Christian Bale

A reluctant movie megastar, the Wales-born Christian Bale got his big break at age 13 when he landed the role of a spoiled British boy who comes of age in a World War II internment camp in Steven Spielberg's 1987 gem Empire of the Sun. His transformative performance was a harbinger of his chameleon-like work to come. However, Bale temporarily backed off from acting because he was uncomfortable with his newfound fame. In the 1990s, Bale reemerged with impressive supporting performances in a series of dramatic films (Little Women, The Portrait of a Lady), but 2000's American Psycho was the movie that put him back on the Hollywood map. Bale became a cult heartthrob thanks in part to his disarming smile and newly chiseled physique. The buff actor spent the next few years reinventing himself for every role. He lost a shocking amount of weight to play an insomniac in 2004's The Machinist before bulking back up the next year to take on the title role in the blockbuster Batman Begins. Other solid roles followed in prestige pictures (The New World, Rescue Dawn) and interesting indies (Harsh Times, I'm Not There), and in the 2008 Caped Crusader hit sequel The Dark Knight. In 2009 Bale rebooted another dormant film franchise when he took on the iconic role of John Connor in Terminator Salvation. The movie was a disappointment, and a profanity-laced diatribe aimed at the film's cinematographer became an Internet sensation that briefly sullied Bale's reputation; he eventually apologized. (His reputation also took a hit the previous year when he was arrested over an incident involving his mother and sister, though, ultimately, no charges were brought.) Despite his A-list status, Bale continues to keep a low profile off-screen believing the less an audience knows about an actor's private life, the more believable he is on-screen. Certainly his intense nature serves his film work quite well. ~ Rovi