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

• 2026Madden — Al Davis
• 2026The Bride! — Frank
• 2026The Resurrection of Christ
• 2025Sibyl — (Archive footage)
• 2022Amsterdam — Burt Berendsen, Producer
• 2022The Pale Blue Eye — Augustus Landor, Producer
• 2022Thor: Love and Thunder — Gorr
• 2019Ford v Ferrari — Ken Miles
• 2018Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle — Bagheera (voice)
• 2018Vice — Dick Cheney
• 2017Hostiles — Captain Joseph J. Blocker
• 2016The Promise — Chris Myers
• 2015Knight of Cups — Rick
• 2015The Big Short — Michael Burry
• 2014Exodus: Gods and Kings — Moses
• 2013American Hustle — Irving Rosenfeld
• 2013Out of the Furnace — Russell Baze
• 2012The Dark Knight Rises — Bruce Wayne
• Making of "The Flowers of War"
• 2011The Flowers of War — John Miller
• 2010The Fighter — Dicky Eklund
• 2009Public Enemies — Melvin Purvis
• 2009Terminator Salvation — John Connor
• Gotham Tonight — Bruce Wayne
• 2008The Dark Knight — Bruce Wayne
• 20073:10 to Yuma — Dan Evans
• 2007I'm Not There — Jack / Pastor John
• 2007Rescue Dawn — Dieter Dengler
• 2006The Prestige — Alfred Borden
• 2005Batman Begins — Bruce Wayne / Batman
• 2005Harsh Times — Jim Luther Davis, Executive Producer
• 2005Tankman Begins — Batman (archive footage)
• 2005The New World — John Rolfe
• 2004The Machinist — Trevor Reznik
• 2003Laurel Canyon — Sam
• 2002Equilibrium — John Preston
• 2002Reign of Fire — Quinn Abercromby
• 2001Captain Corelli's Mandolin — Mandras
• 2000American Psycho — Patrick Bateman
• 2000Shaft — Walter Wade, Jr.
• 1999A Midsummer Night's Dream — Demetrius
• 1999All the Little Animals — Bobby Platt
• 1999Mary, Mother of Jesus — Jesus of Nazareth
• 1999The Alien Legacy — Thanks
• 1998Dying to Tell the Story — Narrator / Dan Eldon (uncredited) (voice)
• 1998Metroland — Chris
• 1998Velvet Goldmine — Arthur Stuart
• 1996The Portrait of a Lady — Edward Rosier
• 1996The Secret Agent — Stevie
• 1995Pocahontas — Thomas (voice)
• 1994Little Women — Laurie
• 1994Prince of Jutland — Amled
• 1993Swing Kids — Thomas Berger
• 1992Newsies — Jack 'Cowboy' Kelly
• 1991A Murder of Quality — Tim Perkins
• 1990Treasure Island — Jim Hawkins
• 1989Henry V — Robin the Luggage-Boy
• 1987Empire of the Sun — Jim
• Heart of the Country — Ben Harris
• 1987Mio in the Land of Faraway — Jum-Jum / Benke
• Anastasia - The Mystery of Anna — Tsarevich Alexei
• Best of Enemies — Gennady Vasilenko
• Heat 2 — Vincent Hanna

Appearances as themselves (28)

• 2022Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Thor: Love and Thunder — Self - Gorr
• 2022Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer — Self
• 2021Catwoman: The Feline Femme Fatale — Self
• 2020Ford v Ferrari: Bringing the Rivalry to Life — Self
• 2020Joker: Put on a Happy Face — Self
• 2017Spielberg — Self - Segment "Empire of the Sun"
• 2015Keepers of the Covenant: Making 'Exodus: Gods and Kings' — Self
• 2014The Making of American Hustle — Self
• 2012Ending the Knight — Self
• 2012The Batmobile — Self
• 2009Heath Ledger: A Tribute — Self
• 2009Michael Mann: Making 'Public Enemies' — Self
• 2008Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight — Self
• 2008Gotham Uncovered: Creation of a Scene — Self
• 2007Making of a True Story: Rescue Dawn — Self
• 2007The Director's Notebook: The Cinematic Sleight of Hand of Christopher Nolan — Self
• 2000Shaft: Still the Man — Self
• The Early Show — Self
• The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn — Self - Guest
• E! True Hollywood Story — Self (archive footage)
• GMTV — Self
• HBO First Look — Self
• MTV Movie & TV Awards — Self / Presenter
• 1991Blood Drips Heavily on Newsie Square — Self
• 1987Citizen Steve — Self - Actor
• 1987The China Odyssey: Empire of the Sun — Self
• Wogan — Self
• Entertainment Tonight — Self