The 10th Anniversary issue of "Entertainment Weekly" crowned Christian Bale as one of the "Top 8 Most Powerful Cult Figures" of the past decade, citing his incredible and legendary cult status on the Internet. EW also calls Bale one of the "Most Creative People in Entertainment" after his brilliant turn as the psychopathic yuppie serial killer in American Psycho. And "Premiere" lauded him as one of the "Hottest Leading Men Under 30". Christian Bale has garnered a huge international audience ever since he wowed critics with his devastating performance in Steven Spielberg's WWII epic Empire of the Sun.

Bale made his professional debut opposite British comedian Rowan Atkinson on the London West End stage. He auditioned with 4000 other kids for the coveted role of James Graham in Spielberg's Empire of the Sun. Bale received a special citation for Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor from the National Board of Review -- an award specially created for his performance in "Empire". In the following decade, Welsh-born Bale has appeared in Shakespeare, dramas and comedies demonstrating a versatility, depth and range that has made him one of the best reviewed actors today and one of the most popular actors on the Internet. Bale is the youngest in a family of 3 older sisters (Erin, Sharon, and Louise Bale).


The Dark Knight (2008): $10,000,000

Hand-picked by director/writer Mary Harron and author Bret Easton Ellis to star in American Psycho (2000). Consequently, was noted by the media as the first star of American Psycho (2000), only to lose the part to Leonardo DiCaprio and then win it back again. He trained for 10 weeks in dancing and martial arts for the dance sequences in Newsies (1992) and Swing Kids (1993). Bale was handpicked by Winona Ryder for the coveted role of Laurie (Theodore Laurence) in Little Women (1994). A devoted animal lover, Christian has two dogs [Mojo and Ramone] and three cats [Miriam, Molly, and Lilly], which are all strays that he found. His grandfather doubled for John Wayne in two movies, in Africa. He replaced Leonardo DiCaprio for the film American Psycho (2000). His father, David Bale, died on 30 December 2003, from brain lymphoma at the age of 62. His great-uncle, Rex Bale, was an actor. His mother was a former circus dancer. His grandfather was a stand-up comic and children's entertainer. With Batman Begins (2005), he has become the seventh actor to play Batman/Bruce Wayne in a live-action film. The others were: Lewis Wilson in 1943's, Robert Lowery in 1949, Adam West in the 1966, Michael Keaton for the first two installments of the Batman film series, to be replaced by Val Kilmer and George Clooney. Considered getting formal acting training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) when he was twenty, but decided to focus on working instead. Turned down the opportunity to reprise the role of Sean Bateman in the Roger Avary-directed The Rules of Attraction (2002). In the "Fresh Air with Terry Gross" radio interview first aired June 13, 2005, he admitted to Gross that because Batman is "such an American icon", he had decided not to perform his promotional interviews for the movie Batman Begins (2005) in his natural mixed Welsh/English accent. Instead he spoke to Gross in an almost inflection-less mid-American accent, only revealing his dialectic roots with a few words. Two of his most famous character's names have a difference of only one letter. Bateman and Batman. The nameplate on his trailer for Batman Begins (2005) read "Bruce Wayne" as opposed to Bale's name. Is the youngest actor to portray Batman. Before he played "Batman" in Batman Begins (2005), his sister Louise Bale played Batman's mother in The Death of Batman (2003). Considered for the role of Will Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). Shares the role of Batman with Val Kilmer. If he plays an American character, he will use an American accent in all the interviews related to the film. He says he does this so the audience isn't confused. Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#13). [2007]. Was good friends with actor Heath Ledger. His father was an activist and adventurer and his mother a circus dancer so he never lived in one place for very long while growing up. Beat out nearly 4,000 other auditions for the role of Jim Graham in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun (1987). Alongside Michael Keaton, he is the only other actor to portray Bruce Wayne/Batman in more than one live action film. Lives in Los Angeles with his family. While working on Schindler's List, Steven Spielberg paid a visit to Bale on the set of Swing Kids (1993), as both movies were partially filmed in Prague. Has said that he considers it an honor to have been called a "mofo" by Samuel L. Jackson in a movie. Dislikes doing interviews. He was involved in already infamous incident where he was recorded verbally assaulting cinematographer Shane Hurlbut on the set of Terminator Salvation (2009) for interrupting him during an intense scene. Bale has since apologized, but the incident was widely heard across the Internet. Lives in Santa Monica, California.