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Actor · Acting

Christian Bale

Born 1974-01-30
📍 Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK

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.

Filmography 87

The Resurrection of Christ
2026
The Bride!
as Frank
2026
Sibyl
as (Archive footage)
2025
The Pale Blue Eye
as Augustus Landor
2022
Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer
as Self
2022
Amsterdam
as Burt Berendsen
2022
Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Thor: Love and Thunder
as Self - Gorr
2022
Thor: Love and Thunder
as Gorr
2022
Catwoman: The Feline Femme Fatale
as Self
2021
Joker: Put on a Happy Face
as Self
2020
Ford v Ferrari: Bringing the Rivalry to Life
as Self
2020
Ford v Ferrari
as Ken Miles
2019
Vice
as Dick Cheney
2018
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
as Bagheera (voice)
2018
Hostiles
as Captain Joseph J. Blocker
2017
Spielberg
as Self - Segment "Empire of the Sun"
2017
The Promise
as Chris Myers
2016
The Big Short
as Michael Burry
2015
Knight of Cups
as Rick
2015
Keepers of the Covenant: Making 'Exodus: Gods and Kings'
as Self
2015
Exodus: Gods and Kings
as Moses
2014
The Making of American Hustle
as Self
2014
American Hustle
as Irving Rosenfeld
2013
Out of the Furnace
as Russell Baze
2013
Ending the Knight
as Self
2012
The Dark Knight Rises
as Bruce Wayne
2012
The Batmobile
as Self
2012
The Flowers of War
as John Miller
2011
Making of "The Flowers of War"
2011
The Fighter
as Dicky Eklund
2010
Public Enemies
as Melvin Purvis
2009
Heath Ledger: A Tribute
as Self
2009
Terminator Salvation
as John Connor
2009
The Dark Knight
as Bruce Wayne
2008
Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight
as Self
2008
Gotham Uncovered: Creation of a Scene
as Self
2008
Gotham Tonight
as Bruce Wayne
2008
Making of a True Story: Rescue Dawn
as Self
2007
I'm Not There
as Jack / Pastor John
2007
3:10 to Yuma
as Dan Evans
2007
Rescue Dawn
as Dieter Dengler
2007
The Director's Notebook: The Cinematic Sleight of Hand of Christopher Nolan
as Self
2007
The Prestige
as Alfred Borden
2006
The New World
as John Rolfe
2005
Harsh Times
as Jim Luther Davis
2005
Batman Begins
as Bruce Wayne / Batman
2005
Tankman Begins
as Batman (archive footage)
2005
The Machinist
as Trevor Reznik
2004
Laurel Canyon
as Sam
2003
Equilibrium
as John Preston
2002
Reign of Fire
as Quinn Abercromby
2002
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
as Mandras
2001
Shaft
as Walter Wade, Jr.
2000
American Psycho
as Patrick Bateman
2000
Mary, Mother of Jesus
as Jesus of Nazareth
1999
The Early Show
as Self
1999
All the Little Animals
as Bobby Platt
1999
A Midsummer Night's Dream
as Demetrius
1999
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn
as Self - Guest
1999
Dying to Tell the Story
as Narrator / Dan Eldon (uncredited) (voice)
1998
Velvet Goldmine
as Arthur Stuart
1998
Metroland
as Chris
1997
The Secret Agent
as Stevie
1996
The Portrait of a Lady
as Edward Rosier
1996
E! True Hollywood Story
as Self (archive footage)
1996
Pocahontas
as Thomas (voice)
1995
Little Women
as Laurie
1994
Prince of Jutland
as Amled
1994
Swing Kids
as Thomas Berger
1993
GMTV
as Self
1993
HBO First Look
as Self
1992
MTV Movie & TV Awards
as Self / Presenter
1992
Newsies
as Jack 'Cowboy' Kelly
1992
A Murder of Quality
as Tim Perkins
1991
Blood Drips Heavily on Newsie Square
as Self
1991
Treasure Island
as Jim Hawkins
1990
Henry V
as Robin the Luggage-Boy
1989
The China Odyssey: Empire of the Sun
as Self
1987
Empire of the Sun
as Jim
1987
Mio in the Land of Faraway
as Jum-Jum / Benke
1987
Heart of the Country
as Ben Harris
1987
Citizen Steve
as Self - Actor
1987
Anastasia - The Mystery of Anna
as Tsarevich Alexei
1986
Wogan
as Self
1982
Entertainment Tonight
as Self
1981
Entertainment Tonight
1981
Heat 2