Christian Bale
Actor · Producer · Voice Actor - Dubbing
Born January 30, 1974 · Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK
5
Films reviewed
8.5
Avg. rating
The Dark Knight
Best-reviewed
2005–2019
Years active
Biography
Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Forbes magazine ranked him as one of the highest-paid actors in 2014.
Born in Wales to English parents, Bale had his breakthrough role at age 13 in Steven Spielberg's 1987 war film Empire of the Sun. After more than a decade of performing in leading and supporting roles in films, he gained wider recognition for his portrayals of serial killer Patrick Bateman in the black comedy American Psycho (2000) and the titular role in the psychological thriller The Machinist (2004). In 2005, he played superhero Batman in Batman Begins and again in The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), garnering acclaim for his performance in the trilogy, which is one of the highest-grossing film franchises.
Bale continued in starring roles in a range of films outside his work as Batman, including the period drama The Prestige (2006), the action film Terminator Salvation (2009), the crime drama Public Enemies (2009), the epic film Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) and the superhero film Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). For his portrayal of boxer Dicky Eklund in the 2010 biographical film The Fighter, he won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Further Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations came for his work in the black comedy American Hustle (2013) and the biographical dramedies The Big Short (2015) and Vice (2018). His performances as politician Dick Cheney in Vice and race car driver Ken Miles in the sports drama Ford v Ferrari (2019) earned him a second win and a fifth nomination respectively at the Golden Globe Awards.
On theIReview.com
Films featuring Christian Balethat we've reviewed.
★ 8.1Ford v Ferrari
as Ken Miles, English race car driver
James Mangold · 2019
RT 92%
★ 8.4The Dark Knight Rises
as Bruce Wayne / Batman:A billionaire socialite who dedicates himself to protecting Gotham City from its criminal underworld, as a feared vigilante. Nolan has stated that, due to the eight-year gap between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, "he's an older Bruce Wayne; he's not in a great state." Bale employed a martial arts discipline called the Keysi Fighting Method, now modified for Wayne's current state and Bane's style. Bale has stated that The Dark Knight Rises would be his final Batman film. Bale acknowledged that Batman is "not a healthy individual, this is somebody that is doing good, but he's right on the verge of doing bad". Bale clarifies that "He doesn't want to forget [his parents' deaths]. He wants to maintain that anger he felt at that injustice". Bale felt bittersweet about leaving the franchise, saying that it was like "saying goodbye to an old friend."
Christopher Nolan · 2012
RT 87%
★ 9.1The Dark Knight
as Bruce Wayne / Batman: A wealthy socialite who as a child was traumatized by his parents' murder. Wayne secretly operates as the heroic vigilante Batman.
Christopher Nolan · 2008
RT 94%
★ 8.5The Prestige
as Alfred "The Professor" Borden / Frederick Borden / Bernard Fallon, a working-class English magician. While Nolan had previously cast Bale as Batman in Batman Begins (2005), he did not consider Bale for the role of Borden until Bale contacted him about the script. Nolan subsequently believed that Bale was "exactly right" for the part and that it was "unthinkable" for anyone else to play it. Nolan suggested that the actors not read the original novel, but Bale ignored the advice.
Christopher Nolan · 2006
RT 76%
★ 8.2Batman Begins
as Bruce Wayne / Batman:A billionaire socialite who, after witnessing his parents' death in a mugging at age 8, travels around the world seven years before returning home to inherit his family company Wayne Enterprises whilst operating at night as a bat-masked vigilante bringing justice upon the criminal underworld of Gotham City. Bale was relatively unknown when cast. Before he was confirmed on September 11, 2003, having expressed interest in the role since Darren Aronofsky was planning his own film adaptation, Eion Bailey, Henry Cavill, who would later be cast as Superman, Billy Crudup, Hugh Dancy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joshua Jackson, David Boreanaz, Heath Ledger, who later played the Joker in The Dark Knight, and Cillian Murphy, who would later be cast as Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow, took interest in it as well. While still attached to the project, Aronofsky revealed in a 2020 interview for Empire magazine that he wanted Joaquin Phoenix for the role, but the studio wanted Freddie Prinze Jr. instead. Josh Hartnett met with Nolan about the role, but decided against pursuing it. Bale, Bailey and Murphy auditioned using the Batman Forever sonar suit donated by Val Kilmer, but the cape was lost, and Amy Adams served as the casting reader for the casting of Bruce Wayne / Batman in a favor to the casting director. Though his friends doubted him stating it was not going to work, Bale was convinced by Nolan's approach and he felt that the previous films underused Batman's character, overplaying the villains instead. To best pose as Batman, Bale studied graphic novels and illustrations of the superhero. Director Nolan said of Bale, "He has exactly the balance of darkness and light that we were looking for." Goyer stated that while some actors could play a great Bruce Wayne or a great Batman, Bale could portray both radically different personalities. Since he had lost a great deal of weight in preparation for his role in The Machinist, Bale hired a personal trainer to help him gain of muscle in the span of only a couple of months to help him physically prepare for the role. After realizing he went over by , he lost the excess weight by the time filming began. Bale trained in Wing Chun Kung Fu under Eric Oram in preparation for the movie.
Christopher Nolan · 2005
RT 85%
Review Highlights
AI-summarized critic and audience reaction, pulled from the Fan & Critic Buzz on their highest-rated films with us.
“The movie "The Dark Knight" received widespread acclaim with many reviewers praising its exceptional quality, particularly Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. The film was described as a masterpiece by some, while others cited it as one of the best superhero movies ever made. Critics also commended Christian Bale's portrayal of Batman and Christopher Nolan's direction.”
From the Fan & Critic Buzz on The Dark Knight →
“Here are 3 summaries of public reaction based on the text: The movie's mind-blowing storyline has left viewers perplexed at first but ultimately shocked by its twist. Those who have seen the film praise it as an expertly made magic trick that lasts over two hours and is well worth the investment. Some critics, however, are disappointed with Nolan's period drama tendencies, suggesting he should focus on more conventional genres.”
From the Fan & Critic Buzz on The Prestige →
Selected Filmography
- GMTV(1993)TV Series · 1 epas Self
- Wogan(1982)TV Series · 1 epas Self
- MTV Movie & TV Awards(1992)TV Series · 1 epas Self / Presenter
- Thor: Love and Thunder(2022)as Gorr
- American Psycho(2000)as Patrick Bateman
- The Big Short(2015)as Michael Burry
- The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn(1999)TV Series · 1 epas Self - Guest
- The Bride!(2026)as Frank
- Terminator Salvation(2009)as John Connor
- Exodus: Gods and Kings(2014)as Moses
- Entertainment Tonight(1981)TV Series · 1 ep
- Pocahontas(1995)as Thomas (voice)
- HBO First Look(1992)TV Series · 1 epas Self
- The Fighter(2010)as Dicky Eklund
- Public Enemies(2009)as Melvin Purvis
- Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle(2018)as Bagheera (voice)
- Hostiles(2017)as Captain Joseph J. Blocker
- American Hustle(2013)as Irving Rosenfeld
- 3:10 to Yuma(2007)as Dan Evans
- The Machinist(2004)as Trevor Reznik