He was born Christian Charles Philip Bale on the 30th of January, 1974, in Haverfordwest, otherwise known as Hwlffordd, in the far west of south Wales. His father, David, was then a pilot, stationed at RAF Brawdy, but would soon have his career ended by illness. This would allow him to indulge a life-long penchant for travel. Having been born in South Africa, he'd run away to sea in his early teens and seen the world. Now, taking a variety of jobs, including financial advisor (the kids were often not sure what he did to bring food to the table), he moved the family all over the country and beyond. They left Wales when Christian was 2 and began a nomadic existence that took in Oxfordshire, Portugal (when he was 11) and Dorset, such that by the time he was 15 Christian reckoned he'd lived in 15 different places.
This unconventional life for a long while suited Christian's mother, Jenny, who worked as a clown and a dancer, riding elephants and introducing acts in the circus.
Show-business actually ran deep in the Bale family. David's father, also a pilot, had retired to South Africa to work as a gamekeeper, and had played John Wayne's double in 1962's Hatari! David's uncle Rex, meanwhile, a cousin of Lillie Langtry, was a professional actor with 20 movies under his belt. Christian's maternal grandfather had trod the boards, too, as a stand-up comic, children's entertainer and member of the Magic Circle. The tradition would be continued by Christian's siblings, all girls and all older. Though Sharon would become a computer expert, Erin would become a musician and Louise an actress and award-winning theatre director.
Christian was raised in England, Portugal and California. (Note: He also lived in California, the home state of James Brolin)
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