Christian Bale Trivia | 100 facts about the actor

Christian Bale is a famous English actor. As of January 2023 he turns 49 years old.

Let’s find out more about the actor!

1. 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 role to Leonardo DiCaprio and then win it back again.
2. Is an excellent horseman and an avid reader.
3. He trained for 10 weeks in dancing and martial arts for the dance sequences in Newsies (1992) and Swing Kids (1993).
4. He has an uncanny ear for accents.
5. Bale was handpicked by Winona Ryder for the coveted role of Laurie (Theodore Laurence) in Little Women (1994).
6. His father, David Bale, married feminist icon Gloria Steinem on September 3, 2000.
7. 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.
8. Christian is active in many organizations, including Ark Trust, Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Foundation, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, the Redwings Sanctuary, and the Happy Child Mission, and a school for street kids in Rio De Janeiro.
9. His grandfather doubled for John Wayne in two movies, in Africa.
10. His first on-screen role was in 1983 at age 9 in a British commercial for Pac-Man cereal.
11. He replaced Leonardo DiCaprio for the film American Psycho (2000).
12. His father, David Bale, died on December 30, 2003, from brain lymphoma at age 62.
13. He was raised in England, Portugal and California.
14. His great-uncle, Rex Bale, was an actor.
15. His father was a former commercial pilot and his mother was a former circus dancer.
16. Has three sisters: musician Erin Bale; computer professional Sharon Bale; and director/actress Louise Bale, who appeared in Newsies (1992).
17. His grandfather was a stand-up comic and children’s entertainer.
18. Met his wife through Winona Ryder; she was Ryder’s personal assistant.
19. 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, Robert Lowery in 1949, Adam West in 1966, Michael Keaton for the first two installments of the Batman film series, to be replaced by Val Kilmer and George Clooney.
20. Dropped an amazing 63 pounds for his role as the emaciated insomniac Trevor Reznik in the film The Machinist (2004) with only a single vitamin consultation with a nutritionist to guide him. For the most part, he only ate salads and apples, chewed gum, smoked cigarettes, and drank nonfat lattes.
21. Considered getting formal acting training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) when he was twenty, but decided to focus on working instead.
22. Has been in two versions of the John Smith/Pocahontas story. He provides the voice of Thomas in Pocahontas (1995) and plays John Rolfe in The New World (2005).
23. Turned down the opportunity to reprise the role of Patrick Bateman in the Roger Avary-directed The Rules of Attraction (2002).
24. 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 English accent. Instead he spoke to Gross in an almost inflection-less mid-American accent, only revealing his dialectic roots with a few words.
25. Two of his most famous characters’ names have a difference of only one letter: Bateman and Batman.
26. Since a young age, he was very ambitious about attending Drama School, and auditioned for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), and the Central School of Speech and Drama at age 20. He was accepted to all, but was convinced by his parents to continue working instead. To this day, he regrets not attending drama school for his personal passion of learning his craft.
27. The nameplate on his trailer for Batman Begins (2005) read “Bruce Wayne” as opposed to Bale’s name.
28. Is the first non-American actor to portray Batman/Bruce Wayne.
29. Is the youngest actor to portray Batman.
30. Owned a home he shared with his sister, Louise Bale, in Manhattan Beach.
31. Before he played Batman in Batman Begins (2005), his sister Louise Bale played Batman’s mother in The Death of Batman (2003).
32. Auditioned for the role of Jack Dawson in Titanic (1997) and almost got the role but people felt that it wouldn’t be “fair” having two Brits playing two Americans (Rose was American as well; she says in the movie that the Titanic was a slave ship bringing her back to America).
33. He was considered for the role of Will Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), which went to Orlando Bloom.
34. Is a distant relative of 19th-century thespian Lily Langtry.
35. 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 is not confused.
36. Became a father for the 1st time at age 31 when his wife Sibi Blazic gave birth to their daughter Emmaline Bale on March 27, 2005.
37. Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#13) (2007).
38. Although born in Wales, his family is actually English. In 1976, when Bale was two years old, his family left Wales and returned to England.
39. Was good friends with the late actor Heath Ledger.
40. His fans refer to themselves as “Baleheads”.
41. 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.
42. A very private individual, he has never publicly confirmed the name of his daughter.
43. Beat out nearly 4,000 other auditions for the role of Jim Graham in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun (1987).
44. Was introduced to acting by his sister, Louise Bale.
45. Alongside Michael Keaton, he is the only other actor to portray Bruce Wayne/Batman in more than one live action film.
46. Was arrested over verbal assault allegations made by his mother and his sister just hours after he attended the European premiere of his movie The Dark Knight (2008) in London. Upon reviewing the case, the London police decided not to charge him with anything. [July 2008]
47. While working on Schindler’s List (1993), Steven Spielberg paid a visit to Bale on the set of Swing Kids (1993), as both movies were partially filmed in Prague.
48. He was considered for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale (2006), which went to Daniel Craig.
49. Has said that he considers it an honor to have been called a “mofo” by Samuel L. Jackson in a movie.
50. He and his wife belong to the Board of Trustees in the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.
51. Dislikes doing interviews.
52. Met Drew Barrymore on the set of Empire of the Sun (1987), who was visiting her godfather, Steven Spielberg. He was thirteen and she was twelve. Bale later revealed that during filming, they went out on only one date, in which they saw “some bloody awful horror film,” and she never called again.
53. He was involved in an 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.
54. Is an avid fan of video games and cites Super Mario as one of his all-time favorites growing up.
55. Has appeared in Batman Begins (2005) and Terminator Salvation (2009). Both were follow-ups to earlier films (Batman & Robin (1997) and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)) that had starred Arnold Schwarzenegger.
56. Has appeared in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) opposite Gary Oldman and Anne Hathaway, as Commissioner Gordon and Selina Kyle, respectively. He has also worked with both of their predecessors: Pat Hingle in Shaft (2000) and Michelle Pfeiffer in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999). Hingle and Pfeiffer, for their parts, have worked with all three previous Batmans. Pfeiffer worked with Michael Keaton in Batman Returns (1992), Val Kilmer in The Prince of Egypt (1998), and George Clooney in One Fine Day (1996). Hingle, of course, appeared in all the previous Batman films.
57. In 1984, he made his stage debut in the West End play “The Nerd”, opposite Rowan Atkinson.
58. Is the third Batman to win an Oscar. Ben Affleck won Best Original Screeplay for Good Will Hunting (1997) and George Clooney won Best Supporting Actor for Syriana (2005). Bale also won Best Supporting Actor for The Fighter (2010).
59. Has appeared twice on the cover of GQ magazine: March 2007 and June 2009.
60. Was compared to a young Steve McQueen by Steven Spielberg, while filming Empire of the Sun (1987).
61. Holds the records for the most weight lost (63 pounds for The Machinist (2004)) and gained (80 pounds for Batman Begins (2005)) for film roles.
62. He was a huge fan of the Terminator films long before being cast as John Connor.
63. Is the fourth and oldest actor to play the role of John Connor in the Terminator series. He is also the first non-American.
64. Has spoken frequently of his dislike for the Disney film Newsies (1992).
65. Has played the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman in more live-action films than any other actor.
66. Is one of four consecutive Oscar winners in the Best Supporting Actor category whose name begins with Chris, the other actors being Christoph Waltz (who won twice) and Christopher Plummer.
67. He and Jeremy Sisto have played the roles of both Batman and Jesus Christ in films. Bale is the only one to have played both in live-action productions.
68. Has starred in two films about Native Americans and the founding of America: Pocahontas (1995) and The New World (2005).
69. Has lived in Los Angeles, California since 1992.
70. Visited victims of the 2012 Aurora shooting spree.
71. Has a mole on his nose right before his right eye.
72. Left school at the age of 16.
73. He has two roles in common with Val Kilmer: (1) Kilmer played Batman / Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever (1995) while Bale played Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and (2) Kilmer played Moses in The Prince of Egypt (1998) while Bale played him in Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014).
74. (March 8, 2014) He and his wife Sibi Blazic are expecting their 2nd child together.
75. Has played both Moses and Jesus, two of the most important figures in the Bible and Christianity in general.
76. He and his wife Sibi Blazic welcomed their second child, a son, in August 2014.
77. He is still an avid motorcyclist he but gave up track racing after getting into multiple accidents and receiving a steel plate for his broken wrist, a titanium clavicle and 25 screws for his hand. At one point he also lost the top of his finger but it was later reattached.
78. He has two roles in common with Jeremy Sisto: (1) Bale played Batman / Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012) while Sisto played him in Justice League: The New Frontier (2008) and (2) Sisto played Jesus Christ in Jesus (1999) while Bale played him in Mary, Mother of Jesus (1999).
79. Has a habit of starring with a host of Australia’s biggest actors including Hugh Jackman (The Prestige (2006)), Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There (2007)), Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight (2008)), Nicole Kidman (The Portrait of a Lady (1996)), Toni Collette (Shaft (2000)), Joel Edgerton (Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)), Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation (2009)), David Wenham (Public Enemies (2009)), and Jason Clarke (_Knight of Cups) to name only some.
80. He won an Oscar for playing Dickie Eklund in The Fighter (2010), making him one of 17 actors to win the Award for playing a real person who was still alive at the evening of the Award ceremony (as of 2015). The other sixteen actors and their respective performances are: Spencer Tracy for playing Father Edward Flanagan in Boys Town (1938), Gary Cooper for playing Alvin C. York in Sergeant York (1941), Patty Duke for playing Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker (1962), Jason Robards for playing Ben Bradlee in All the President’s Men (1976), Robert De Niro for playing Jake La Motta in Raging Bull (1980), Sissy Spacek for playing Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)_, Jeremy Irons for playing Claus Von Bullow in Reversal of Fortune (1990), Susan Sarandon for playing Sister Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking (1995), Geoffrey Rush for playing David Helfgott in Shine (1996), Julia Roberts for playing Erin Brockovich in Erin Brockovich (2000), Jim Broadbent for playing John Bayley in Iris (2001), Helen Mirren for playing Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen (2006), Sandra Bullock for playing Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side (2009), Melissa Leo for playing Alice Eklund-Ward in The Fighter (2010), Meryl Streep for playing Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady (2011) and Eddie Redmayne for playing Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything (2014).
81. One of his favorite movies of all time is Beverly Hills Ninja (1997).
82. He gained 43 pounds for his role as Irving Rosenfeld in American Hustle (2013).
83. As of 2020, has appeared in five films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Fighter (2010), American Hustle (2013), The Big Short (2015), Vice (2018) and Ford v Ferrari (2019). Four of these films also all earned him Academy Award nominations for acting. He won for The Fighter.
84. He was considered for the role of Will Atenton / Peter Ward in Dream House (2011) that went to Daniel Craig.
85. He was considered for the role of Napoleon Solo in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) that went to Henry Cavill.
86. He auditioned for the role of Mercutio in Romeo + Juliet (1996) that went to Harold Perrineau.
87. He was considered for the role of Brian O’Conner in The Fast and the Furious (2001) that went to the late Paul Walker.
88. He auditioned for the role of Detective Jake Hoyt in Training Day (2001) that went to Ethan Hawke.
89. He turned down the lead role in Noah (2014) in favour of Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014).
90. He turned down the role of Leo Demidov in Child 44 (2015) that went to Tom Hardy.
91. Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t audition for the role of Robin/Dick Grayson in Batman Forever (1995). He said, “I’d never have auditioned to be bloody Robin”.
92. He was considered for the lead role in Robin Hood (2010) that went to Russell Crowe.
93. He was going to star in Steve Jobs (2015) with David Fincher directing.
94. He was considered to play Norman Bates in Psycho (1998) that went to Vince Vaughn.
95. He was originally cast as Neil in To the Wonder (2012), but dropped out. Ben Affleck replaced him.
96. He was considered for the role of Adrian Doyle Pryce/The Stranger in Oldboy (2013) that went to Sharlto Copley.
97. He was considered for the role of Tom Ripley in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) that went to Matt Damon.
98. He was originally cast as Rob Hall in Everest (2015), but dropped out in favour of Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014).
99. He was considered for the role of Pvt/LCpl Anthony Swofford in Jarhead (2005) that went to Jake Gyllenhaal.
100. He was originally cast as George W. Bush in W. (2008). He spent months researching for the role, but dropped out after he was not satisfied with the prosthetic makeup tests. Josh Brolin replaced him.