Look up bale in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Bale may refer to:

Places[link]

• Bale (town), a small town in Croatia
• Bale, California, in Napa County
• Bale, Norfolk in England
• Bale, Poland
• Balé Province, Burkina Faso
• Basel, the Swiss city, for which the French name is Bâle

Ethiopia[link]

• Bale Mountains
• Bale Mountains National Park
• Bale Province, Ethiopia, a former province in Ethiopia
• Bale Zone in Oromia, Ethiopia

People[link]

• Christian Bale (b. 1974), English actor born in Wales
• David Bale (1941-2003), South African entrepreneur
• Edward Turner Bale (1810-1849), English physician
• Elvin Bale, English circus daredevil
• Ernest Bale (1878-1952), English cricketer
• Gareth Bale (b. 1989), Welsh footballer
• Sir Henry Bale, Chief Justice, Colony of Natal
• John Bale (1496-1563), English churchman and playwright
• John Bale (baseball) (b. 1974), baseball player
• Lan Bale (b. 1969), former South African tennis player
• Qoriniasi Bale, Fijian lawyer and politician
• Sue Bale, British nursing researcher and administrator

Industrial packaging[link]

• Hay bale or straw bale, in farming, bound by a baler
• Paper bale, a unit of paper measurement equal to ten reams

Other[link]

• Akar-Bale language

See also[link]

• Ba'al
• Bales

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Gareth Bale

Personal information
Full name	Gareth Frank Bale[1]
Date of birth	(1989-07-16) 16 July 1989 (age 22)[1]
Place of birth	Cardiff, Wales
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Playing position	Left winger / Left back
Club information
Current club	Tottenham Hotspur
Number	3
Youth career
2005–2006	Southampton
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006–2007	Southampton	40	(5)
2007–	Tottenham Hotspur	113	(21)
National team‡
2005–2006	Wales U17	7	(1)
2006	Wales U19	1	(?)
2006–2008	Wales U21	4	(?)
2006–	Wales	33	(6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12:25, 13 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16 November 2011

Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh footballer who plays for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Wales national team as a winger.

Bale began his professional career at Southampton, playing at left back, earning acclaim as a free kick specialist. Since transferring to Spurs in 2007, managerial and tactical shifts have seen him transform into a more offensively-oriented player. Recently, Bale has played an integral role in Tottenham's success domestically and in the Champions League.^[3][4][5]

Early life[link]

Bale was born in Cardiff to parents Frank, a school caretaker, and Debbie, an operations manager;^[6] he attended Eglwys Newydd Primary School at Whitchurch.^[7] He is the nephew of former Cardiff City footballer Chris Pike.^[8] It was while at this school he first came to the attention of Southampton at age nine, when he was playing in a six-a-side tournament with his first club, Cardiff Civil Service Football Club.^[9] Growing up his football hero was fellow Welshman and Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs.^[10]

Bale then attended Whitchurch High School in Cardiff.^[11] He was a keen athlete and played football alongside Wales flanker and captain Sam Warburton^[12], rugby, hockey and excelled at athletics.^[13] As a 14 year old he says that he ran the 100 metre sprint in 11.4 seconds.^[10] Because of his superior footballing skill, the school's PE teacher, Gwyn Morris, had to write special rules which restricted Bale to playing one-touch football and not using his left foot.^[12] Whilst at Whitchurch, Bale trained at Southampton's satellite academy in Bath, although there was initially some doubt if Southampton would give him a scholarship due to his height.^[6]

Despite being only 16 at the time, he helped the school's under-18 side win the Cardiff & Vale Senior Cup. He left school in the summer of 2005 with a Grade A in PE amongst his GCSE results. In his final year at school, he was awarded the PE department's prize for services to sport. In the presentation, Morris commented:

"Gareth has a fierce determination to succeed and has the character and qualities to achieve his personal goals. He is one of the most unselfish individuals that I have had the pleasure to help educate."^[14]

Club career[link]

Southampton[link]

On 17 April 2006, at the age of 16 years and 275 days, Bale became the second youngest player ever to play for Southampton (after Theo Walcott, who was 132 days younger) when he made his debut in the Saints' 2–0 victory against Millwall. On 6 August, Bale scored his first league goal, a free kick, to level the score at 1–1 against Derby County. The final score at Pride Park was 2–2.^[15]

He scored again, at St. Mary's, against Coventry City^[16] in the team's second game of the 2006–07 season with another free kick. Bale further developed his reputation as a free kick specialist when he struck the post from one against West Bromwich Albion.^[17] By 16 December 2006, Bale's goal count had risen to five, thanks to a late equaliser against Sunderland^[18] and free-kicks away to Hull^[19] and at home to Norwich City.

In December 2006, he won the Carwyn James Award for the BBC Wales Young Sports Personality of the Year,^[20] and was named the Football League Young Player of the Year on 4 March 2007.^[21] This capped what was described in the local press as an "incredible" first full season as a professional footballer in which he was one of the Saints' "most creative players even (though operating) from the left-back position whilst his defending improved immeasurably as the season progressed."^[22]

His final game for Southampton was in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-final against Derby County on 12 May 2007. Bale suffered an injury during the second half, preventing him from appearing in the second leg.^[23][24] In total, he made 45 appearances for Southampton, scoring five goals.

Tottenham Hotspur[link]

On 25 May 2007, Bale signed a four year deal with Tottenham Hotspur with Spurs paying an initial £5 million for Bale, potentially rising to £10 million based on appearances and success.^[25] However, Tottenham paid Southampton an early settlement payment of £2 million in 2008 to reduce the final fee to £7 million and allow the Saints the immediate cash that they desperately needed.

2007–08[link]

He played his first game for Spurs in a friendly against St. Patrick's Athletic on 12 July 2007, but was substituted on the 80th minute with a minor dead-leg. He made his competitive debut for Tottenham Hotspur on 26 August away against Manchester United. In just his second Spurs appearance, he scored his first goal for Tottenham in the 3–3 draw with Fulham on 1 September when he latched on to Robbie Keane's flick, charged down the left flank unopposed and coolly slotted past goalkeeper Antti Niemi.^[26] Bale went on to score again against Arsenal in the North London Derby, scoring a free kick inside the near post.^[27] He then scored in the League Cup home tie against Middlesbrough,^[28] making it three goals in four starts for the then 18-year-old. He also set up Spurs' goal against Anorthosis Famagusta in the UEFA Cup.

Bale was substituted after sustaining an injury resulting from a tackle from Fabrice Muamba in the league fixture against Birmingham City on 2 December 2007. A scan revealed that Bale had suffered ligament damage to his right ankle, consigning him to an extended period on the sidelines. Spurs' sporting director Damien Comolli announced in February 2008 that Bale would miss the rest of the season through injury.^[29]

2008–09[link]

Bale in the Spurs' line-up before a match against Chelsea

He signed a new four-year deal with the club in August 2008.^[30] Bale was given the number 3 shirt for the 2008-09 season, which left previous number 3 Lee Young-Pyo without a squad number. After some poor performances, Bale was dropped in favour of Benoît Assou-Ekotto and the latter remained first-choice for most of the season.

2009–10[link]

After playing a record 24 Premier League games for Spurs without being on the winning side,^[31][32] Bale's first ever involvement in a Premier League victory came against Burnley on 26 September 2009 – more than two years after signing for Spurs – when he came on as an 85th minute substitute.^[33]

In June 2009, Bale underwent surgery for a knee injury, ruling him out for over two months. He missed pre-season matches and it was projected that he would miss the first few weeks of the 2009–10 season.^[34] On 26 September, he made his comeback as a substitute in the Spurs' 5–0 thrashing of Burnley. However, he endured a frustrating time on the bench as Benoît Assou-Ekotto was in good form. When Assou-Ekotto was sidelined with an injury, manager Harry Redknapp decided to give Bale a chance and he impressed in the Spurs' FA Cup third-round 4–0 win over Peterborough.^[35] He finally tasted victory for the first time as a starter in a league game in the 2–0 win over London rivals Fulham on 26 January 2010.^[36] His good form continued and he was named Player of the Round after helping the Spurs to a 3–1 win in the sixth round replay of the FA Cup against Fulham.^[37] In April 2010, Bale scored another goal against Arsenal after a pass from Defoe he tapped the ball past the Arsenal keeper.^[38] Three days later, Bale slammed in Tottenham's second with his weaker right foot in a 2–1 victory over leaders Chelsea and was named Man of the Match.^[39] He was named Barclays Player of the Month for April.^[40] He signed a new four-year contract at White Hart Lane on 7 May 2010 as a reward for helping the club reach the Champions League qualification place.^[41]

2010–11[link]

On 21 August, Bale scored twice in a 2–1 win at Stoke City, the second of which was a head-high volley into the top right hand corner of the goal.^[42] On 25 August, Bale set up all four goals to help Spurs overcome Young Boys 4–0 (6–3 agg.) in a Champions League play-off at White Hart Lane.^[43] Although Assou-Ekotto had already returned from injury, Bale continued his good form and cemented his place in the starting eleven, moving forward to left wing to accommodate Assou-Ekotto at left back. On 29 September 2010, Bale scored his first Champions League goal for Tottenham in a 4–1 home win against Dutch champions FC Twente in their second game of the group stages. In recognition, he was named Welsh Player of the Year by the FAW.^[44] On 20 October, Bale scored his first senior hat trick against European champions Internazionale at the San Siro in the Champions League. Tottenham lost the match 4–3, having been 4–0 down inside the first 35 minutes and playing with ten men for over 80 minutes of the match after goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes had been sent off in the eighth minute for a professional foul on Inter's Jonathan Biabiany.^[45] In the return match at White Hart Lane on 2 November, Bale provided a man of the match performance, setting up goals for Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko to earn Spurs a memorable 3–1 win.^[46]

On 4 November, Bale stated that he intended to remain at Tottenham for the remainder of his recently-signed four-year contract, despite reported interest from other clubs.^[47] On 19 March 2011, Tottenham announced Bale had extended his stay at the club until 2015.^[48]

On 17 April 2011, Bale was honoured with the PFA Player of the Year award, as voted for by his peers.^[49] Amidst rumours linking him with Chelsea, Barcelona and a host of clubs, Bale decided to stay at White Hart Lane.

2011–12[link]

He scored his first goal of the season on 24 September 2011, in an away game against Wigan Athletic.^[50] The game ended in a 2–1 victory for Tottenham. He added his second and third goals of the season on 30 October with two goals against Queens Park Rangers in a 3–1 home win.^[51] He continued his good form with the first goal in a 3–1 victory over Fulham the following week, whilst also setting up Aaron Lennon who made it 2–0 on the stroke of half time.^[52] The first goal against Fulham was later ruled by the "dubious goals committee" to be an own goal by Chris Baird.^[53]

On 3 December, Bale scored the first goal in Tottenham's 3–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers. He marked the goal with a tribute to Gary Speed by holding up his left boot, with "R.I.P Gary Speed" stitched on it, in front of the Bolton fans.^[54] On 27 December, Bale scored twice to give Tottenham a 2–0 win against Norwich City.^[55] On 5 January 2012, Bale was announced as one of the players voted into the UEFA Team of the Year 2011. He scored his third brace of the season as he scored twice against Wigan on 31 January to take his tally to ten goals for the season.^[56] In January 2012 he was announced as the January Premier League Player of the Month for the second time in his career, after three goals and two assists in the Premier League for the month.^[57]

Style of play[link]

Bale originally started out playing as left back, but because of his great pace and dribbling skills, he was moved forward to play as a left winger.^{[citation needed]}

On 2 November 2010, after a Champions League group stage match against Internazionale, teammate Rafael van der Vaart said, "Everyone is scared of him [Bale]. Maicon is one of the best defenders in the world, and he's killed him."^[58][59]

In a report of the same match, Spanish newspaper El Mundo said:

Bale combines the height and build of an 800-metre runner like Steve Ovett with the acceleration and directness of a rugby winger like Bryan Habana. And, when he gets to the byline, he delivers curling crosses like a Brazilian. Big words? Yes, but that's what Bale is like – easily the greatest sensation in the opening month and a half of the Champions League. Ask Maicon what he thinks after the two exhibitions Bale turned in against Inter. Yesterday he left Maicon for dead and then a wily old fox like Lúcio was left in his wake like someone trying to follow the vapour trail of an aeroplane. Three goals and two assists — against the European champions. His performances have been stunning.^[60]

Following Bale's two goals against Norwich City on 27 December 2011, manager Harry Redknapp said:

If we sell him, we've had it haven't we? It would only be a Barcelona, a Man City or a Real Madrid who would be able to pay for him. He's an amazing player. He's got everything, there's not a weakness in his make-up. He can head the ball, he's as strong as an ox, he can run, dribble and shoot. Most important of all, he's a smashing lad.^[5][61]

Speaking at an interview in 2012, Manchester City fullback Micah Richards revealed that Gareth Bale was one of his toughest opponents he had ever faced, saying that:

"He made me feel an inch tall. Took me to pieces. He just doesn’t stop running. It's ridiculous."^[62]

International career[link]

Wales[link]

Bale was selected by Wales at the end of the 2005–06 season and made his international debut on 27 May 2006.^[63] He first appeared as a substitute in a 2–1 win over Trinidad and Tobago, making him the youngest ever player to play for Wales.^[64] Bale, who was just 16 years and 315 days, assisted the winning goal scored by Robert Earnshaw.

Brian Flynn commented that Bale was potentially a future star of the game, comparing his technical ability to that of Ryan Giggs.^[65] On 7 October 2006, Bale became the youngest player ever to score a goal for the full Welsh national team in the Euro 2008 qualification match against Slovakia with a trademark free kick.^[66] He scored his second goal for Wales in a 3–0 win over San Marino on 28 March 2007.

Bale was eligible to play for England through his grandmother, but he stated in 2007 that:

"It is an honour to play for Wales... Nobody ever got in touch with me personally from England, only through my agent."^[67]

After a long injury lay-off, he returned and started in the World Cup qualifier against Finland on 10 October 2009.^[68] On 14 October, he played a part in Wales' final World Cup qualifier by setting up David Vaughan to score the opening goal against Liechtenstein and won the free kick that led to the second, Aaron Ramsey's first at senior level.^[69]

In December 2010, Bale was awarded the BBC Cymru Sports Personality of the Year trophy.^[70]

Bale was called up to the Wales squad for the first time under Gary Speed to play against Australia on 10 August 2011. He previously missed the last four internationals with injury.^[71]

Great Britain[link]

Bale, who meets the age criteria to play in the 2012 London Olympics, said he would "love to play in the Olympics" for the Great Britain Olympic football team, in defiance of the Welsh FA.^[72] On 28 October 2011 Bale became the first player to be photographed modelling the British 2012 London Olympics football supporters' shirt. In response, Football Association of Wales chief executive Jonathan Ford said: "Our position remains unchanged. We are not for Team GB. Gareth can make his own choices and make his own decisions. But we are not going to stop anyone playing." On behalf of Gareth Bale a spokesman said "while he is 100% Welsh, he is also British".^[73]

International goals[link]

Scores and results list. Wales' goal tally first.

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	7 October 2006	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	Slovakia	1 – 2	1 – 5	Euro 2008 qualifying
2.	28 March 2007	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	San Marino	2 – 0	3 – 0	Euro 2008 qualifying
3.	12 October 2010	St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland	Switzerland	1 – 1	1 – 4	Euro 2012 qualifying
4.	7 October 2011	Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales	Switzerland	2 – 0	2 – 0	Euro 2012 qualifying
5.	11 October 2011	Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria	Bulgaria	1 – 0	1 – 0	Euro 2012 qualifying
6.	12 November 2011	Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	Norway	1 – 0	4 – 1	Friendly

Career statistics[link]

As of 13 May 2012^[74]

¹ Includes Football League Championship play-offs

² The Spurs goal tally excludes the "goal" scored against Fulham on 6 November 2011, later ruled as an "own goal".^[53]

Honours[link]

Club[link]

Southampton Academy

• Premier Academy League: 2005–06

Individual[link]

• PFA Championship Team of the Year: 2006–07
• Football League Young Player of the Year: 2007
• FAW Young Player of the Year: 2007^[75]
• E.ON Player of the Round: 2009–10 5th Round^[76]
• Premier League Player of the Month: April 2010,^[77] January 2012
• Tottenham Hotspur Football Club 'Young Player Of The Year': 2009–10,^[78] 2010–11
• Wales Player of the Year Award: 2010,^[79] 2011^[80]
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year 2010^[81]
• BBC Wales Carwyn James Junior Sportsman of the Year Award 2006^[20]
• PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2010–11, 2011–12
• PFA Players' Player of the Year: 2010–11^[49]
• UEFA Team of the Year 2011

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gareth Bale

• Gareth Bale at National-Football-Teams.com
• Gareth Bale – FIFA competition record
• Gareth Bale – UEFA competition record
• Gareth Bale career stats at Soccerbase
• Wales profile
• Tottenham Hotspur profile
• Premier League profile
• BBC profile
• ESPN Soccernet Profile
• Transfermarkt Profile

Christian Bale
Bale in June 2009
Born	Christian Charles Philip Bale (1974-01-30) 30 January 1974 (age 38) Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire
Residence	Los Angeles, California
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1982–present
Spouse	Sandra Blažić (2000–present)
Children	1
Parents	David Bale, Jenny (née James) Bale
Family	Gloria Steinem (Step-Mother)

Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor.^[1] 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.^[2] He is also 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), The Dark Knight (2008) and the upcoming finale The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

In 2010, Bale portrayed 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[link]

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 (née James), was a circus performer.^[3][4][5][6] He spent his childhood in England, Portugal, and the United States.

Bale's first foray into acting was a commercial for the fabric softener Lenor in 1982.^[7] 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.^[8]

Career[link]

1986–1998[link]

A 14-year-old Bale in Stockholm, Sweden in February 1988 while promoting Empire of the Sun

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.

Bale's performance as Jim Graham in Empire of the Sun 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.^[9] 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.^[9] 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 film about teenagers who secretly listened to forbidden jazz during the rise of Nazi Germany.^[10] Bale was recommended by actress Winona Ryder to star in Gillian Armstrong's 1994 film Little Women.^[9] 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.^[10] 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.^[10]

1999–2001[link]

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 favour 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.^[11] 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,^[12] and "the most loathed film at Sundance,"^[13] but gave it a favourable review, writing that Harron "transformed a novel about bloodlust into a film 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."^[14]

On 14 April 2000, Lions Gate Films released American Psycho in cinemas. 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.^[15] 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[link]

From 2002 to 2003, Bale starred in three feature films. Laurel Canyon (2002) was generally well received by critics.^[16] 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.^[17]

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.^[18] Bale entered into negotiations about starring in the film with reservations, but director Rob Bowman convinced him to take the lead role.^[19] 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.^[19]

Equilibrium was Bale's third film of 2002, costing US$20 million to produce but earning just over US$5 million worldwide.^[20] 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.^[21]

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,^[22] which reduced his weight by 63 pounds (4 st 4 lb/27 kg) in a matter of months.^[23] By the end of filming Bale weighed only 121 pounds (8 st 9 lb/55 kg),^[22] a transformation he described as "very calming mentally"^[24] 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.^[25] 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".^[26] 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.^[27]

Bale, an admirer of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away,^[15] 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).^[28]

Batman: 2005–present[link]

Bale in 2005

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 rumour was later dispelled by Bale himself in a magazine interview in 2008.^[29] 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.^[30]

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."^[23] With the help of a personal trainer, Bale succeeded in meeting the deadline, gaining a total of 100 lb (45 kg) in six months. He went from about 130 lbs to 230 lbs.^[31] 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.^[32]

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.^[23] 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."^[33] When promoting the film in interviews and public events, Bale retained an American accent to avoid confusion.^[34]

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.^[35] Bale earned the Best Hero award at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards for his performance.^[36]

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.^[37] 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.^[38] 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.^[39] 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.^[40]

Bale will reprise his role in The Dark Knight Rises which will be released on 20 July 2012,^[41] making Bale the actor who has played Batman the most times 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 favourite Batman stories, Batman: Dark Victory, focuses on Robin's origin.^[42]

2006–2009[link]

Bale in 2008

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 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.^[43]

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).^[44]

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."^[45]

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.^[47] Bale played John Connor in Terminator Salvation^[48] and FBI agent Melvin Purvis in Michael Mann's Public Enemies.^[49]

[edit] Terminator Salvation incident

In July 2008, Bale flew into an angry tirade on the sets of Terminator Salvation, while filming in New Mexico.^[50] In February 2009, the audio recording of the incident was released.^[51][52] 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.^[50][53][54] 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.^[53] It was reported that Warner film executives sent the tape to the insurer of the film in case Bale decided to quit the movie.^[55] 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.^[56]

Actors Whoopi Goldberg and Terry Crews,^[57][58] directors Darren Aronofsky^[59] and Ron Howard,^[60] as well as Ain't It Cool News website creator Harry Knowles^[61] 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;^[62] similarly, Lucian Piane's remix "Bale Out" is composed almost entirely of audio from the incident. Stephen Colbert parodied the incident on 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.^[63] 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.^[64] 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.