How much is Christian Bale worth?
| Net Worth: | $85 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Actor |
| Date of Birth: | January 30, 1974 (age 49) |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Height: | 6 ft (1.83 m) |
About Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale is a name very few in the world haven’t heard of. This English actor, with his devastatingly good looks and amazing method-acting, has won the hearts of millions around the world. His success in the film industry is unparalleled, bagging him a current net worth of an estimated $85 million dollars! In addition to starring in multiple blockbuster movies like Batman Begins and sequels, American Psycho and The Machinist, Christian is well-known for morphing into new characters for his films.
Born in 1974 in Haverford West, Pembroke shire, Wales, Christian Bale got a taste of recognition very early in life. Coming from a family involved in the entertainment business, it was only natural for him to try his luck in the industry. Though he started out with TV commercials, it didn’t take him long to land his debut in London’s West End, starring in The Nerd with Rowan Atkinson.
In 1991, after his parents divorced, he moved with his father to Los Angeles, California, where he continued with his acting stints. Soon after gaining popularity in US television with his appearance in the NBC mini-series Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna in 1986 and a couple of other mini-series, Bale went on to play Jim Graham in the Steven Spielberg movie – Empire of the Sun. His performance left both his audience and critics in awe and earned him the award for “Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor”.
However, Bale has never been a lover of the limelight, preferring to keep out of the public eye. Empire of the Sun nearly made him give up acting as he could not handle the attention he received from the press and friends at the time. We are glad he persevered. His immense fan base that worships him to this day is testament to his talent and enduring popularity.
After Empire of the Sun, Bale continued with the film adaptations of Henry V and Treasure Island. His commitment to his craft was further shown in film musicals like Newsies and Swing Kids which required him to learn new art forms that included dancing and martial arts. This same commitment continues to be seen throughout his career today.
By the 90s, he’d starred in a few other films like The Portrait of a Lady, The Secret Agent, and All the Little Animals. Now, sporting the look of a striking man in his mid-twenties, his fame was set to grow through the courtesy of the Internet.
The cusp of the new millennium brought Bale face to face with real stardom as he surprised the world with his role in the movie American Psycho (1999), based on Bret Easton Ellis’s book of the same title. He’d played risky characters before in Velvet Goldmine and All the Little Animals.
His role in American Psycho was beyond dangerous. He played the role of a vicious murderer (Patrick Bateman) who is a Wall Street Executive, preoccupied with his own body.
In the same year, Christian joined a star-studded cast of Kelvin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stanley Tucci, and Rupert Everett in a modernized A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
For his role as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, Bale physically transformed himself and his new buffed out look only added to his appeal. And while the movie was criticized plot-wise, Christian Bale’s skill as an actor was further demonstrated with the role of a deranged psychopath.
After American Psycho’, Bale made it into various industry lists like Entertainment Weekly’s Hottest Leading Men under 30 and The Most Creative People in Entertainment.
With his stellar reputation as an actor cemented, his next few films were big-budget conventional Hollywood movies. Among these were Shaft, Laurel Canyon, and Reign of Fire. As you can already predict, his previous films combined with big-budget movies brought Bale not only fame but also a ton of wealth to his name.
Bale took the spotlight once again when his 2004 movie, The Machinist, a psychological thriller hit the theaters. He gave a magnificent performance and left his audience speechless with yet another physical transformation. It is said that this sedulous actor lost between 60 and 1000 pounds for his role in The Machinist. His diet consisted of one can of tuna and an apple per day.
“‘The Machinist’ changed me. I learned that I really enjoy, literally, not saying a damned word for days at a time, except for what was in the scene. Whole days of… nothing. Just… standing still. I know a lot of people found it bizarre, because they’d be standing right next to me thinking, ‘Why aren’t we talking? What’s going on?’,” Christian Bale has said.
Bale’s dedication to his work eventually came to fruition when he finally starred in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman Begins’, the first chapter of the trilogy. It is said that he was specifically chosen because of his miraculous ability to transform into his characters as well as the fact that he was one of few Hollywood actors who could really capture the essence of his characters.
DC Comic was the first to bring us the original Batman. In 1943, this comic made it to the big screen with Lewis Wilson as the first Batman.
Batman and Robin made a second appearance in 1949, only to return to the silver screen 20 years later. In the 1980s, Warner Bros became the rightful owners of Batman and finally released Batman once more in 1989 starring Michael Keaton. The film broke the US box office, at $411.6 million.
However, the Batman films that followed were not able to live up to their expectations even though some of them did well in the box office. The last Batman movie Batman and Robin was released in 1997 with George Clooney in the famous black cape. Even so, the film did not manage to do well.
It was through Christian Bale’s spectacular performance that Batman saw its revival in 2005. The audience was mesmerized by his performance in the film which made about $183 million in the very first month of its release in theaters. And even though he was in great pain over the loss of his father in 2003, he made Batman Begins a huge success.
And true to his trademark, he underwent yet another physical transformation from the haggard appearance of Trevor Reznik in The Machinist (2004) to the impossibly muscular superhero in 2005.
Bale rocked his role as Batman in the sequels that followed: The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises and made them into mega-blockbusters. In between these, he did other films too for which he received many awards.
He received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in The Fighter. On his list of achievements is also two Golden Globes, six Critic’s Choice Movie Awards and many more.
It seems above all else the reason why Christian Bale is so successful is his dedication to the role he is playing. He puts everything into mastering the characters, as he did in American Psycho and The Machinist.
Summing-Up
It goes without saying what an incredible actor this Academy Award winner is. He accepted challenging roles that not many actors could have pulled off. His modesty and knack for recognizing a good script also played a huge role in his success. But most importantly, Bale has in him a sense of determination and self-assurance which have steered his success.
Hence, when people say Christian Bale may be the best actor in Hollywood, few would argue against it. His hard work and steely resolve to succeed have indeed earned him the respect he deserves. Hopefully, we will see him soon on-screen and ready to break box offices with yet another illuminating performance.
