Christian Bale

Christian Bale turns 49 today. The Oscar-winner's films have earned him widespread acclaim as one of the greatest actors of his generation.

Bale and Ledger share precious little screen-time together, but they quickly show why (in 2008) they were two of the best to do it. Bale won his first and only Oscar for his wiry turn as the drug-addicted sibling to a man trying to make his own way in spite of his struggles. If so, you saw one of the great films in the last 30 years. Already a seasoned actor since his childhood, Bale became a big star after this steely performance in Mary Harron’s adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis book. Our introduction to Bale came when he played a young English boy struggling to survive under Japanese occupation of China during World War II in Steven Spielberg’s grand but lesser-celebrated epic. fighter pilot Dieter Dengler, Bale helps to tell the amazing (and harrowing) story of survival after being shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War in Werner Herzog’s war drama (based on his own documentary “Little Dieter Learns to Fly”). Russell’s film tells the inspiring story of Micky Ward, a down-and-out boxer working to escape the shadow of his successful but troubled older boxing brother Dicky Eklund. While frustrating during much of his Oscar-winning financial crisis adaptation “The Big Short,” those choices work in his biopic of former U.S. Love him or hate him, Adam McKay plays by his own rules and even makes them up as he goes. But who would don the cape and cowl this time? Why not Bale to take on the quiet billionaire internalizing his rage and channeling that into actual purpose to help the people of his home city? As real-life racecar driver Ken Miles, Bale gave one of his best performances in years.