Christian Bale

Christian Bale
Christian Bale in a black suit at a movie premiere.
Bale in June 2009
Born Christian Charles Philip Bale
30 January 1974 (1974-01-30) (age 37)
Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales[1]
Occupation Actor
Years active 1982–present
Spouse Sandra "Sibi" Blažić (2000-present)

Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor.[2] In addition to starring roles in big budget Hollywood films, he has long been heavily involved in films produced by independent producers and art houses.

Bale first caught the public eye when he was cast in the starring role of Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun at the age of 13, playing an English boy who is 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 cult status on the Internet.[3] EW called Bale one of the "Most Creative People in Entertainment" in anticipation of the release American Psycho (2000).[4] The Guardian named Bale as one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.[5]

Contents

Early life

Bale was born in Wales to parents of English descent. His father, David Bale, was an entrepreneur, commercial pilot, and talent manager and his mother, Jenny James, was a circus clown and performer.[6][7][8] He is the youngest of four children. After leaving Britain in 1976, Bale spent his childhood in several countries, including Portugal and the United States.[1]

Settling for four years in Bournemouth and Henley-on-Thames, Bale was educated at Shiplake C of E Primary School, the independent Dolphin School in Berkshire, and at Bournemouth School. He participated actively in rugby union.[1] Bale has described his childhood, with respect to his mother being in the circus, as "interesting". He recalled his first kiss was with an acrobat named Barta.[1] As a child, he trained in ballet and guitar.[1] His sister Louise's work in theatre also influenced his decision to become an actor.[1] Bale's father was very supportive of his son's acting, resigning from his job as a commercial pilot to travel and manage Bale's burgeoning career.[1] The elder Bale later married feminist icon Gloria Steinem,[9] and died at the age of 62 on 30 December 2003, from brain lymphoma.[8]

Bale's first foray into acting was a commercial for the fabric softener Lenor in 1982, when he was eight years old.[10] He appeared in a Pac-Man cereal commercial playing a child rock star a year later[11] and in 1984 made his stage debut in The Nerd, opposite Rowan Atkinson.[12]

Career

1986-1998

Black and white press kit photograph
13-year-old Bale with Nigel Havers in Empire of the Sun (1987)
Black and white photograph of Christian Bale
A 14-year old Bale in Stockholm, Sweden in February 1988 while promoting Empire of the Sun

Bale made his film debut as Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich of Russia in the made-for-television film Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna in 1986, which was followed by leading roles in the miniseries Heart of the Country and the fantasy adventure Mio in the Land of Faraway, in which he appeared for the first time with Christopher Lee and Nick Pickard.

In 1987, Amy Irving, his co-star in Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, recommended Bale to her then-husband, Steven Spielberg, for a role in Empire of the Sun, adapted from the J.G. Ballard semi-autobiography.[1] Bale's performance as Jim Graham earned him widespread critical praise and the first ever "Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor" award from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.[13] The attention the press and his schoolmates lavished upon him after this took a toll on Bale, and he contemplated giving up acting until Kenneth Branagh approached him and persuaded him to appear in Henry V in 1989.[13] In 1990 he played the role of Jim Hawkins opposite Charlton Heston (as Long John Silver) in Treasure Island, an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic book.

In 1992, Bale starred as Jack Kelly in the Disney musical Newsies, and followed it up in 1993 with another release, Swing Kids, a movie about teenagers who secretly listened to forbidden jazz during the rise of Nazi Germany.[14] Bale was recommended by actress Winona Ryder to star in Gillian Armstrong's 1994 film Little Women.[13] Bale provided the voice for Thomas, a young compatriot of Captain John Smith, in Disney's Pocahontas (1995) and in 1997 played Arthur Stuart in Velvet Goldmine, Todd Haynes' tribute to glam rock.[14] In 1999, Bale contributed to an all-star cast, including Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stanley Tucci, and Rupert Everett, portraying Demetrius in an updated version of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.[14]

1999–2001

In 1999, Bale played serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, director Mary Harron's adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' controversial novel. Bale was briefly dropped from the project in favor of Leonardo DiCaprio, but DiCaprio eventually dropped out to star in The Beach, and Bale was cast once again. He researched his character by studying the novel and prepared himself physically for the role by spending months tanning and exercising in order to achieve Bateman's Olympian physique,[15] even going so far as to distance himself from the cast and crew in order to preserve the darker side of Bateman's character.[16] American Psycho premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival to much controversy. Roger Ebert condemned the film at first, calling it pornography[17] and “the most loathed film at Sundance,”[18] but gave it a favourable review, writing that Harron “transformed a novel about bloodlust into a movie about men's vanity.” Of Bale's performance, he wrote, “Christian Bale is heroic in the way he allows the character to leap joyfully into despicability; there is no instinct for self-preservation here, and that is one mark of a good actor.”[19]

On April 14, 2000, Lions Gate Films released American Psycho in theatres. Bale was later approached to make a cameo appearance in another Bret Easton Ellis adaptation, The Rules of Attraction, a film loosely connected to American Psycho, but he declined out of loyalty to Harron's vision of Bateman, which he felt could not be properly expressed by anyone else.[20] In 2000, he played the main villain in John Singleton's remake of the 1971 film, Shaft.

Bale has played an assortment of diverse characters since 2001. His first role after American Psycho was in the John Madden adaptation of the best-selling novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Bale played Mandras, a Greek fisherman who vied with Nicolas Cage's title character for the affections of the desirable Pelagia (Penelope Cruz). Captain Corelli's Mandolin was Bale's second time working with John Hurt, after All the Little Animals.

2002–2004

From 2002 to 2003, Bale starred in three feature films. Laurel Canyon (2002) was generally well received by critics.[21] This film also marked the second time he worked with actress Kate Beckinsale, his costar in Prince of Jutland (1994). Critics generally focused on star Frances McDormand's performance over the rest of the cast.[22]

Reign of Fire was Bale's first action vehicle and had, compared to all his previous work, an immense budget estimated at US$95,000,000.[23] Bale entered into negotiations about starring in the film with reservations, but director Rob Bowman convinced him to take the lead role.[24] Bale starred as Quinn Abercromby opposite Matthew McConaughey's Denton Van Zan. Bale and McConaughey trained for their respective roles by boxing and working out.[24]

Equilibrium was Bale's third film of 2002, costing US$20 million to produce but earning just over US$5 million worldwide.[25] In Equilibrium, Bale played John Preston, an elite law enforcer in a dystopian society. Equilibrium featured a fictional martial art called Gun Kata that combined gunfighting with hand-to-hand combat. According to moviebodycounts.com, the character of John Preston has the third most on-screen kills in a single movie ever with 118, exactly half of the movie's total of 236.[26]

After a year's hiatus, Bale returned in 2004 to play Trevor Reznik, the title character in the psychological thriller The Machinist. Bale gained attention for his devotion to the role and for the lengths to which he went to achieve Reznik's emaciated, skeletal appearance. He went without proper rest for prolonged periods, and placed himself on a crash diet of generally coffee and apples,[27] which reduced his weight by 63 pounds (4 st 4 lb/27 kg) in a matter of months.[28] By the end of filming Bale weighed only 121 pounds (8 st 9 lb/55 kg),[27] a transformation he described as "very calming mentally"[29] and which drew comparisons to Robert De Niro's alternate weight-gaining regimen for his role as Jake LaMotta in the 1980 film Raging Bull.[30] Bale claimed that he had not worked for a period of time before he was cast in the film. "...I just hadn't found scripts that I'd really been interested in. So I was really dying for something to arrive. Then when this one did, I just didn't want to put it down. I finished it and, upon the kind of revelation that you get at the end, I immediately wanted to go back and re-visit it, to take a look at what clues I could have gotten throughout."[31] The Machinist was a low-budget production, costing roughly US$5 million to produce, and was given only a limited US release.

Bale, an admirer of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away,[20] was then cast as the voice of the title character, Howl, in the English language dub of the Japanese director's fantasy anime adventure Howl's Moving Castle, an adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones's children's novel. Its profits in the US were US$4,711,096, a fraction of its worldwide gross (US$235,184,110).[32]

Batman: 2005–present

It was reported that Bale had previously auditioned for the role of Robin in Batman Forever (1995) and later Batman and Robin (1997), but lost out to Chris O'Donnell. However, this rumor was later dispelled by Bale himself in a magazine interview in 2008.[33] In 2004, after completing filming for The Machinist, Bale won the coveted role of Batman and his alter ego Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, a reboot of the Batman film series. Bale beat out Jake Gyllenhaal, the closest competition for the role,[34]

Still fresh off The Machinist, it became necessary for Bale to bulk up to match Batman's muscular physique. He was given a deadline of six months to do this. Bale recalled it as far from a simple accomplishment: “...when it actually came to building muscle, I was useless. I couldn’t do one push up the first day. All of the muscles were gone, so I had a real tough time rebuilding all of that.”[28] With the help of a personal trainer, Bale succeeded in meeting the deadline, gaining a total of 100 lb (45 kg) in six months. He went from about 130 lbs to 230 lbs.[35] He then discovered that he had actually gained more weight than the director desired, and dropped his weight to 190 lbs by the time filming began.[36]

Bale had initial concerns about playing Batman, as he felt more ridiculous than intimidating in the Batsuit. He dealt with this by depicting Batman as a savage beast in his portrayal.[28] To attain a deeper understanding of the character, Bale read various Batman comic books. He explained his interpretation of the young boy: “Batman is his hidden, demonic rage-filled side. The creature Batman creates is an absolutely sincere creature and one that he has to control but does so in a very haphazard way. He's capable of enacting violence — and to kill — so he's constantly having to rein himself in.” For Bale, the most gruelling part about playing Batman was the suit. “You stick it on, you get hot, you sweat and you get a headache in the mask,” he said. “But I'm not going to bitch about it because I get to play Batman.”[37] When promoting the film in interviews and public events, Bale retained an American accent to avoid confusion.[38]

Batman Begins was released in the U.S. on June 15, 2005 and was a U.S. and international triumph for Warner Bros., costing approximately US$135 million to produce and taking in over US$370 million in returns worldwide.[39] Bale earned the Best Hero award at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards for his performance.[40]

Bale reprised his role as Batman in the Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight. He trained in the Keysi Fighting Method, and performed many of his own stunts.[41] The Dark Knight was released in the U.S. on July 18, 2008 and stormed through the box-office, with a record-breaking $158.4 million in the U.S. in its first weekend.[42] It broke the $300 million barrier in 10 days, the $400 million mark in 16 days and the $500 million mark in 43 days, three new U.S. box office records set by the film.[43] The film went on to gross over $1 billion at the box office worldwide, making it the seventh-highest grossing movie worldwide of all time, before adjusting for inflation.[44]

It has been confirmed that Bale will star in the third projected movie in the rebooted franchise, that will be released on July 20, 2012,[45] making Bale the actor who has played Batman more times than any other actor in film.

2006–2009

Close-up of Christian Bale's face.
Bale in 2008

After Batman Begins, Bale returned to appearing in independent films. He was cast as one of the two leads in the South Central David Ayer-helmed crime drama Harsh Times, co-starring with Freddy Rodriguez and Eva Longoria. Bale played Jim Luther Davis, a grim Afghanistan War veteran afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder, inexplicably approached by the Department of Homeland Security and hired as a federal agent. Harsh Times premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival and had a wide release on 10 November 2006.[46]

Terrence Malick directed The New World, a period piece inspired by the stories of Pocahontas, and Bale was cast as John Rolfe. He shared the screen with Colin Farrell and Q'Orianka Kilcher, who played John Smith and Pocahontas. The majority of screen time was devoted to Farrell and Kilcher; Bale was a secondary character, and only appeared during the last third of the film. The film was a failure at the U.S. box office and its worldwide total (US$29,506,437) fell short of turning a profit (the production budget was placed at US$30 million).[47]

In 2006, Bale took on four projects. Rescue Dawn, by German filmmaker Werner Herzog, had him playing U.S. Fighter pilot Dieter Dengler, who has to fight for his life after being shot down while on a mission during the Vietnam War. Bale left a strong impression on Herzog, with the director complimenting his acting abilities: “I find him one of the greatest talents of his generation. We made up our own minds long before he did Batman.”[48]

"I kind of like movies where I just get to just be dirty and crawling in the mud, "Rescue Dawn" it was all very primordial stuff, and with this one it was all about wearing the same clothes day after day and getting sweaty and dirty and sun exposure, and it's meant to be like that; Westerns are meant to be dirty, they shouldn't be all nice and clean. And I like getting my hand dirty."

Christian Bale on 3:10 to Yuma[49]

In The Prestige, an adaptation of the Christopher Priest novel about a rivalry between two Victorian stage magicians, Bale was reunited with Batman Begins' Michael Caine and director Christopher Nolan. The cast of The Prestige also included Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Piper Perabo, and David Bowie. I'm Not There, a film in which Bale again worked alongside Todd Haynes and Heath Ledger (who would go on to play The Joker in The Dark Knight), is an artistic reflection of the life of Bob Dylan. He also starred with Russell Crowe in a commercially and critically successful remake of the Western film 3:10 to Yuma. Bale was originally cast to play George W. Bush in Oliver Stone's film W., but dropped out due to the prosthetics involved.[50]

Bale also played John Connor in Terminator Salvation[51] and FBI agent Melvin Purvis in Michael Mann's Public Enemies.[52] Writer/director Joe Carnahan confirmed in November 2007 that Bale is also involved in the upcoming movie Killing Pablo in which he is to play Major Steve Jacoby.[53] According to a Nuts magazine interview, Bale stated that he will be in the running to play the role of Solid Snake in a film adaptation of Metal Gear Solid.[54] He has been cast alongside Mark Wahlberg in David O. Russell directed drama The Fighter.[55]

Terminator Salvation incident

In July 2008, Bale had an angry tirade on the sets of Terminator Salvation, while filming in New Mexico.[56] In February 2009, the audio recording of the incident was released.[57][58] The tirade was directed at Shane Hurlbut, director of photography for the film. According to Bale, Hurlbut had, for the second time, ruined his concentration by walking into his line of sight during a scene.[56][59][60] The recording is of a highly agitated Bale directing profanities at Hurlbut, threatening and belittling him, and finally threatening to quit the film if Hurlbut repeated his offence without being fired for it.[59] It was reported that Warner film executives sent the tape to the insurer of the film in case Bale decided to quit the movie.[61] In an interview with E! Online, assistant director and producer of Terminator Salvation, Bruce Franklin, said it was an isolated incident. "If you are working in a very intense scene and someone takes you out of your groove...It was the most emotional scene in the movie," said Franklin. "And for him to get stopped in the middle of it. He is very intensely involved in his character. He didn't walk around like that all day long. It was just a moment and it passed."[62]

Actors Whoopi Goldberg and Terry Crews,[63][64] directors Darren Aronofsky[65] and Ron Howard,[66] as well as Ain't It Cool News website creator Harry Knowles[67] have also publicly defended Bale's actions, some of them citing the practice that crew members are to remain still while the camera is rolling. The incident also inspired experimental band The Mae Shi to write the song "R U Professional" which features samples from the recording.[68] Stephen Colbert parodied the incident on the February 4 episode of The Colbert Report, in which guest Steve Martin repeatedly walked in front of the camera and was berated by Colbert.[69] The incident was re-enacted on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, with Inside the Actor's Studio host James Lipton giving performances of both Bale and the crewmember.[70] An episode of the animated TV series Family Guy also mixes in the voice of Peter Griffin interacting with Bale and reacting to Bale's comments as if they were directed at him, also for comedic effect.[71]

After remaining silent for most of the week, Bale gave a public apology on 6 February 2009, to a Los Angeles radio station, KROQ. He stated that the outburst was "inexcusable" and that it was motivated by the day's shooting intensity.[72] Bale said he "acted like a punk", and that he and Hurlbut talked after the incident and "resolved this completely".[73] Bale acknowledged that the two worked together for several hours after the incident, and "at least a month after that". He noted, "I've seen a rough cut of the movie and he has done a wonderful job. It looks fantastic."[73]

2010–present

In early 2010, Bale was confirmed to be starring in a romantic love story that will be directed by Terrence Malick and will also star Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams and Olga Kurylenko.[74]

Personal life

On 29 January 2000, Bale married Sandra "Sibi" Blažić (born 1970), a one-time model, make-up artist and personal assistant to Winona Ryder; the couple have a daughter, Emmeline,[75] who was born on 27 March 2005, in Santa Monica, California.[76][77] Since 1992, Bale has resided in Los Angeles.[78]

Bale has three elder sisters – Erin Bale, a musician; Sharon Bale, a computer professional; and Louise Bale, a theatre actress and director. The Bale family is deeply rooted in show business, especially theatre. Bale is a distant relative of British actress Lillie Langtry, while his uncle, Rex Bale and maternal grandfather were actors as well.[1]

Like his late father, businessman David (1941–2003), Christian Bale actively supports environmental groups such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund.[10] Feminist activist Gloria Steinem became Bale's stepmother, and a first-time bride (at the age of 66), when she married David Bale on 3 September 2000.[9] They were together until the death of David Bale in 2003.[8]

During an interview promoting his 2009 film Public Enemies Bale said he is a video game fan, specifically of the Metal Gear Solid series. When questioned if he was in the running to play Solid Snake, Bale stated that he prefers to devote his spare time to more constructive things and dislikes talking about his personal life.[79]

Filmography

Year Movie Role Notes
1986 Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna Alexei television film
1987 Heart of the Country Ben Harris miniseries
Empire of the Sun Jamie "Jim" Graham
Mio min Mio Benke
Jum-Jum
1989 Henry V Falstaff's Boy
1990 Treasure Island Jim Hawkins
1991 A Murder of Quality Tim Perkins television film
1992 Newsies Jack "Cowboy" Kelly
Francis Sullivan
1993 Swing Kids Thomas Berger
1994 Little Women Theodore "Laurie" Lawrence
Prince of Jutland Amled
1995 Pocahontas Thomas animated film
voice only
1996 The Portrait of a Lady Edward Rosier
The Secret Agent Stevie
1997 Metroland Chris Lloyd
1998 Velvet Goldmine Arthur Stuart
1999 All the Little Animals Bobby Platt
Mary, Mother of Jesus Jesus of Nazareth television film
A Midsummer Night's Dream Demetrius
2000 Shaft Walter Wade, Jr.
American Psycho Patrick Bateman
2001 Captain Corelli's Mandolin Mandras
2002 Equilibrium Cleric John Preston
Reign of Fire Quinn Abercromby
Laurel Canyon Sam Bentley
2004 Howl's Moving Castle Howl English dub
voice only
The Machinist Trevor Reznik
2005 Batman Begins Bruce Wayne/Batman
The New World John Rolfe
2006 The Prestige Alfred Borden
Harsh Times Jim Luther Davis
2007 Rescue Dawn Dieter Dengler
I'm Not There Jack Rollins/Pastor John
3:10 to Yuma Dan Evans
2008 The Dark Knight Bruce Wayne/Batman
2009 Terminator Salvation John Connor
Public Enemies Melvin Purvis
2010 The Fighter[80] Dick Eklund post-production
2012 Untitled Batman Project[81] Bruce Wayne/Batman announced

Awards and nominations

Year Group Award Film/Show Result Win/Nom
1987 NBR Award Best Juvenile Performance Empire of the Sun Won 1–0
1989 Young Artist Awards Best Young Actor in a Motion Picture–Drama Won 2–0
2001 Chlotrudis Awards Best Actor American Psycho Won 3–0
Empire Award Best Actor Nominated 3–1
London Film Critics' Circle Awards British Actor of the Year Nominated 3–2
OFCS Award Best Actor Nominated 3–3
2004 CIFF Best Actor The Machinist Won 4–3
2005 Irish Film and Television Award Best International Actor Batman Begins Nominated 4–4
European Film Awards Best Actor The Machinist Nominated 4–5
Saturn Awards Best Actor Nominated 4–6
2006 London Film Critics' Circle Awards British Actor of the Year Nominated 5–7
MTV Movie Awards Best Hero Batman Begins Won 5–6
Empire Awards Best Actor Nominated 5–8
Saturn Awards Best Actor Won 6–8
Scream Awards Best Superhero Nominated 6–9
Most Heroic Performance Nominated 6–10
2007 Empire Award Best Actor The Prestige Nominated 6–11
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Special Award 3:10 to Yuma, I'm Not There, Rescue Dawn Won 7–11
Satellite Award Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama Rescue Dawn Nominated 7–12
2008 London Film Critics' Circle Awards British Actor of the Year 3:10 to Yuma Nominated 7–13
Independent Spirit Award Robert Altman Award (w/ Todd Haynes, Laura Rosenthal, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin, Bruce Greenwood, Charlotte Gainsbourg I'm Not There Won 8–13
Scream Awards Best Fantasy Actor The Dark Knight Nominated 8–14
Best Superhero Won 9–14
2009 Empire Awards Best Actor Won 10–14
People's Choice Awards Favorite Male Action Star Nominated 10–15
Favorite Leading Man Nominated 10–16
Favorite Superhero Won 11–16
Favorite On Screen Match Up (w/ Heath Ledger) Won 12–16
Favorite Cast (w/ Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal) Won 13–16
West Point Cadet Choice Awards Best Exemplification of Leadership Won 14–16

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Wills, Dominic. "Christian Bale Biography" Tiscali.co.uk, retrieved on 2006-05-17.
  2. ↑ "Christian Bale: American Psycho". IMDB News. http://www.christianbale.net/articles/2000/imdb2000.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-21. "I was born in Wales but I'm not Welsh - I'm English." 
  3. ↑ Wilson, Cintra (26 October 2004). "The magic Christian" Salon, retrieved on 2006-05-27.
  4. ↑ "The It List '99". Entertainment Weekly. December 1999. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,273868_5,00.html. Retrieved 5 February 2009.  "Lately, though, he's best thought of as the anti-Leo, after winning, losing, then winning back the role of a murderous yuppie from DiCaprio in the upcoming film version of Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho."
  5. ↑ Singer, Leigh (2009-02-19). "Oscars: the best actors never to have been nominated". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/feb/19/best-actors-never-nominated-for-oscars. Retrieved 2010-02-26. 
  6. ↑ "Christian Bale Biography (1974-)." FilmReference.com.
  7. ↑ Rourke, Mary (2004-01-04). "Activist David Bale had commitment to Africa". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001829381_baleobit04.html. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 von Zielbauer, Paul (2004-01-01). "David Bale, 62, Activist and Businessman, Dies". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/01/national/01BALE.html?ex=1388379600&en=af5fe14869777fca&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Broughton, Philip Delves (September 2000). "Marriage at 66 for Radical Feminist Gloria Steinem". London: The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1354464/Marriage-at-66-for-radical-feminist-Gloria-Steinem.html. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Batman Begins." Christian Bale – An Unofficial Appreciation, March, 2005, retrieved on 2006-05-15.
  11. ↑ "Pac-Man Cereal TV Commercial (1983)." Christian Bale – An Unofficial Appreciation, retrieved on 006-05-15.
  12. ↑ Kamarauskas, K. "Christian Bale." Thespian Net, 1999, retrieved on 2006-05-15.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "BBC Wales - Arts - Christian Bale". BBC Wales. BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/themes/film/christian_bale.shtml. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "'Knight's' Bale: Who is that masked man?". CNN: Showbiz/Movies. 2008-07-28. http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/07/28/christian.bale/index.html. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 
  15. ↑ Fischer, Paul. "Unmasking an American Psycho." The Cranky Critic, retrieved on 2006-05-15.
  16. ↑ Rubinstein, Julian. “Christian Bale.” Us Weekly, 1 May 2000, retrieved on 2006-05-15.
  17. ↑ McCormick, Moira. “Christian Bale – Good Christian Talks About Playing a Yuppie from Hell” Barnes & Noble.com, 5 September 2000, retrieved on 2006-05-15.
  18. ↑ Kaufman, Anthony. "INTERVIEW: 9-Months Pregnant and Delivering "American Psycho", Director Mary Harron." indieWIRE. 14 April 2006, retrieved on 2006-05-15.
  19. ↑ Ebert, Roger. “American Psycho” Chicago Sun-Times, 14 April 2000, retrieved on 2006-05-17.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Morris, Clint. “Interview: Christian Bale Moviehole, retrieved on 2006-05-16
  21. ↑ "Laurel Canyon (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/laurel_canyon/. 
  22. ↑ “Laurel Canyon.” Metacritic. retrieved on 2006-05-15.
  23. ↑ Reign of Fire. Internet Movie Database.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Chavel, Sean. "Interview with Christian Bale of Reign of Fire." UnderGroundOnline. Retrieved on 2006-06-08.
  25. ↑ "Equilibrium (2002)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=equilibrium.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  26. ↑ "Equilibrium Body Count". Movie Body Counts. http://www.moviebodycounts.com. Retrieved 2006-09-15. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Lee, Michael J. (2004-10-04). "Interviews Christian Bale, The Machinist". Radio Free. http://movies.radiofree.com/interviews/themachi_christian_bale.shtml. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Gilchrist, Todd (2004-10-15). "IGN Interviews Christian Bale". IGN FilmForce. News Corporation. http://movies.ign.com/articles/557/557527p1.html. Retrieved 2004-10-15. 
  29. ↑ Topel, Fred (2004-10-15). "Christian Bale talks The Machinist". Movie Web. http://www.movieweb.com/news/NEHtLOKJ9zqXLO. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 
  30. ↑ Holden, Stephen (2004-10-22). "Insomnia and Then Emaciation; Now Paranoia Takes Its Turn". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/22/movies/22mach.html?_r=1&ex=1129953600&en=26674be522fa7098&ei=5083&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 
  31. ↑ Applebaum, Stephen. "Christian Bale interview: The Machinist (2004)". BBC Wales. BBC Films. http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/themes/film/christian_bale_machinist.shtml. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 
  32. ↑ "Howl's Moving Castle (2005)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=howlsmovingcastle.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  33. ↑ ShortList, issue 42, page 28, 17 July 2008.
  34. ↑ Otto, Jeff. “David S. Goyer Talks Batman, Iron Man, Comics and More” IGN FilmForce, 27 February 2004, retrieved on 2006-05-16.
  35. ↑ Jordan, Sean. “Christian Bale: Belatedly Blabbing Pee Wee” Femme Fatales, July/August, 2005, retrieved on 2006-05-16.
  36. ↑ "About.com interview". Movies.about.com. 2009-10-30. http://movies.about.com/od/batman/a/batmancb060805.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-26. 
  37. ↑ Dawson, Angela. “Bale on Batman” azcentral.com, 10 June 2005, retrieved on 2006-05-16.
  38. ↑ Morales, Wilson. “Batman Begins: An Interview with Christian Bale” blackfilm.com, 2005, retrieved on 2006-05-16.
  39. ↑ "Batman Begins (2005)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=batmanbegins.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  40. ↑ "Gay cowboys the best kissers". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2006-06-04. http://www.smh.com.au/news/fashion/gay-cowboys-the-best-kissers/2006/06/04/1149359608529.html. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  41. ↑ Maloney, Alison (2007-10-11). "Christian's killer Keysi training". The Sun. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/film/article330481.ece. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  42. ↑ "Dark Knight Sets Weekend Box-Office Record". Foxnews.com. Associated Press. July 21, 2008. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,386822,00.html. 
  43. ↑ "The Dark Knight Rewrites Box Office Record Books". Google News. AFP. July 22, 2008. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jIoMPprXFl4emMKV7YkA7XIACbGg. 
  44. ↑ "Box Office Mojo – All Time Worldwide Box Office Grosses". Boxofficemojo.com. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/. Retrieved 2010-02-26. 
  45. ↑ Ray Subers (2010-04-30). "'Batman' Returns July 20, 2012". Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2747&p=.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
  46. ↑ "Blanchett joins Toronto festival lineup". USA Today. Associated Press. 2005-07-26. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2005-07-26-blanchett-toronto_x.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  47. ↑ "The New World at Box Office Mojo". http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=newworld.htm. 
  48. ↑ “Herzog Hails Bale” Female First, 24 March 2006, retrieved on 2006-05-17.
  49. ↑ "3:10 to Yuma: Christian Bale vs. Russell Crowe". Comingsoon.net. 2007-09-03. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=36600. Retrieved 2010-02-26. 
  50. ↑ Larry Carroll (2008-10-15). "What Do Batman And George W. Bush Have In Common? Oliver Stone Explains...". MTV. http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/10/15/what-do-batman-and-george-w-bush-have-in-common-oliver-stone-explains/. Retrieved 2008-10-15. 
  51. ↑ "Is Josh Brolin the New Terminator?". Comingsoon.net. 2008-02-06. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=41681. Retrieved 2010-02-26. 
  52. ↑ Fleming, Michael; Adalian, Josef (January 10, 2008). "Bale on Depp's Trail in 'Public'". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117978883.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. Retrieved 2008-01-11. 
  53. ↑ accessed 02/12/2008
  54. ↑ "Christian Bale to star as Solid Snake in the upcoming MGS movie?" N4G.com.
  55. ↑ Barshad, Amos (2009-05-20). "Melissa Leo to Control Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg's Bedtimes". New York. http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/05/melissa_leo_to_control_christi.html. Retrieved 2009-06-04. 
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 "Christian Bale Freak Out". chicagotribune.com. Associated Press. 2009-02-03. http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-christian-bale-freak-out-090203-ht,0,1676527.story. Retrieved 2009-02-04. 
  57. ↑ http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_audio/020209_christianbale.mp3
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  61. ↑ Isola, Laurie (2009-02-03). "Costar Defends Bale Blowout". SFGate.com ; San Francisco Chronicle (Hearst Communications, Inc.). http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=35382. Retrieved 2009-02-04. 
  62. ↑ Finn, Natalie (2009-02-02). "Christian Bale F-Bombs Terminator Set; "It Was Just a Moment," Assistant Director Says". E! Online. http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b81964_christian_bale_f-bombs_terminator_set.html. Retrieved 2009-02-03. 
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  66. ↑ "Ron Howard comments on Christian Bale meltdown". Listal.com. 2009-02-05. http://www.listal.com/video/101546510. Retrieved 2010-02-26. 
  67. ↑ Snead, Elizabeth (2009-02-04). "Harry Knowles defends Christian Bale's ugly outburst?". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2009/02/harry-knowles-d.html. Retrieved 2009-02-05. 
  68. ↑ "BB Video: The Mae Shi are "Professionals" - Boing Boing". www.boingboing.net. http://www.boingboing.net/2009/03/17/bb-video-the-mae-shi.html. Retrieved 2009-07-02. 
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  71. ↑ Wearring, Myles (2009-02-17). "Family Guy spoofs Christian Bale tantrum on the set of Terminator: Salvation". News Limited. http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,28383,25066170-10229,00.html. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  72. ↑ Duke, Alan (2009-02-06). "Bale apologizes for 'Terminator' tantrum". CNN: Showbiz/Movies. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/06/bale.apology/index.html. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
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  74. ↑ "Terrence Malick Taps Bale and Bardem for Romance". 2010-02-04. http://www.cinematical.com/2010/02/04/terrence-malick-taps-bale-and-bardem-for-romance. 
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  76. ↑ "Bale Becomes a Father". Wenn. IMDB.com. 2005-03-29. http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0060707/. Retrieved 2008-07-15. 
  77. ↑ McLean, Craig (2005-05-29). "Suit yourself, mate". The Age (Melbourne). http://www.theage.com.au/news/Film/Suit-yourself-mate/2005/05/26/1116950815155.html. Retrieved 2008-07-15. 
  78. ↑ Hoad, Phil (2005-06-05). "Dark Star". The Guardian (London: guardian.co.uk). http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2005/jun/05/features.magazine. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  79. ↑ Unknown (June 2008). "Christian Bale Likes Metal Gear Solid, Doesn't Like Talking". MTV. http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/06/24/christian-bale-likes-metal-gear-doesnt-like-talking/. 
  80. ↑ Franklin, Garth (April 21, 2009). "Bale, Russell Take On 'The Fighter'". Dark Horizons. http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/13882/bale-russell-take-on-the-fighter-/. 
  81. ↑ "Untitled Batman Project". comingsoon.net. http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=63112. Retrieved 2010-05-02. 

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