Biography: Christian Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor who in addition to starring roles in big budget Hollywood films, he has long been heavily involved in films produced by independent producers and art houses. Bale first caught the public eye at the age of 13, when he was cast in the starring role of Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun. He played an English boy who is separated from his parents and subsequently finds himself lost in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Bale has portrayed a wide range of characters since then in both big-budget Hollywood films and independent films. The Guardian has said Bale is one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination. On December 14, 2010, Bale received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in The Fighter.