Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales to entrepreneur, commercial pilot, and talent manager David Bale and circus clown and performer Jenny James, both English. He is the youngest of four children. After leaving Wales, Bale spent his childhood in several countries, including England, Portugal, and the United States.In 1976, when Bale was two years old, his family left Wales and returned to England. They settled for four years in Bournemouth, where Bale attended Bournemouth School and participated actively in rugby union. 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. Furthermore, in an interview Bale speaks of his grandfather being a stand up comedian, ventriloquist, and magician. Bale's father David was very supportive of his son's acting, resigning from his job as a commercial pilot to travel and manage Bale's burgeoning career. David later married feminist icon Gloria Steinem on September 3, 2000 (he had previously divorced Bale's mother Jenny). He died on December 30, 2003, from brain lymphoma, aged 62.
Bale's first foray into acting was a commercial for the fabric softener Lenor in 1982, when he was eight years old. He appeared in a Pac-Man cereal commercial playing a child rock star a year later and in 1984 made his stage debut in the The Nerd, opposite Rowan Atkinson.
On January 29, 2000, Bale married Sandra “Sibi” Blazic (born 1970), a one-time model, make-up artist, and personal assistant to Winona Ryder; Ryder co-starred with Bale in Little Women. He has a daughter with Blazic named Emmeline, who was born on March 27, 2005, in Santa Monica, California.
Bale has three older 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 father, David, Bale is known as an activist, and is a supporter of activism and animal welfare groups such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund. He has been a vegetarian since age six when he read Charlotte's Web and made the connection between animals and meat. The famous feminist activist Gloria Steinem became Bale's stepmother, and a first-time bride (at age 66), when she married David on September 3, 2000. The marriage ended with the death of the elder Bale in 2003. Bale currently resides in Los Angeles.
On July 22, 2008, Bale attended a London police station by appointment and was arrested in connection with an alleged verbal assault on his mother, Jenny, and sister, Sharon. After being held for more than four hours, he was released on bail, pending further investigation. He has denied these allegations.
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