Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is a Welsh-born English

Bale first caught the public eye when he was cast in the starring role of Spielberg's Empire of the Sun at the age of 13, playing an English boy who becomes separated from his parents and subsequently finds himself lost in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Since then, he has portrayed a wide range of characters. Bale is especially noted for his cult following. The tenth anniversary issue of Entertainment Weekly hailed him as one of the “Top 8 Most Powerful Cult Figures of the Past Decade”, citing his impressive cult status on the Internet. Entertainment Weekly also called Bale one of the “Most Creative People in Entertainment,” after his performance in American Psycho.

Early life

In 1976, when Bale was two years old, his family left Wales and returned to England. They settled for four years in Bournemouth and Henley-on-Thames, where Bale attended Bournemouth School and Shiplake C of E Primary school respectively. He also participated actively in rugby union. Bale has described his childhood, with respect to his mother being in the circus, as interesting. This unconventional life for a long while suited Christian's mother, Jenny, who worked as a clown and a dancer, riding elephants and introducing acts in the circus. Christian has recalled, at age 7, having a great time in a circus caravan surrounded by beautiful women wearing only fishnet stockings and peacock head-dresses. He recalled his first kiss was with an acrobat named Barta. As a child, he trained in ballet and guitar. His sister Louise's work in theatre also influenced his decision to become an actor. Furthermore, in an interview Bale speaks of his grandfather being a stand up comedian, ventriloquist, and magician. His grandfather doubled for John Wayne in two movies in Africa. Bale's father David was very supportive of his son's acting, resigning from his job as a commercial pilot to travel and manage Bale's burgeoning career. David later married feminist icon Gloria Steinem on 3 September 2000 (he had previously divorced Bale's mother Jenny). He died on 30 December 2003, from brain lymphoma, aged 62.

Bale's first foray into acting was a commercial for the fabric softener Lenor in 1982, when he was eight years old. Hotdog. “Batman Begins” Christian Bale – An Unofficial Appreciation, March, 2005, retrieved on 2006-05-15. He appeared in a Pac-Man cereal commercial playing a child rock star a year later and in 1984 made his stage debut in the The Nerd, opposite Rowan Atkinson.