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Christian Bale

Christian Bale

Actor, also producer · Born January 30, 1974 (52) · Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK

Oscar winner · 2 Golden Globes · 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards · 3 other major award bodies

Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Forbes magazine ranked him as one of the highest-paid actors in 2014. Born in Wales to English parents, Bale had his breakthrough role at age 13 in Steven Spielberg's 1987 war film Empire of the Sun. After more than a decade of performing in leading and supporting roles in films, he gained wider recognition for his portrayals of serial killer Patrick Bateman in the black comedy American Psycho (2000) and the titular role in the psychological thriller The Machinist (2004). In 2005, he played superhero Batman in Batman Begins and again in The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), garnering acclaim for his performance in the trilogy, which is one of the highest-grossing film franchises. Bale continued in starring roles in a range of films outside his work as Batman, including the period drama The Prestige (2006), the action film Terminator Salvation (2009), the crime drama Public Enemies (2009), the epic film Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) and the superhero film Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). For his portrayal of boxer Dicky Eklund in the 2010 biographical film The Fighter, he won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Further Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations came for his work in the black comedy American Hustle (2013) and the biographical dramedies The Big Short (2015) and Vice (2018). His performances as politician Dick Cheney in Vice and race car driver Ken Miles in the sports drama Ford v Ferrari (2019) earned him a second win and a fifth nomination respectively at the Golden Globe Awards.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 30, 1974 (52)
From
Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
52 on MovieCove · 63 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 18% in 30 days

What are Christian Bale's films like?

Across their 56 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.

Genres

Drama16 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 94th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Documentary5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
24%
Morality
22%
Bonds
17%
Survival
12%
Power
11%
Ideas
8%
Society
6%
Identity13 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice12 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose8 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom9 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice6 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 56 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 13 · Serious 14 · Dark 29

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 19 · Stylized 19 · Heightened 18

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 10 · Charged 15 · Intense 31

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 14 · Shifting 33 · Whiplash 9

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 42 · Some laughs 13 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 21 · Even-paced 32 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 9 · Engaged 35 · Full focus 12

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 9 · Affecting 19 · Heavy 28

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 35 · Open-ended 15 · Ambiguous 6

Roles they play

47 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 29 of 47 analyzed roles.

Hero
29 of 47
Shadow
11 of 47
Ally
3 of 47
Shapeshifter
3 of 47
Mentor
1 of 47
Show the 47 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
38
Melancholic
23
Dread
16
Contemplative
12
Thrilling
11
Other
58

How their films linger

Thought-provoking24 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet26 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 10 with a twist

  • Happy11
  • Bittersweet32
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous9
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Christian Bale's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 37 of their 52 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Christian Bale's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

63 credits, 52 with a MovieCove page; 28 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Madden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Al Davis

  • The Resurrection of Christ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Actor

  • The Bride!(2026)

    as Frank

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Sibyl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as (Archive footage)

  • The Pale Blue Eye(2022)

    Producer · as Augustus Landor

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Amsterdam(2022)

    Producer · as Burt Berendsen

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Thor: Love and Thunder(2022)

    as Gorr

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Ford v Ferrari(2019)

    as Ken Miles

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Vice(2018)

    as Dick Cheney

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle(2018)

    as Bagheera (voice)

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Hostiles(2017)

    as Captain Joseph J. Blocker

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Promise(2016)

    as Chris Myers

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Big Short(2015)

    as Michael Burry

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Knight of Cups(2015)

    as Rick

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Exodus: Gods and Kings(2014)

    as Moses

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • American Hustle(2013)

    as Irving Rosenfeld

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Out of the Furnace(2013)

    as Russell Baze

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Dark Knight Rises(2012)

    as Bruce Wayne

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Flowers of War(2011)

    as John Miller

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Making of "The Flowers of War" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 5 episodes · Actor

  • The Fighter(2010)

    as Dicky Eklund

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Public Enemies(2009)

    as Melvin Purvis

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Terminator Salvation(2009)

    as John Connor

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Dark Knight(2008)

    as Bruce Wayne

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Gotham Tonight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 1 episode · as Bruce Wayne

  • I'm Not There(2007)

    as Jack / Pastor John

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • 3:10 to Yuma(2007)

    as Dan Evans

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Rescue Dawn(2006)

    as Dieter Dengler

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Prestige(2006)

    as Alfred Borden

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The New World(2005)

    as John Rolfe

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Harsh Times(2005)

    Executive Producer · as Jim Luther Davis

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Batman Begins(2005)

    as Bruce Wayne / Batman

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Tankman Begins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Batman (archive footage)

  • The Machinist(2004)

    as Trevor Reznik

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Laurel Canyon(2002)

    as Sam

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Equilibrium(2002)

    as John Preston

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Reign of Fire(2002)

    as Quinn Abercromby

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Captain Corelli's Mandolin(2001)

    as Mandras

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Shaft(2000)

    as Walter Wade, Jr.

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • American Psycho(2000)

    as Patrick Bateman

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Mary, Mother of Jesus(1999)

    as Jesus of Nazareth

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • All the Little Animals(1998)

    as Bobby Platt

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Alien Legacy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Thanks

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream(1999)

    as Demetrius

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Dying to Tell the Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Narrator / Dan Eldon (uncredited) (voice)

  • Velvet Goldmine(1998)

    as Arthur Stuart

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Metroland(1997)

    as Chris

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Secret Agent(1996)

    as Stevie

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Portrait of a Lady(1996)

    as Edward Rosier

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Pocahontas(1995)

    as Thomas (voice)

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Little Women(1994)

    as Laurie

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Royal Deceit(1994)

    as Amled

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Swing Kids(1993)

    as Thomas Berger

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Newsies(1992)

    as Jack 'Cowboy' Kelly

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • A Murder of Quality(1991)

    as Tim Perkins

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Treasure Island(1990)

    as Jim Hawkins

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Henry V(1989)

    as Robin the Luggage-Boy

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Empire of the Sun(1987)

    as Jim

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Mio in the Land of Faraway(1987)

    as Jum-Jum / Benke

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Heart of the Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 4 episodes · as Ben Harris

  • Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna(1986)

    Show 2 episodes · as Tsarevich Alexei

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows

  • Best of Enemies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Gennady Vasilenko

  • Heat 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Vincent Hanna

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 64 titles, 61 of them dated from 1981 to 2026; peak year 2006.

Biggest box office

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

$1.1B worldwide

Highest rated

The Dark Knight (2008)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

MilestoneAward winNomination
19812026

Peak 2006 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 45 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 4 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting63 of 64: 60 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score73rdProducing3 of 64: 0 only producing, 3 with another roleOther crew1 of 64: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

64 titles, 3 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1980s6 · acting1990s16 · 15 acting · 1 crew2000s19 · 19 acting · 1 crew2010s14 · acting2020s6 · 6 acting · 2 crew

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 46% of 50 roles
87929702071217

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

an Oscar, 2 Golden Globes, 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards and 5 other major awards from 30 major nominations, 2008–2020.

WinNomination
  1. 2020
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
  2. 2019
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Leading Actor
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
    • +1 other major body · 2 wins
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Actor
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Actor in a Comedy
  3. 2016
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Actor in a Comedy
  4. 2014
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Leading Actor
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 2 nominations
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actor
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actor in a Comedy
  5. 2013
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actor in an Action Movie
  6. 2011
    • Oscar, won · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Supporting Actor
  7. 2009
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Acting Ensemble
  8. 2008
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Independent Spirit Award, won

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Christian Bale's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 73rd percentile, the median of all 51; across their 56 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 56

Approval · how many liked their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 56

Reach · how many have seen their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 56

Midcredits score across 52 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up24
  • 50th to 74th16
  • 25th to 49th12

Shape of the crowd

23 of their 52 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved15
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser23
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · actor

The Promise (2016)

99th percentile spread · 41% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Dark Knight (2008)

Midcredits 99th · 95% liked

Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 50 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 51. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Christian Bale's work okay for kids?

Across up to 44 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore38 titles29–85 · median 63 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity44 titles11–60 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity39 titles20–85 · median 48 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs39 titles23–75 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense36 titles29–83 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Christian Bale work with?

People who share at least 2 of Christian Bale's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Christopher Nolan shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles