On This Day

Birthday of Christian Bale

January 30th 1974

16:29 30 January 2024

English actor Christian Bale was born on this day in 1974. Bale’s big screen breakthrough came aged 13 in Steven Spielberg’s ‘Empire of the Sun’ (1987). His performance showed a maturity beyond his years and the young actor worked steadily in film and TV for the remainder of the century. For his portrayal of Patrick Bateman in Mary Harron’s screen adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel ‘American Psycho’ (2000) he received widespread acclaim and was now firmly established as an adult star.

Bale showed his versatility further in the psychological thriller ‘The Machinist’ (2004) for which he lost a staggering 63 pounds in weight to play the insomnia-ridden dysfunctional title character. Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight Trilogy’ (2005 - 2012) cast him as the Caped Crusader and international recognition was established.

Other notable film credits include ‘Harsh Times’ (2005), ‘The Prestige’ (2006), ‘3:10 to Yuma’ (2007), ‘Terminator Salvation’ (2009), ‘Public Enemies’ (2009), ‘The Fighter’ (2010), ‘Out of the Furnace’ (2013), ‘American Hustle’ (2013), ‘The Big Short’ (2015), ‘Hostiles’ (2017), ‘Vice’ (2018), ‘Le Mans 66’ (2019), ‘Amsterdam’ (2022) and ‘The Pale Blue Eye’ (2022).

Academy Award and two time Golden Globe winner, Christian Bale is an actor of exceptional range and extraordinary commitment. Happy Birthday Christian.