Events

70 – First Jewish-Roman War: Siege of Jerusalem – Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, storms the Fortress of Antonia north of the Temple Mount. The Roman army is drawn into street fights with the Zealots.

911 – Rollo lays siege to Chartres.

1304 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle – King Edward I of England takes the stronghold using the War Wolf.

1402 – Ottoman-Timurid Wars: Battle of Ankara – Timur, ruler of Timurid Empire, defeats forces of the Ottoman Empire sultan Bayezid I.

1738 – Canadian explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye reaches the western shore of Lake Michigan.

1807 – Nicéphore Niépce is awarded a patent by Napoleon Bonaparte for the Pyréolophore, the world's first internal combustion engine, after it successfully powered a boat upstream on the river Saône in France.

1810 – Citizens of Bogotá, New Granada declare independence from Spain.

1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Peachtree Creek – Near Atlanta, Georgia, Confederate forces led by General John Bell Hood unsuccessfully attack Union troops under General William T. Sherman.

1866 – Austro-Prussian War: Battle of Lissa – The Austrian Navy , led by Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, defeats the Italian Navy near the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea.

1871 – British Columbia joins the confederation of Canada.

1885 – The Football Association legalizes professionalism in football under pressure from the British Football Association.

1903 – The Ford Motor Company ships its first car.

1917 – World War I: The Corfu Declaration, which leads to the creation of the post-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia, is signed by the Yugoslav Committee and Kingdom of Serbia.

1922 – The League of Nations awards mandates of Togoland to France and Tanganyika to the United Kingdom.

1932 – In Washington, D.C., police fire tear gas on World War I veterans, part of the Bonus Expeditionary Force, who attempt to march to the White House.

1934 – Labor unrest in the U.S.: as police in Minneapolis fire upon striking truck drivers, during the Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934, killing two and wounding sixty-seven.

1934 – 1934 West Coast waterfront strike: In Seattle, police fire tear gas on and club 2,000 striking longshoremen. The governor of Oregon calls out the National Guard to break a strike on the Portland docks.

1935 – Switzerland: A Royal Dutch Airlines plane en route from Milan to Frankfurt crashes into a Swiss mountain, killing thirteen.

1936 – The Montreux Convention is signed in Switzerland, authorizing Turkey to fortify the Dardanelles and Bosphorus but guaranteeing free passage to ships of all nations in peacetime.

1938 – The United States Department of Justice files suit in New York City against the motion picture industry charging violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act in regards to the studio system. The case would eventually result in a break-up of the industry in 1948.

1940 – Denmark leaves the League of Nations.

1940 – California opens its first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway.

1941 – Soviet leader Joseph Stalin consolidates the Commissariats of Home Affairs and National Security to form the NKVD and names Lavrenti Beria its chief.

1944 – World War II: Adolf Hitler survives an assassination attempt led by German Army Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.

1949 – Israel and Syria sign a truce to end their nineteen-month war.

1950 – Cold War: In Philadelphia, Harry Gold pleads guilty to spying for the Soviet Union by passing secrets from atomic scientist Klaus Fuchs.

1951 – King Abdullah I of Jordan is assassinated by a Palestinian while attending Friday prayers in Jerusalem.

1954 – Germany: Otto John, head of West Germany's secret service, defects to East Germany.

1960 – Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) elects Sirimavo Bandaranaike Prime Minister, the world's first elected female head of government.

1960 – The Polaris missile is successfully launched from a submarine, the , for the first time.

1961 – French military forces break the Tunisian siege of Bizerte.

1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong forces attack the capital of Dinh Tuong Province, Cai Be, killing 11 South Vietnamese military personnel and 40 civilians (30 of which are children).

1968 – The first Special Olympics is held.

1969 – Apollo Program: Apollo 11 successfully makes the first manned landing on the Moon in the Sea of Tranquility. Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on another world almost 7 hours later.

1969 – A cease fire is announced between Honduras and El Salvador, 6 days after the beginning of the "Football War".

1974 – Turkish occupation of Cyprus: Forces from Turkey invade Cyprus after a ''coup d'etat'', organised by the dictator of Greece, against president Makarios.

1976 – The American Viking 1 lander successfully lands on Mars.

1976 – Hank Aaron hits his 755th home run, the final home run of his career.

1977 – Johnstown, Pennsylvania is hit by a flash flood that kills eighty and causes $350 million in damage.

1977 – The Central Intelligence Agency releases documents under the Freedom of Information Act revealing it had engaged in mind control experiments.

1980 – The United Nations Security Council votes 14-0 that member states should not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

1982 – Hyde Park and Regents Park bombings: The Provisional IRA detonates two bombs in Hyde Park and Regents Park in central London, killing eight soldiers, wounding forty-seven people, and leading to the deaths of seven horses.

1985 – The government of Aruba passes legislation to secede from the Netherlands Antilles.

1989 – Burma's ruling junta puts opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest.

1992 – Václav Havel resigns as president of Czechoslovakia.

1999 – Falun Gong is banned in the People's Republic of China, and a large scale crackdown of the practice is launched.

2000 – In Zimbabwe, Parliament opens its new session and seats opposition members for the first time in a decade.

Births

356 BC – Alexander the Great, Greek king of Macedonia and conqueror of Persia (d. 323 BC)

810 – Imam Bukhari, Muslim scholar and compiler of ''Hadith'' (d. 870)

1304 – Francesco Petrarch, Italian poet (d. 1374)

1537 – Arnaud d'Ossat, French diplomat and writer (d. 1604)

1620 – Nikolaes Heinsius, Dutch scholar (d. 1681)

1754 – Destutt de Tracy, French philosopher (d. 1836)

1757 – Garsevan Chavchavadze, Georgian diplomat and politician (d. 1811)

1774 – Auguste Marmont, French marshal (d. 1852)

1797 – Sir Paul Edmund de Strzelecki, Polish explorer and geologist (d. 1873)

1804 – Richard Owen, English biologist (d. 1892)

1822 – Gregor Mendel, German scientist, father of modern genetics (d. 1884)

1838 – Augustin Daly, American playwright (d. 1899)

1838 – George Otto Trevelyan, British statesman and biographer (d. 1928)

1847 – Max Liebermann, German artist (d. 1935)

1849 – Robert Anderson Van Wyck, Mayor of New York City (d. 1918)

1852 – Theo Heemskerk, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1932)

1858 – Ivan Vucetic, Croatian anthropologist (d. 1925)

1864 – Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize in Literature laureate (d. 1931)

1868 – Miron Cristea, 1st Patriarch of All Romania (d. 1939)

1873 – Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazilian aviator (d. 1932)

1876 – Otto Blumenthal, German mathematician (d. 1944)

1889 – Lord Reith, British broadcast executive (d. 1971)

1890 – King George II of Greece (d. 1947)

1893 – George Llewelyn-Davies, English Peter Pan character model (d. 1915)

1895 – László Moholy-Nagy, Hungarian painter, photographer, and sculptor (d. 1946)

1896 – Eunice Sanborn, American supercentenarian (d. 2011)

1897 – Tadeus Reichstein, Polish-born chemist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (d. 1996)

1900 – Maurice Leyland, English cricketer (d. 1967)

1901 – Heinie Manush, American baseball player (d. 1971)

1902 – Jimmy Kennedy, Irish composer (d. 1984)

1909 – Jean Focas, Greco-French astronomer (d. 1969)

1909 – Eric Rowan, South African cricketer, Wisden COY 1952 (d. 1993)

1910 – Vilém Tauský, Czech conductor and composer (d. 2004)

1911 – Baqa Jilani, Indian cricketer (d. 1941)

1912 – George Johnston, Australian journalist and novelist (d. 1970)

1914 – Charilaos Florakis, leader of the Communist Party of Greece (d. 2005)

1918 – Cindy Walker, American singer (d. 2006)

1919 – Sir Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer and explorer (d. 2008)

1920 – Elliot Richardson, American politician (d. 1999)

1922 – Alan Stephenson Boyd, American politician

1923 – Stanisław Albinowski, Polish economist and journalist (d. 2005)

1924 – Thomas Berger, American novelist

1924 – Mort Garson, Canadian composer (d. 2008)

1925 – Jacques Delors, French President of the European Commission

1925 – Frantz Fanon, West Indian psychiatrist and writer (d. 1961)

1926 – Lola Albright, American actress

1926 – Patricia Cutts, English actress (d. 1974)

1927 – Michael Gielen, Austrian conductor and composer

1928 – Peter Ind, British jazz double bass player

1929 – Mike Ilitch, American businessman and sports executive

1929 – Rajendra Kumar, Indian actor (d. 1999)

1930 – Giannis Agouris, Greek writer and journalist (d. 2006)

1930 – Chuck Daly, American basketball coach (d. 2009)

1930 – Sally Ann Howes, English-born singer and actress

1931 – Tony Marsh, English racing driver

1932 – Nam June Paik, Video artist (d. 2006)

1932 – Otto Schily, German politician

1932 – Ove Verner Hansen, Danish actor

1933 – Buddy Knox, American singer and songwriter (d. 1999)

1933 – Cormac McCarthy, American author

1933 – Rex Williams, English snooker player

1934 – Uwe Johnson, German writer (d. 1984)

1934 – Doug Padgett, English cricketer

1934 – Aliki Vougiouklaki, Greek actress (d. 1996)

1935 – Ted Rogers, English comedian (d. 2001)

1936 – Barbara Mikulski, American politician

1937 – Ken Ogata, Japanese actor (d. 2008)

1938 – Roger Hunt, English footballer

1938 – Tony Oliva, Cuban baseball player

1938 – Dame Diana Rigg, English actress

1938 – Natalie Wood, American actress (d. 1981)

1939 – Judy Chicago, American artist

1941 – Periklis Korovesis, Greek author and journalist

1941 – Kurt Raab, German actor (d. 1988)

1942 – Ron Bowden, Australian politician

1942 – Pete Hamilton, American race car driver

1942 – T. G. Sheppard, American country music singer

1943 – Chris Amon, New Zealand racing driver

1943 – Wendy Richard, English actress (d. 2009)

1943 – Adrian Păunescu, Romanian poet, journalist, and politician (d. 2010)

1944 – Olivier de Kersauson, French sailor

1945 – Kim Carnes, American singer and songwriter

1945 – Larry Craig, American politician

1945 – John Lodge, English musician (The Moody Blues)

1945 – Johnny Loughrey, Irish singer (d. 2005)

1945 – Bo Rein, American football coach (d. 1980)

1945 – Harrison Ellenshaw, American matte painter

1946 – Randal Kleiser, American film director

1947 – Gerd Binnig, German-born physicist, Nobel laureate

1947 – Carlos Santana, Mexican-born American guitarist

1948 – Muse Watson, American actor

1950 – Tantoo Cardinal, Canadian actress

1950 – Naseeruddin Shah, Indian actor

1951 – Jeff Rawle, English actor

1952 – Keiko Matsuzaka, Japanese actress

1953 – Dave Evans, Australian singer (AC/DC)

1953 – Thomas Friedman, American journalist

1953 – Marcia Hines, American-born Australian singer

1953 – Dan Shaughnessy, American sports writer

1954 – Moira Harris, American actress

1954 – Jay Jay French, guitarist for Twisted Sister

1954 – Larry Levan, American DJ (d. 1992)

1955 – Jem Finer, English musician and composer (The Pogues)

1956 – Paul Cook, English musician (The Sex Pistols)

1956 – Michael Gordon, American composer

1956 – Ryo Ishibashi, Japanese actor

1956 – Jim Prentice, Canadian politician

1957 – Nancy Cruzan, American figure in right-to-die case (d. 1990)

1957 – Donna Dixon, American actress

1958 – Peter Fraßmann, German footballer

1958 – Mick MacNeil, Scottish musician (Simple Minds)

1958 – Billy Mays, American TV pitchman (d. 2009)

1959 – Radney Foster, Texas country music singer/songwriter

1960 – Claudio Langes, Italian racing driver

1962 – Carlos Alazraqui, American actor and comedian

1962 – Giovanna Amati, Italian racing driver

1962 – Lee Harris, English drummer (Talk Talk, .O.rang)

1963 – Frank Whaley, American actor

1964 – Chris Cornell, American musician (Soundgarden, Audioslave)

1964 – Terri Irwin, American naturalist; widow of Steve Irwin

1964 – Kool G Rap, American musician

1964 – Bernd Schneider, German racing driver

1964 – Dean Winters, American actor

1966 – Anton du Beke, British ballroom dancer

1966 – Stone Gossard, American musician (Pearl Jam, Mother Love Bone, Brad)

1966 – Enrique Peña Nieto, American politician

1967 – Reed Diamond, American actor

1967 – Courtney Taylor-Taylor, American musician (The Dandy Warhols)

1968 – Jimmy Carson, American ice hockey player

1968 – Michael Park, American actor

1968 – Julian Rhind-Tutt, English actor

1969 – Josh Holloway, American actor

1969 – Giovanni Lombardi, Italian cyclist

1969 – Tobi Vail, American musician (Bikini Kill, The Go Team, The Frumpies)

1970 – Agot Isidro, Filipina actress

1971 – Ed Giddins, English cricketer

1971 – Charles Johnson, American baseball player

1971 – Sandra Oh, Korean Canadian actress

1971 – DJ Screw, American hip hop deejay (d. 2000)

1972 – Jozef Stümpel, Slovak ice hockey player

1972 – Erik Ullenhag, Swedish jurist and politician

1972 – Vitamin C, American singer

1973 – Peter Forsberg, Swedish ice hockey player

1973 – Nixon McLean, West Indian cricketer

1973 – Omar Epps, American actor

1973 – Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway

1973 – Claudio Reyna, American soccer player

1973 – Mads Rieper, Danish footballer

1974 – Bengie Molina, Puerto Rican baseball player

1974 – Phofo, American musician

1974 – Simon Rex, American actor

1975 – Ray Allen, American basketball player

1975 – Judy Greer, American actress

1975 – Erik Hagen, Norwegian footballer

1975 – Birgitta Ohlsson, Swedish politician

1975 – Atiq-uz-Zaman, Pakistani cricketer

1975 – El Zorro, Mexican professional wrestler

1976 – Erica Hill, American news anchor

1976 – Debashish Mohanty, Indian cricketer

1976 – Andrew Stockdale, Australian musician (Wolfmother)

1976 – Alex Yoong, Malaysian racing driver

1977 – Kiki Musampa, Congolese footballer

1977 – Alessandro dos Santos, naturalized Japanese footballer

1978 – Pavel Datsyuk, Russian ice hockey player

1978 – Charlie Korsmo, American actor

1978 – Tamsyn Lewis, Australian athlete

1978 – Will Solomon, American basketball player

1978 – Elliott Yamin, American Idol contestant

1979 – Claudine Barretto, Filipino actress

1979 – Miklós Fehér, Hungarian footballer (d. 2004)

1979 – David Ortega, Spanish freestyle swimmer

1980 – Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian model

1980 – Mike Kennerty, American guitarist (The All-American Rejects)

1981 – Damien Delaney, Irish footballer

1981 – Thorsten Engelmann, German rower

1982 – Percy Daggs III, American actor

1984 – Alexi Casilla, Dominican baseball player

1984 – Matt Gilroy, American Hockey Player

1985 – John Francis Daley, American actor

1985 – David Mundy, Australian rules footballer

1985 – Anastasia Perraki, Greek fashion model

1988 – Julianne Hough, American ballroom dancer

1988 – Stephen Strasburg, American baseball player

1989 – Witwisit Hirunwongkul, Thai actor

1991 – William Tomlin, British actor

1992 – Imhadh Ashan, the great personality in Puttalam, Sri Lanka

1997 – Billi Bruno, American actress

1999 – Princess Alexandra of Hanover

Deaths

985 – Pope Boniface VII

1031 – King Robert II of France (b. 972)

1156 – Emperor Toba of Japan (b. 1103)

1160 – Peter Lombard, French theologian

1320 – King Oshin of Armenia (b. 1282)

1351 – Margaretha Ebner, German visionary (b. 1291)

1387 – Robert IV of Artois, Count of Eu (b. 1356)

1398 – Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, English noble (b. 1374)

1453 – Enguerrand de Monstrelet, French chronicler

1454 – King John II of Castile (b. 1405)

1524 – Claude of France, wife of Francis I of France (b. 1499)

1616 – Hugh O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone, Irish soldier

1704 – Peregrine White, first English child born to the Pilgrims in the New World (b. 1620)

1752 – Johann Christoph Pepusch, German composer (b. 1667)

1816 – Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, Russian poet (b. 1743)

1866 – Bernhard Riemann, German mathematician (b. 1826)

1897 – Jean Ingelow, English poet (b. 1820)

1901 – William Cosmo Monkhouse, English poet and critic (b. 1840)

1903 – Pope Leo XIII (b. 1810)

1908 – Demetrius Vikelas, Greek author (b. 1835)

1908 – Karl Bernhard Zoeppritz, German geophysicist (b. 1881)

1922 – Andrey Markov, Russian mathematician (b. 1856)

1923 – Francisco "Pancho" Villa, Mexican rebel (b. 1878)

1926 – Felix Dzerzhinsky, Soviet law enforcement official (b. 1877)

1927 – King Ferdinand I of Romania (b. 1865)

1928 – Kostas Karyotakis, Greek poet (b. 1896)

1932 – René Bazin, French novelist (b. 1853)

1937 – Guglielmo Marconi, Italian inventor, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics (b. 1874)

1941 – Lew Fields, American vaudeville performer (b. 1867)

1944 – Mildred Harris, American actress (b. 1901)

1944 – Ludwig Beck, German colonel general, part of July 20 Plot (b. 1880)

1945 – Paul Valéry, French author and poet (b. 1871)

1951 – King Abdullah I of Jordan (b. 1882)

1951 – Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany, German prince (b. 1882)

1953 – Dumarsaid Estime, President of Haiti (b. 1900)

1953 – Jan Struther, British author (b. 1901)

1955 – Calouste Gulbenkian, Armenian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1869)

1956 – James Alexander Calder, Canadian politician (b. 1868)

1959 – William D. Leahy, American admiral (b. 1875)

1969 – Roy Hamilton, American singer (b. 1929)

1970 – Iain Macleod, English politician (b. 1913)

1973 – Bruce Lee, American actor and martial artist (b. 1940)

1973 – Robert Smithson, American land artist (b. 1938)

1976 – Joseph Rochefort, American Naval officer and cryptanalyst (b. 1900)

1977 – Gary Kellgren, American music producer (b. 1939)

1981 – Kostas Choumis, Greek-Romanian footballer (b. 1913)

1982 – Okot p'Bitek, Ugandan poet (b. 1931)

1983 – Frank Reynolds, American television news anchor (b. 1923)

1987 – Richard Egan, American actor (b. 1921)

1989 – Forrest H. Anderson, Governor of Montana (b. 1913)

1990 – Herbert Jenkins, American law enforcement official (b. 1907)

1993 – Vincent Foster Jr., White House deputy counsel (b. 1945)

1998 – June Byers, American professional wrestler (b. 1922)

1999 – Sandra Gould, American actress (b. 1916)

2000 – Gregory Hill American writer (b. 1941)

2001 – Carlo Giuliani, Italian anarchist (b. 1978)

2003 – Nicolas Freeling, English writer (b. 1927)

2004 – Adi Lady Lala Mara, Fijian chieftainess (b. 1931)

2004 – Scott Andrew Mink, American convicted murderer (b. 1963)

2005 – James Doohan, Canadian actor (b. 1920)

2005 – Finn Gustavsen, Norwegian politician (b. 1926)

2005 – Kayo Hatta, American film director (b. 1958)

2006 – Ted Grant, British Trotskyist (b. 1913)

2006 – Gérard Oury, French filmmaker (b. 1919)

2007 – Tammy Faye Messner (Bakker), American televangelist (b. 1942)

2008 – Artie Traum, American guitarist (b. 1943)

2009 – Ria Brieffies, Dutch singer (b. 1957)

2009 – Mark Rosenzweig, American brain researcher (b. 1922)

Holidays and observances

Christian Feast Day:

* Apollinaris of Ravenna

*Aurelius

*Elijah

*Margaret the Virgin

*Thorlac (relic translation)

*Wilgefortis (cult suppressed)

*July 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Friend's Day (Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil)

Independence Day, celebrates the independence declaration of Colombia from Spain in 1810.

External links

BBC: On This Day

On This Day in Canada

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Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:Days of the year Category:July

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alt	Christian Bale in a black suit at a movie premiere.
birth name	Christian Charles Philip Bale
birth date	January 30, 1974
birth place	Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom
occupation	Actor
years active	1982–present
spouse	Sandra Blažić (2000–present; 1 daughter) }}

Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses.

Bale first caught the public eye at the age of 13, when he was cast in the starring role of Steven Spielberg's ''Empire of the Sun'' (1987). He played an English boy who is separated from his parents and subsequently finds himself lost in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. He is notable for his role as serial killer Patrick Bateman in ''American Psycho'' (2000), and for portraying Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan's ''Batman Begins'' (2005) and ''The Dark Knight'' (2008).

In 2010, Bale played Dicky Eklund in the biopic ''The Fighter''. He received critical acclaim for his role and won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.

Early life

Bale was born in Wales to parents of English descent. His South African–born father, David Bale, was an entrepreneur, commercial pilot, and talent manager, and his mother, Jenny James, was a performer. He is the youngest of four children. After leaving Britain at the age of 2 in 1976, Bale spent his childhood in several countries, such as Portugal.

Settling for four years in Bournemouth and Henley-on-Thames, Bale was educated at Shiplake Church of England Primary School, the independent Dolphin School, Berkshire, and at Bournemouth School. He played rugby. Bale has described his childhood, with respect to his mother being in the circus, as "interesting." He recalled his first kiss was with an acrobat named Barta.

As a child, he trained in ballet and guitar. His sister Louise's work in theatre also influenced his decision to become an actor. Bale's father was very supportive of his son's acting, resigning from his job as a commercial pilot to travel and manage Bale's burgeoning career. The elder Bale later married feminist icon Gloria Steinem. He passed away, at age 62, on 30 December 2003 from brain lymphoma.

Bale's first foray into acting was a commercial for the fabric softener Lenor in 1982, when he was 8 years old. A year later, he appeared in a ''Pac-Man'' cereal commercial playing a child rock star. In 1984, he made his stage debut in ''The Nerd'', opposite Rowan Atkinson.

Career

1986–1998

Bale made his film debut as Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich of Russia in the made-for-television film ''Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna'' in 1986, which was followed by leading roles in the miniseries ''Heart of the Country'' and the fantasy adventure ''Mio in the Land of Faraway'', in which he appeared with Christopher Lee and Nick Pickard.

In 1987, Amy Irving, his co-star in ''Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna'', recommended Bale to her then-husband, Steven Spielberg, for a role in ''Empire of the Sun'', adapted from the J.G. Ballard semi-autobiography. Bale's performance as Jim Graham earned him widespread critical praise and the first ever "Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor" award from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. The attention the press and his schoolmates lavished upon him after this took a toll on Bale, and he contemplated giving up acting until Kenneth Branagh approached him and persuaded him to appear in ''Henry V'' in 1989. In 1990, he played the role of Jim Hawkins opposite Charlton Heston (as Long John Silver) in ''Treasure Island'', an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic book.

In 1992, Bale starred as Jack Kelly in the Disney musical ''Newsies'', and followed it up in 1993 with another release, ''Swing Kids'', a movie about teenagers who secretly listened to forbidden jazz during the rise of Nazi Germany. Bale was recommended by actress Winona Ryder to star in Gillian Armstrong's 1994 film ''Little Women''. Bale provided the voice for Thomas, a young compatriot of Captain John Smith, in Disney's ''Pocahontas'' (1995) and in 1997 played Arthur Stuart in ''Velvet Goldmine'', Todd Haynes' tribute to glam rock. In 1999, Bale contributed to an all-star cast, including Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stanley Tucci, and Rupert Everett, portraying Demetrius in an updated version of William Shakespeare's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''.

1999–2001

In 1999, Bale played serial killer Patrick Bateman in ''American Psycho'', director Mary Harron's adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' controversial novel. Bale was briefly dropped from the project in favor of Leonardo DiCaprio, but DiCaprio eventually dropped out to star in ''The Beach'', and Bale was cast once again. He researched his character by studying the novel and prepared himself physically for the role by spending months tanning and exercising in order to achieve the "Olympian physique" of the character as described in the original novel. He went so far as to distance himself from the cast and crew to maintain the darker side of Bateman's character. ''American Psycho'' premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival to much controversy. Roger Ebert condemned the film at first, calling it pornography, and "the most loathed film at Sundance," but gave it a favourable review, writing that Harron "transformed a novel about bloodlust into a movie about men's vanity." Of Bale's performance, he wrote, "Christian Bale is heroic in the way he allows the character to leap joyfully into despicability; there is no instinct for self-preservation here, and that is one mark of a good actor."

On 14 April 2000, Lions Gate Films released ''American Psycho'' in theatres. Bale was later approached to make a cameo appearance in another Bret Easton Ellis adaptation, ''The Rules of Attraction'', a film loosely connected to ''American Psycho'', but he declined out of loyalty to Harron's vision of Bateman, which he felt could not be properly expressed by anyone else. In 2000, he again played a wealthy murderer, this time in John Singleton's ''Shaft''.

Bale has played an assortment of diverse characters since 2001. His first role after ''American Psycho'' was in the John Madden adaptation of the best-selling novel ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin''. Bale played Mandras, a Greek fisherman who vied with Nicolas Cage's title character for the affections of Pelagia (Penelope Cruz). ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin'' was Bale's second time working with John Hurt, after ''All the Little Animals''.

2002–2004

From 2002 to 2003, Bale starred in three feature films. ''Laurel Canyon'' (2002) was generally well received by critics. This film also marked the second time he worked with actress Kate Beckinsale, his costar in ''Prince of Jutland'' (1994). Critics generally focused on star Frances McDormand's performance over the rest of the cast, however.

''Reign of Fire'' was Bale's first action vehicle and had, compared to all his previous work, an immense budget estimated at US$95,000,000. Bale entered into negotiations about starring in the film with reservations, but director Rob Bowman convinced him to take the lead role. Bale starred as Quinn Abercromby opposite Matthew McConaughey's Denton Van Zan. Bale and McConaughey trained for their respective roles by boxing and working out.

''Equilibrium'' was Bale's third film of 2002, costing US$20 million to produce but earning just over US$5 million worldwide. In ''Equilibrium'', Bale played John Preston, an elite law enforcer in a dystopian society. ''Equilibrium'' featured a fictional martial art called Gun Kata that combined gunfighting with hand-to-hand combat. According to moviebodycounts.com, the character of John Preston has the third most on-screen kills in a single movie ever with 118, exactly half of the movie's total of 236.

After a year's hiatus, Bale returned in 2004 to play Trevor Reznik, the title character in the psychological thriller ''The Machinist''. Bale gained attention for his devotion to the role and for the lengths to which he went to achieve Reznik's emaciated, skeletal appearance. He went without proper rest for prolonged periods, and placed himself on a crash diet of generally coffee and apples, which reduced his weight by 63 pounds () in a matter of months. By the end of filming Bale weighed only 121 pounds (), a transformation he described as "very calming mentally" and which drew comparisons to Robert De Niro's alternate weight-gaining regimen for his role as Jake LaMotta in the 1980 film ''Raging Bull''. Bale claimed that he had not worked for a period of time before he was cast in the film. "...I just hadn't found scripts that I'd really been interested in. So I was really dying for something to arrive. Then when this one did, I just didn't want to put it down. I finished it and, upon the kind of revelation that you get at the end, I immediately wanted to go back and re-visit it, to take a look at what clues I could have gotten throughout". ''The Machinist'' was a low-budget production, costing roughly US$5 million to produce, and was given only a limited US release. It was well received, with the review tallying website Rotten Tomatoes reporting that 75% of the critics' reviews tallied were positive.

Bale, an admirer of Hayao Miyazaki's ''Spirited Away'', was then cast as the voice of the title character, Howl, in the English language dub of the Japanese director's fantasy anime adventure ''Howl's Moving Castle'', an adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones's children's novel. Its gross in the US was US$4,711,096, a fraction of its worldwide gross (US$235,184,110).

Batman: 2005–present

It was reported that Bale had previously auditioned for the role of Robin in ''Batman Forever'' (1995) and later ''Batman and Robin'' (1997), but lost out to Chris O'Donnell. However, this rumor was later dispelled by Bale himself in a magazine interview in 2008. In 2004, after completing filming for ''The Machinist'', Bale won the coveted role of Batman and his alter ego Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan's ''Batman Begins'', a reboot of the Batman film series. Bale beat out Jake Gyllenhaal, the closest competition for the role.

Still fresh off ''The Machinist'', it became necessary for Bale to bulk up to match Batman's muscular physique. He was given a deadline of six months to do this. Bale recalled it as far from a simple accomplishment: "...when it actually came to building muscle, I was useless. I couldn't do one push up the first day. All of the muscles were gone, so I had a real tough time rebuilding all of that." With the help of a personal trainer, Bale succeeded in meeting the deadline, gaining a total of in six months. He went from about 130 lbs to 230 lbs. He then discovered that he had actually gained more weight than the director desired, and dropped his weight to 190 lbs by the time filming began.

Bale had initial concerns about playing Batman, as he felt more ridiculous than intimidating in the Batsuit. He dealt with this by depicting Batman as a savage beast. To attain a deeper understanding of the character, Bale read various Batman comic books. He explained his interpretation of the young boy: "Batman is his hidden, demonic rage-filled side. The creature Batman creates is an absolutely sincere creature and one that he has to control but does so in a very haphazard way. He's capable of enacting violence — and to kill — so he's constantly having to rein himself in." For Bale, the most gruelling part about playing Batman was the suit. "You stick it on, you get hot, you sweat and you get a headache in the mask," he said. "But I'm not going to bitch about it because I get to play Batman." When promoting the film in interviews and public events, Bale retained an American accent to avoid confusion.

''Batman Begins'' was released in the U.S. on 15 June 2005 and was a U.S. and international triumph for Warner Bros., costing approximately US$135 million to produce and taking in over US$370 million in returns worldwide. Bale earned the Best Hero award at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards for his performance.

Bale reprised his role as Batman in the ''Batman Begins'' sequel ''The Dark Knight''. He trained in the Keysi Fighting Method, and performed many of his own stunts. ''The Dark Knight'' was released in the U.S. on 18 July 2008 and stormed through the box office, with a record-breaking $158.4 million in the U.S. in its first weekend. It broke the $300 million barrier in 10 days, the $400 million mark in 18 days and the $500 million mark in 43 days, three new U.S. box office records set by the film. The film went on to gross over $1 billion at the box office worldwide, making it the fourth-highest grossing movie worldwide of all time, before adjusting for inflation.

It has been confirmed that Bale will star in the third projected movie in the rebooted franchise, ''The Dark Knight Rises'', which will be released on 20 July 2012, making Bale the actor who has played Batman more times than any other actor in feature film. Bale has given the same opinion as Nolan that, if the latter was forced to bring Robin into the films, he would never again play Batman; even though one of his favorite Batman stories, ''Batman: Dark Victory'', focuses on Robin's origin.

2006–2009

After ''Batman Begins'', Bale returned to appearing in independent films. He was cast as one of the two leads in the South Central David Ayer-helmed crime drama ''Harsh Times'', co-starring with Freddy Rodriguez and Eva Longoria. Bale played Jim Luther Davis, a grim Afghanistan War veteran afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder, approached by the Department of Homeland Security and hired as a federal agent. ''Harsh Times'' premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival and had a wide release on 10 November 2006.

Terrence Malick directed ''The New World'', a period piece inspired by the stories of Pocahontas, and Bale was cast as John Rolfe. He shared the screen with Colin Farrell and Q'Orianka Kilcher, who played John Smith and Pocahontas. The majority of screen time was devoted to Farrell and Kilcher; Bale was a secondary character, and only appeared during the last third of the film. The film was a failure at the U.S. box office and its worldwide total (US$29,506,437) fell short of turning a profit (the production budget was placed at US$30 million).

In 2006, Bale took on four projects. ''Rescue Dawn'', by German filmmaker Werner Herzog, had him playing U.S. Fighter pilot Dieter Dengler, who has to fight for his life after being shot down while on a mission during the Vietnam War. Bale left a strong impression on Herzog, with the director complimenting his acting abilities: "I find him one of the greatest talents of his generation. We made up our own minds long before he did ''Batman''." }}In ''The Prestige'', an adaptation of the Christopher Priest novel about a rivalry between two Victorian stage magicians, Bale was reunited with ''Batman Begins'' Michael Caine and director Christopher Nolan. The cast of ''The Prestige'' also included Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Piper Perabo, and David Bowie. ''I'm Not There'', a film in which Bale again worked alongside Todd Haynes and Heath Ledger (who would go on to play The Joker in ''The Dark Knight''), is an artistic reflection of the life of Bob Dylan. He starred opposite Russell Crowe in a commercially and critically successful Western film, ''3:10 to Yuma''.

Bale was originally cast to play George W. Bush in Oliver Stone's film ''W.'', but dropped out due to the prosthetics involved. Bale played John Connor in ''Terminator Salvation'' and FBI agent Melvin Purvis in Michael Mann's ''Public Enemies''.

''Terminator Salvation'' incident

In July 2008, Bale flew into an angry tirade on the sets of ''Terminator Salvation'', while filming in New Mexico. In February 2009, the audio recording of the incident was released. The tirade was directed at Shane Hurlbut, director of photography for the film. According to Bale, Hurlbut had, for the second time, ruined his concentration by walking onto the set during a scene. The recording is of a highly agitated Bale directing profanities at Hurlbut, threatening and belittling him, and finally threatening to quit the film if Hurlbut repeated his offence without being fired for it. It was reported that Warner film executives sent the tape to the insurer of the film in case Bale decided to quit the movie. In an interview with ''E! Online'', assistant director and producer of ''Terminator Salvation'', Bruce Franklin, said it was an isolated incident. "If you are working in a very intense scene and someone takes you out of your groove ... It was the most emotional scene in the movie ... [A]nd for him to get stopped in the middle of it. He is very intensely involved in his character. He didn't walk around like that all day long. It was just a moment and it passed," Franklin said.

Actors Whoopi Goldberg and Terry Crews, directors Darren Aronofsky and Ron Howard, as well as ''Ain't It Cool News'' website creator Harry Knowles have also publicly defended Bale's actions, some of them citing the practice that crew members are to remain still while the camera is rolling. The incident also inspired experimental band The Mae Shi to write the song, "R U Professional", which features samples from the recording; similarly, Lucian Piane's remix "Bale Out" is composed almost enirely of audio from the incident. Stephen Colbert parodied the incident on the 4 February 2009 episode of ''The Colbert Report'', in which guest Steve Martin repeatedly walked in front of the camera and was berated by Colbert. The incident was re-enacted on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', with ''Inside the Actor's Studio'' host James Lipton giving performances of both Bale and the crewmember. An episode of the animated comedy series ''Family Guy'' also mixed in the voice of Peter Griffin interacting with Bale and reacting to Bale's comments as if they were directed at him to comedic effect.

After remaining silent for most of the week, Bale gave a public apology on 6 February 2009, to a Los Angeles radio station, KROQ. He stated that the outburst was "inexcusable" and that it was motivated by the day's shooting intensity. Bale said he "acted like a punk", and that he and Hurlbut talked after the incident and "resolved this completely". Bale acknowledged that the two worked together for several hours after the incident, and ''"at least a month after that... I've seen a rough cut of the movie and he has done a wonderful job. It looks fantastic"''.

2010–present

Bale starred alongside Mark Wahlberg in the David O. Russell-directed 2010 drama ''The Fighter'', for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and thirty other awards in 2011. Near the end of his acceptance speech during the televised Golden Globes awards ceremony, Bale complemented Robert DeNiro by saying he was "the shit". The comment was censored by NBC.

Writer/director Joe Carnahan confirmed in November 2007 that Bale is also involved in the upcoming movie ''Killing Pablo'' in which he is to play Major Steve Jacoby. According to a ''Nuts'' magazine interview, Bale stated that he will be in the running to play the role of Solid Snake in a film adaptation of ''Metal Gear Solid''. Niels Arden Oplev, director of ''The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo'', is to have Bale as lead in his current project ''The Last Photograph'', which Oplev hopes to start filming early 2011. Bale will also star in the upcoming untitled film from Terrence Malick.

Personal life

On 29 January 2000, Bale married Sandra "Sibi" Blažić (born 1970), a former model, make-up artist and personal assistant to Winona Ryder; the couple have a daughter, Emmeline, who was born on 27 March 2005 in Santa Monica, California. Since 1992, Bale has resided in Los Angeles.

Bale has three elder sisters – Erin Bale, a musician; Sharon Bale, a computer professional; and Louise Bale, a theatre actress and director. The Bale family is deeply rooted in show business, especially theatre. Bale is a distant relative of British actress Lillie Langtry, while his uncle, Rex Bale, and maternal grandfather were actors as well.

Like his late father, Christian Bale actively supports environmental groups such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund. Feminist activist Gloria Steinem became Christian Bale's stepmother on 3 September 2000; it was her first marriage (at the age of 66), and the couple were together until David's death.

During an interview promoting his 2009 film ''Public Enemies'', Bale said he is a video game fan, specifically of the ''Metal Gear Solid'' series. When questioned about his time spent playing the game, Bale stated that he prefers to devote his spare time to constructive things and dislikes discussing his personal life.

Bale has stated that he is a big fan of late comedian Chris Farley and of Farley's film ''Beverly Hills Ninja''.

Film and television credits

+ List of film and television credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1985	''''	Rufus
1986	''Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna''		TV movie
1987	''Heart of the Country''	Ben Harris
1987		BenkeJum-Jum
1987		Jamie "Jim" Graham
1989		Falstaff's Boy
1990			TV movie
1991	''''	Tim Perkins	TV movie
1992	''Newsies''	Jack "Cowboy" KellyFrancis Sullivan
1993		Thomas Berger
1994	''Prince of Jutland''	Amled
1994		Theodore "Laurie" Lawrence
1995		Thomas	Voice only
1996	''''	Edward Rosier
1996	''''	Stevie
1997		Chris Lloyd
1998	''Velvet Goldmine''	Arthur Stuart
1998	''All the Little Animals''	Bobby Platt
1999	''''	Demetrius
1999			TV movie
2000		Patrick Bateman
2000		Walter Wade, Jr.
2001		Mandras
2002		Sam Bentley
2002		Quinn Abercromby
2002		Cleric John Preston
2004	''''	Trevor Reznik
2004
2005	''Batman Begins''
2005			Video gameVoice only
2005	''Harsh Times''	Jim Luther Davis	Also executive producer
2005	''''	John Rolfe
2006	''Rescue Dawn''	Dieter Dengler
2006	''''	Alfred Borden
2007		Dan Evans
2007	''I'm Not There''
2008	''''
2009	''Terminator Salvation''	John Connor
2009		Melvin Purvis
2010	''	Dicky Eklund
TBA	''13 Flowers of Nanjing''		''Filming''
2012	''''		''Filming''

Awards and nominations

+ List of awards and award nominations
! Year	! Award	! Award category	! Title of work	! Result
1987	National Board of Review	Best Juvenile Performance
1988	Young Artist Award		''Empire of the Sun''
2001	Chlotrudis Awards	Best Actor
2001	Empire Award	Best Actor	''American Psycho''
2001	London Film Critics' Circle Awards	British Actor of the Year	''American Psycho''
2001		Best Actor	''American Psycho''
2004		Best Actor	''''
2005	Irish Film and Television Award	Best International Actor	''Batman Begins''
2005	European Film Awards	Best Actor	''''
2005	Saturn Award	Best Actor	''''
2006	London Film Critics' Circle Awards	British Actor of the Year	''''
2006	MTV Movie Awards	Best Hero	''Batman Begins''
2006	Empire Awards	Best Actor	''Batman Begins''
2006	Saturn Awards	Best Actor	''Batman Begins''
2006	Scream Awards	Best Superhero	''Batman Begins''
2006	Scream Awards	Most Heroic Performance	''Batman Begins''
2007	Empire Award	Best Actor	''''
2007	San Diego Film Critics Society Awards	Special Award
2007	Satellite Award	Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama	''Rescue Dawn''
2008	London Film Critics' Circle Awards	British Actor of the Year
2008	Independent Spirit Award	Robert Altman Award (with Todd Haynes, Laura Rosenthal, Cate Blanchett,Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin, Bruce Greenwood, Charlotte Gainsbourg)	''I'm Not There''
2008	Scream Awards	Best Fantasy Actor	''''
2008	Scream Awards	Best Superhero	''''
2009	Empire Awards	Best Actor	''''
2009		Favorite Male Acvion Star	''''
2009	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Leading Man	''''
2009	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Superhero	''''
2009	People's Choice Awards	Favorite On Screen Match Up (with Heath Ledger)	''''
2009	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Cast (with Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine,Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal)	''''
2009	West Point Cadet Choice Awards	Best Exemplification of Leadership	''''
2009	Saturn Award	Best Actor	''''
2010	BAFTA Award		''''
2010	Alliance of Women Film Journalists	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Austin Film Critics Association		''''
2010	Black Film Critics Circle	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Boston Society of Film Critics	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Boston Society of Film Critics		''''
2010	Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards		''''
2010	Central Ohio Film Critics Circle Association Awards	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Central Ohio Film Critics Circle Association Awards		''''
2010	Chicago Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Denver Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Detroit Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Florida Film Critics Circle	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010			''''
2010	Houston Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010		Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Kansas City Film Critics Circle	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Las Vegas Film Critics Society	Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	London Film Critics' Circle	British Actor of the Year	''''
2010	National Board of Review	National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	New York Film Critics Online	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	North Texas Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Oklahoma Film Critics Circle	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Online Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Phoenix Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	San Diego Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	San Diego Film Critics Society		''''
2010	Satellite Awards	Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture	''''
2011	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Best Cast	''''
2011	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Utah Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Vancouver Film Critics Circle		''''
2010	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor	''''
2010	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	''''
2011	[[Academy Awards	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor	''''

References

External links

Category:1974 births Category:People educated at Bournemouth School Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners Category:English child actors Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English film actors Category:Living people Category:People from Haverfordwest Category:People from Bournemouth Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area

ar:كريستيان بيل an:Christian Bale az:Kristian Beyl bg:Крисчън Бейл ca:Christian Bale cs:Christian Bale cy:Christian Bale da:Christian Bale de:Christian Bale es:Christian Bale eu:Christian Bale fa:کریستین بیل fr:Christian Bale ga:Christian Bale gl:Christian Bale ko:크리스찬 베일 hr:Christian Bale id:Christian Bale it:Christian Bale he:כריסטיאן בייל ka:კრისტიან ბეილი la:Christianus Bale hu:Christian Bale mk:Кристијан Бејл ml:ക്രിസ്റ്റ്യൻ ബെയ്ൽ ms:Christian Bale nl:Christian Bale ja:クリスチャン・ベール no:Christian Bale pl:Christian Bale pt:Christian Bale ro:Christian Bale ru:Бэйл, Кристиан sq:Christian Bale simple:Christian Bale sk:Christian Bale sr:Кристијан Бејл fi:Christian Bale sv:Christian Bale ta:கிரிஸ்டியன் பேல் th:คริสเตียน เบล tr:Christian Bale uk:Крістіан Бейл vi:Christian Bale yo:Christian Bale zh:克里斯汀·貝爾

name	Ray Sefo
other names	Sugar, Sugarfoot
nationality	New Zealander
birth date	February 15, 1971
birth place	Auckland, New Zealand
fighting out of	Las Vegas, Nevada, US
height
weight kg	108
weight class	Light Heavyweight Cruiserweight Heavyweight Super Heavyweight
style	Boxing, Muay Thai
stance	orthodox
reach in	75
team	Xtreme Couture Ray Sefo's Fight Academy
years active	1989 – present (Kickboxing)
box win	5
box kowin	4
box loss	1
box koloss	1
box draw	0
kbox nc	0
kickbox win	56
kickbox kowin	38
kickbox loss	21
kickbox koloss	11
kickbox draw	1
kickbox nc
mma kowin	2
mma subloss	1
mma nc
boxrec	32491
sherdog	13342
relatives	Rony Sefo, ''brother''
updated	11 May 2011 }}

"Sugar" Ray Sefo (15 February 1971) is a New Zealand kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist. He is five time Muay Thai World champion and eight time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals tournament participant, currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada and training with Xtreme Couture.

He holds notable wins in the K-1 over Jerome Le Banner, Peter Aerts, Mark Hunt, Mike Bernardo, Bob Sapp, Stefan Leko and is one of only 5 men to ever knock down Semmy Schilt (the others being Alexey Ignashov, Jan Nortje, Remy Bonjasky and Badr Hari ).

Biography

Trained in Wing Chun as a youth, Sefo started developing his Muay Thai fighting style under Thai legend Kiosot, then continued training under Lollo Heimuli (Balmoral Lee Gar gym). Sefo had an impressive unbeaten record as an amateur and a professional in the Oceania kickboxing league. Early in his career Sefo trained at Balmoral Lee Gar gym alongside Jason Suttie, Jayson Vemoa, Doug Viney and his brother Rony Sefo.

Some would say his fight against Andre Manaart was his first major challenge on the world stage. In this fight he overwhelmed Manaart with devastating speed and elusive footwork,knocking him down on numerous occasions. In the ring after the fight, Manaart took the microphone and said "...you should call him Sugarfist, not Sugarfoot"...

His first major breakthrough was becoming a WKA cruiser weight champion, after which he also acted as a sparring partner for fellow New Zealander David Tua when Tua first returned to New Zealand for a fight after turning pro.

Ray made his K-1 debut against future four-time World Grand Prix Champion, Ernesto Hoost. Sefo held his own against the much more experienced Hoost, but was finally knocked out in the 4th round by a leg kick. Sefo gained respect for standing up to such an elite fighter in just his first fight.

Sefo gained more respect in his 3rd K-1 fight where he knocked out K-1 legend Jerome Lebanner in round 1. Sefo's hard right hand was enough to break the Frenchmans jaw in four places.

Sefo had a up down first few years in the K-1, unable to make it past the quarter finals in the K-1 World Grand Prix against the likes of Sam Greco and Andy Hug. In 2000 he made it to the WGP final after knocking out Japanese star Musashi and French kickboxer Cyril Abidi before losing again to Hoost.

In 2002 he defeated Dutch legend Peter Aerts in the quarter finals but lost again to his nemesis Hoost in the semi finals.

In 2007, he was thought to be a legitimate challenger to dethrone four-time World Grand Prix Champion Semmy Schilt for the new Super Heavyweight title. In Round 1, Sefo became only the second man in history to knock Schilt down. However, he would go on to lose by KO in round 2.

He went on to lose 5 more fights and would not find the winners circle again till he beat Hong Man Choi, Yosuke Nishijima and Ionut Iftimoaie all by decision.

He was then asked to fight at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Seoul Final 16 on ten days notice against Tyrone Spong. Ray put up a decent fight for a short preparation but was beaten by decision. At the moment Ray is unsure about whether he will continue to fight in the K-1, though he is still considered one of the sport's oldest and still entertaining fighters.

In mid February 2011 he had his third MMA fight in a reserve fight for the Strikeforce Heavyweight tournament. He fought Valentijn Overeem, brother of Alistair Overeem, the current K-1 champion. Overeem had 50 MMA fights behind him and beat Sefo by submission in the first round. Sefo's striking on the feet looked good, but as an inexperienced grappler he lost early on by neck crank.

Titles

2000 K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 runner up.

1997 WKBA World Super Heavyweight World champion.

1996 WMTF World Heavyweight champion.

1996 ISKA World Super Cruiserweight Champion.

1995 ISKA World Cruiserweight Champion

1994 ISKA World Light Cruiserweight Champion.

1992 WMTF World Light Heavyweight Champion.

1992 South Pacific Cruiserweight Champion.

1991 New Zealand Cruiserweight Champion.

1990 New Zealand Heavyweight Champion.

Fight record

Mixed martial arts record

|- | Loss |align=center| 2-1-0 | Valentijn Overeem | Submission (neck crank) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 1:37 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 2-0-0 | Kevin Jordan | TKO (injury) | Strikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 0:24 | Bixby, Oklahoma, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 1-0-0 | Min-Soo Kim | KO (high kick) | Hero's 2 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 0:30 | Tokyo, Japan |

See also

List of kickboxing organizations

List of male kickboxers

List of K-1 events

Champions of Champions Elite

References

External links

Profile at K-1

Ray Sefo Interview

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:New Zealand boxers Category:Heavyweight boxers Category:New Zealand kickboxers Category:Light heavyweight kickboxers Category:Cruiserweight kickboxers Category:Heavyweight kickboxers Category:Super heavyweight kickboxers Category:New Zealand mixed martial artists Category:Heavyweight mixed martial artists Category:New Zealand Muay Thai practitioners Category:Kickboxing trainers Category:Kickboxing commentators Category:People from Auckland Category:New Zealand people of Samoan descent Category:New Zealand expatriates in the United States

bg:Рей Сефо de:Ray Sefo fr:Ray Sefo ko:레이 세포 it:Ray Sefo nl:Ray Sefo ja:レイ・セフォー pl:Ray Sefo tr:Ray Sefo

fullname	Taarak Mehta

Taarak Mehta is an Indian columnist/journalist best known for the column ''Duniya Ne Undha Chasma'' in Gujarati Language. The humorous weekly column first appeared in Chitralekha in March 1971 and ever since has been looking at contemporary issues from a different perspective. In 2008 SAB TV, a popular entertainment channel in India, started a show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah that is based on the column. Taarak Mehta is against translating his column for the English-speaking readers. “Idioms lose meaning. My columns can be adapted but not translated,” he said in an interview to The Statesman newspaper in India.

Bibliography

Duniya ne Oondha Chashmah

Aa Duniya Panjarapole

Action Reply ½

Albelun America Vanthelun America

Bagicha Ni Hadvi Havama

Bahero Hase Be Vay...!

Champaklal Tapuni Jugalbandhi

Betaj Batali Baj Popatlal Taraj

Taarak mehta ka oolta chashmah

References

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=26&id;=245516&usrsess;=1 publisher= The Statesman | accessdate=2009-04-20

http://www.glamsham.com/dramas/features/tarak_mehta.pdf - contains a lot of information about Tarak Mehta

Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)