People
Christian Bale
Acting · follow into films and chains
Biography
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.
Notable films
Where to start
Highlights from credits and KinoChain journeys.
Chains
KinoChain journeys
Public chains that pass through their films — or name them as a bridge.
The Show Must Go On
From Freddie Mercury's operatic excess to the raw defiance of punk, this chain traces how cinema captures the transformative power of self-expression.
8 films
The prestige is the trick you never see coming
A chain of films about magicians, mediums and con artists, tracing the moment cinema learned to lie to us and we learned to love it.
8 films
The Rivalry Within: How Feuds Shape the Soul
From duelling magicians to warring chefs, explore how rivalry reveals our deepest fears and desires. A cinematic journey through competition, obsession, and the...
8 films
When Studios Marry: Films Born of Corporate Chaos
From the ashes of mergers and acquisitions come some of cinema's most fascinating experiments. This chain traces how boardroom decisions shaped the art on scree...
8 films
Wild Hearts: Feral Children and the Call of the Wild
From the forests of 18th-century France to the animated jungles of Mowgli, a journey through cinema's feral children and their quest for belonging.
7 films
Ghosts in the Machine
From a stuntman's final role to a star's digital encore, these eight films trace cinema's long affair with performing from beyond the grave.
8 films
The Stage on Screen: A Theatrical Journey
From the claustrophobic confines of a cabin to the sprawling sets of a Shakespearean epic, these eight films celebrate the art of theatre translated to cinema.
7 films
When the Sequel Outshines the Original
From gritty crime epics to mind-bending sci-fi, these sequels didn't just continue stories, they redefined them. Here's a chain of films that prove the second (...
8 films
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Related people
Collaborators & neighbours
Acted
The Pale Blue Eye
2022 · Augustus Landor
Amsterdam
2022 · Burt Berendsen
Thor: Love and Thunder
2022 · Gorr
Ford v Ferrari
2019 · Ken Miles
Vice
2018 · Dick Cheney
The Big Short
2015 · Michael Burry
Exodus: Gods and Kings
2014 · Moses
American Hustle
2013 · Irving Rosenfeld
The Dark Knight Rises
2012 · Bruce Wayne
The Flowers of War
2011 · John Miller
The Fighter
2010 · Dicky Eklund
Public Enemies
2009 · Melvin Purvis
The Dark Knight
2008 · Bruce Wayne
I'm Not There
2007 · Jack / Pastor John
The Prestige
2006 · Alfred Borden
The New World
2005 · John Rolfe
Batman Begins
2005 · Bruce Wayne / Batman
The Machinist
2004 · Trevor Reznik
Shaft
2000 · Walter Wade, Jr.
American Psycho
2000 · Patrick Bateman
Velvet Goldmine
1998 · Arthur Stuart
The Portrait of a Lady
1996 · Edward Rosier
Pocahontas
1995 · Thomas (voice)
Little Women
1994 · Laurie
Henry V
1989 · Robin the Luggage-Boy
Empire of the Sun
1987 · Jim