Christian Bale

Christian Bale, with his iconic portrayal of the character Bruce Wayne A.K.A. Batman, has set standards for future actors. The actor behind such an iconic representation of the Dark Knight in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is famous for his method acting and his full body transformation for any role.

Bale was born on January 30, 1974, in Haverfordwest, Wales, to English parent, David Bale as Christian Charles Philip Bale.  Bale has three sisters and spent his childhood between Wales, Surrey, and Dorset in England and Portugal. He attended Bournemouth School before leaving school at just 16.

The Christian Bale and Sibi Blazic Story 

Bale met his partner in crime Sibi Blazic when she was working as the personal assistant of actress Winona Ryder who was also Bale's friend at the time. The couple would eventually tie the knot on January 29, 2000, when they eloped to Las Vegas.

Bale told The Sydney Morning Herald in July 2012 that,

I never planned to marry. Everyone was divorced in my family so I didn't have very healthy ideas about marriage.

But it turns out he was waiting for the right woman to swoop him off his feet. The couple after being married for five years bought their daughter Emmeline into the world in 2005, and their son Joseph was born nine years after his sister in 2014. Recently, the media spotted Bale with his son in Los Angeles on his daddy duties. 

Bale keeps his children as much away from the spotlight as possible. He doesn't shy away from joking with them as seen when he called them "Banana and Burrito" in his 2019 Golden Globes Award acceptance speech.

Bale also shows his appreciation towards his other half in public, saying in 2011's Critics choice awards. He said, 

"She's had to be married to so many different characters over our marriage" 

Referring to the full range of characters he gets heavily involved in and went on to add how much he owes to her. His wife is a strong pillar in his personal and professional career, and Bale praises his wife as a strong woman.

How much is Christian Bale Net Worth?

Bale has a net worth of an estimated $80 million with his earnings coming primarily from his acting career. Bale is considered one of the best actors in Hollywood because of his acting skills and is amongst the top earners like Sacha Baron Cohen. 

Bale earned an estimated $9 million, $10 million, and $15 million for his roles in the three Batman movies, respectively. He also received $8 million from his role in The Terminator Salvation, $1 million from American Psycho, and $250,000 from The Machinist. 

Some of his notable movies and their Box office earnings are shown below.

Bale also owns a $8.8 million mansion in Brentwood Park and a $1.7 million home in Pacific Palisades.

Christian Bale's Movies and Career

Bale started his career early in 1982 for a fabric softener commercial and in 1984 for Pac-Man cereal commercial. The same year he would make his stage debut alongside Rowan Atkinson in The Nerd on London's West End.

He made his film debut in 1986 for TV film Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, this was followed by roles in the miniseries Heart of the Country and the Mio in the Land of Faraway.

However, his breakthrough role would come in 1987 for his performance in the Empire of the Sun for which he received the "Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor" award. Bale was already famous at a young age, like Leeya Eliana Shapiro.

He then went on to star in movies such as Henry V, Treasure Island, Little Women, Velvet Goldmine and had lent his voice in Disney's Pocahontas until 1998.

Bale's Rise to Stardom

In 1999, Bale portrayed Patrick Bateman in American Psyhco, directed by Barry Harron. He was hailed for his performance and was called "heroic" by some critics. Christian approached his role methodically and was distant from the cast & crew to maintain the dark side of the character.

From 2000-2004, he appeared in 7 movies with the most noteworthy performances coming from Reign of Fire, Equilibrium, and The Machinist. His extreme transformation in The Machinist saw him loose and around 63 pounds in just a matter of months. Bale described his conversion as "very calming mentally."

Bale's Batman portrayal

In 2005 Bale starred in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, where he portrayed Batman and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne. Bale gained a total of 100 pounds(45 kg) in six months to achieve Batman's physical appearance. His role came just after his film The Machinist. 

The critics and the audience hailed bale's performance as Batman; the movie was also a financial and critical success. Bale appeared in several films throughout 2005-2008, with the most notable performances coming from The Prestige and Rescue Dawn.

In 2008 Bale would again team up with Nolan to film the second part of the Batman Trilogy, called The Dark Knight. The movie was acclaimed critically and became a box office success with a collection of $1 billion worldwide. 

After the film, the audience saw the rise of character Joker portrayed by Heath Ledger. The same year Bale starred in Public Enemies alongside Johnny Depp. In 2009 Bale portrayed John Connor in the Terminator Franchise's Terminator Salvation. 

He also starred in The Fighter alongside Mark Wahlberg as Dicky Eklund in 2010. This movie saw him win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 83rd Academy Awards. Recently, the nominations for 92nd Oscar Award are out where Bale did not make a list for Ford v Ferrari.

The Academy Award winner again partnered with Nolan in 2012 for the final installment of the Batman Trilogy called The Dark Knight Rises. He starred alongside Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, and Morgan Freeman. 

Life After the Batman Trilogy

After the final installment of the Batman Trilogy, Bale starred in Scott Cooper's Out of Furnace in 2013, the same year he starred in American Hustle as Irving Rosenfeld. He appeared in Exodus: Gods and Kings in 2014 and Knights of Cups in 2015. 

The actors' most prominent performances came in 2018's Vice as Dick Cheney, which saw him win a Golden Globe Award. Bale also received the nominations in the 2020 Golden Globes Awards.

Bale, in his acceptance speech, thanked Satan for inspiring his role as Dick Cheney as published by Variety. In 2019's Ford v Ferrari  Bale appeared as Ken Miles, and his performance was hailed critically.

Christian Bale's Transformations

Bale is famous for his dedication he gives to the characters he portrays. He goes to the extreme and takes on the seemingly impossible body and mental transformation demanded by his roles.

Bale has gone through incredible body transformations starting his role in The Machinist when he lost 63 pounds but then again gained 100 pounds in just six months for his role in Batman Begins. He again lost over 30 pounds for his part in The Fighter in 2010. Similarly, he had to be buffed in 2012 for his role as Batman in The Dark Knight Rises.

Bale repeated his routine when he gained over 40 pounds for his role in America Hustle and dropped the weight gained in 6 months for his role in Exodus: Gods and Kings. Though, it wouldn't be the last time he did so again gaining 40 pounds for Vice in 2019 and losing almost 70 pounds for Ford v Ferrari.

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