKay's satires The Big Short (2015) and Vice (2018). For portraying Dick Cheney in the latter, he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.