Christian Bale

Christian Bale has definitely found his niche.

Welsh born Christian Bale is regarded as one of the darkest actors of his generation. Bale has made his mark by losing himself in many different roles, always playing intense and vulnerable men on the edge.

He first gained fame at the age of 13 starring in the Steven Spielberg directed Empire of the Sun in 1987. He did a few other acting jobs as a child, like a small part in Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V (1989) but would not star in another movie until he turn 18 and appeared in the forgettable Disney musical Newsies, (1994). The following year he again danced on film in the equally unmemorable Swing Kids.

In 1994 Bale had a supporting role in Little Women with Wynona Rider, whose personal assistant, Sibi, would become his wife in 2000. In 1995 Bale returned to Disney to do the voice of Thomas in the animated film Pocahontas. Bale would revisit the Pocahontas story 10 years later with the live action film A New World.

In 2000 he ushered in the new century playing the dark and disturbed Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Bale played Bateman with a mix of sinister humor and arrogant charm. Based on the famous Brett Eaton Ellis novel, hopes were high for the movie but it failed to put him on the A-list. Instead he continued to play supporting roles in such films as Shaft and Reign of Fire. Bale is the best thing about both movies.

In 2005 everything changed for him. In his personal life, his wife gave birth to a daughter. In his professional life, Bale was cast as Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins. Bale had the responsibility of getting an audience to accept him as the famous superhero after Val Kilmer and George Clooney both made a mockery of the part. He succeeded beyond expectations. His Batman is a dark brooding avenger without even a hint of the camp created by his predecessors.

With the success of Batman, Bale was finally on top. He stole The Prestige out from under fellow super hero alumni Hugh Jackman. He has received critical praise in such starring roles as Rescue Dawn and Harsh Times in which he also produced. He can currently be seen in 3:10 to Yuma in which Bale’s character of a pressured rancher is the very heart of the movie.

Bale often uses accents in his roles. Even when doing press to publicize his films he will often speak in the accent of his character. So dedicated to his work, he lost 63 pounds for his role in The Machinist (2004). Bale seems to be an actor that takes his job very seriously and is apparently attracted to very intense, dark roles. One should always do what they do best and Christian Bale has definitely found his niche.