Christian Charles Philip Bale (also known professionally as Christian Morgan Bale; born 30 January 1974) is a Welsh-born English actor.

He’s34!

Bale is best known for his roles in the films Empire of the Sun, American Psycho, Equilibrium, The Machinist and Batman Begins.

Bale is also known for his mastery of accents and harsh regimens of shedding and gaining weight (particularly for The Machinist, Batman Begins and, most recently, Rescue Dawn). Before he found success in playing Batman, he was heavily involved in independent films.

Bale first caught the public eye when he was cast in the starring role of Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun at the age of 13, playing a British boy who becomes separated from his parents and subsequently finds himself in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Since then, he has portrayed a wide range of characters. Bale is especially noted for his cult following.

The tenth anniversary issue of Entertainment Weekly hailed him as one of the “Top 8 Most Powerful Cult Figures of the Past Decade,” citing his impressive cult status on the Internet. In a 2007 poll of IMDb users, he was voted their favorite actor who is under 40. Entertainment Weekly also called Bale one of the “Most Creative People in Entertainment,” after his dynamic performance in American Psycho.

Christian Bale is the youngest of four children. His parents are entrepreneur, commercial pilot and talent manager David Bale and circus clown and performer Jenny James, both English. Bale spent his childhood in several countries, including the United Kingdom, Portugal, and the United States. He lived in a house boat for a small amount of time. In 1976, when Christian was two years old, the Bale family left Wales. Bale’s family settled for four years in Bournemouth, where he attended Bournemouth School and participated actively in rugby union. Christian 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 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 for the first time 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 Board created the award especially for him.

Personal Life:

On January 29, 2000, Bale married Sandra “Sibi” Blazic (born 1970), a one-time model, make-up artist, and personal assistant to Winona Ryder, his Little Women co-star. He has a daughter with Blazic named Emmaline, who was born on March 27, 2005, in Santa Monica, California.

Other January 30th Birthdays:

Gene Hackman-Actor -78
Tammy Grimes-Actress -74
Phil Collins-Musician -57
Charles S. Dutton-Actor -57
Brett Butler-Comedian -50
Jody Watley-Singer -49
Wilmer Valderrama-Actor -28
Jake Thomas-Actor -18