Christian Bale
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.
90 acting credits
Acting · 90
The Dark Knight
2008
Wogan
1982
The Bride!
2026
The Dark Knight Rises
2012
MTV Movie & TV Awards
1992
Batman Begins
2005
GMTV
1993
American Psycho
2000
Thor: Love and Thunder
2022
The Prestige
2006
Ford v Ferrari
2019
HBO First Look
1992
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn
1999
Terminator Salvation
2009
The Big Short
2015
Pocahontas
1995
Entertainment Tonight
1981
Exodus: Gods and Kings
2014
American Hustle
2013
Reign of Fire
2002
3:10 to Yuma
2007
The Machinist
2004
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
2018
The Fighter
2010
Little Women
1994
Public Enemies
2009
Hostiles
2017
Vice
2018
The Flowers of War
2011
Empire of the Sun
1987
Equilibrium
2002
Shaft
2000
Amsterdam
2022
The Pale Blue Eye
2022
Rescue Dawn
2007
Out of the Furnace
2013
Spielberg
2017
A Midsummer Night's Dream
1999
The Early Show
1999
The New World
2005
Harsh Times
2005
Madden
2026
Knight of Cups
2015
Velvet Goldmine
1998
Henry V
1989
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
I'm Not There
2007
Anastasia - The Mystery of Anna
1986
Newsies
1992
Swing Kids
1993
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
2001
Treasure Island
1990
Ending the Knight
2012
Gotham Tonight
2008
Making of "The Flowers of War"
2011
The Promise
2016
Joker: Put on a Happy Face
2020
Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Thor: Love and Thunder
2022
The Portrait of a Lady
1996
Catwoman: The Feline Femme Fatale
2021
The Director's Notebook: The Cinematic Sleight of Hand of Christopher Nolan
2007
Laurel Canyon
2003
Heart of the Country
1987
Keepers of the Covenant: Making 'Exodus: Gods and Kings'
2015
Mary, Mother of Jesus
1999
Metroland
1997
Gotham Uncovered: Creation of a Scene
2008
Mio in the Land of Faraway
1987
The China Odyssey: Empire of the Sun
1987
Prince of Jutland
1994
Heath Ledger: A Tribute
2009
The Secret Agent
1996
Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight
2008
Heat 2
—
All the Little Animals
1999
Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer
2022
A Murder of Quality
1991
Ford v Ferrari: Bringing the Rivalry to Life
2020
Blood Drips Heavily on Newsie Square
1991
The Batmobile
2012
Citizen Steve
1987
Michael Mann: Making 'Public Enemies'
2009
Making of a True Story: Rescue Dawn
2007
The Resurrection of Christ
2026
Best of Enemies
—
Shaft: Still the Man
2000
Sibyl
2025
Tankman Begins
2005
Dying to Tell the Story
1998
The Making of American Hustle
2014