Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-19 of 19
- Actor
- Producer
- Editorial Department
Christian Charles Philip Bale was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK on January 30, 1974, to English parents Jennifer "Jenny" (James) and David Bale. His mother was a circus performer and his father, who was born in South Africa, was a commercial pilot. The family lived in different countries throughout Bale's childhood, including England, Portugal, and the United States. Bale acknowledges the constant change was one of the influences on his career choice.
His first acting job was a cereal commercial in 1983; amazingly, the next year, he debuted on the West End stage in "The Nerd". A role in the 1986 NBC mini-series Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986) caught Steven Spielberg's eye, leading to Bale's well-documented role in Empire of the Sun (1987). For the range of emotions he displayed as the star of the war epic, he earned a special award by the National Board of Review for Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor.
Adjusting to fame and his difficulties with attention (he thought about quitting acting early on), Bale appeared in Kenneth Branagh's 1989 adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry V (1989) and starred as Jim Hawkins in a TV movie version of Treasure Island (1990). Bale worked consistently through the 1990s, acting and singing in Newsies (1992), Swing Kids (1993), Little Women (1994), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), The Secret Agent (1996), Metroland (1997), Velvet Goldmine (1998), All the Little Animals (1998), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999). Toward the end of the decade, with the rise of the Internet, Bale found himself becoming one of the most popular online celebrities around, though he, with a couple notable exceptions, maintained a private, tabloid-free mystique.
Bale roared into the next decade with a lead role in American Psycho (2000), director Mary Harron's adaptation of the controversial Bret Easton Ellis novel. In the film, Bale played a murderous Wall Street executive obsessed with his own physicality - a trait for which Bale would become a specialist. Subsequently, the 10th Anniversary issue for "Entertainment Weekly" crowned Bale one of the "Top 8 Most Powerful Cult Figures" of the past decade, citing his cult status on the Internet. EW also called Bale one of the "Most Creative People in Entertainment", and "Premiere" lauded him as one of the "Hottest Leading Men Under 30".
Bale was truly on the Hollywood radar at this time, and he turned in a range of performances in the remake Shaft (2000), Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001), the balmy Laurel Canyon (2002), and Reign of Fire (2002), a dragons-and-magic commercial misfire that has its share of defenders.
Two more cult films followed: Equilibrium (2002) and The Machinist (2004), the latter of which gained attention mainly due to Bale's physical transformation - he dropped a reported 60+ pounds for the role of a lathe operator with a secret that causes him to suffer from insomnia for over a year.
Bale's abilities to transform his body and to disappear into a character influenced the decision to cast him in Batman Begins (2005), the first chapter in Christopher Nolan's definitive trilogy that proved a dark-themed narrative could resonate with audiences worldwide. The film also resurrected a character that had been shelved by Warner Bros. after a series of demising returns, capped off by the commercial and critical failure of Batman & Robin (1997). A quiet, personal victory for Bale: he accepted the role after the passing of his father in late 2003, an event that caused him to question whether he would continue performing.
Bale segued into two indie features in the wake of Batman's phenomenal success: The New World (2005) and Harsh Times (2005). He continued working with respected independent directors in 2006's Rescue Dawn (2006), Werner Herzog's feature version of his earlier, Emmy-nominated documentary, Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997). Leading up to the second Batman film, Bale starred in The Prestige (2006), the remake of 3:10 to Yuma (2007), and a reunion with director Todd Haynes in the experimental Bob Dylan biography, I'm Not There (2007).
Anticipation for The Dark Knight (2008) was spun into unexpected heights with the tragic passing of Heath Ledger, whose performance as The Joker became the highlight of the sequel. Bale's graceful statements to the press reminded us of the days of the refined Hollywood star as the second installment exceeded the box-office performance of its predecessor.
Bale's next role was the eyebrow-raising decision to take over the role of John Connor in the Schwarzenegger-less Terminator Salvation (2009), followed by a turn as federal agent Melvin Purvis in Michael Mann's Public Enemies (2009). Both films were hits but not the blockbusters they were expected to be.
For all his acclaim and box-office triumphs, Bale would earn his first Oscar in 2011 in the wake of The Fighter (2010)'s critical and commercial success. Bale earned the Best Supporting Actor award for his portrayal of Dicky Eklund, brother to and trainer of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward, played by Mark Wahlberg. Bale again showed his ability to reshape his body with another gaunt, skeletal transformation.
Bale then turned to another auteur, Yimou Zhang, for the epic The Flowers of War (2011), in which Bale portrayed a priest trapped in the midst of the Rape of Nanking. Bale earned headlines for his attempt to visit with Chinese civil-rights activist Chen Guangcheng, which was blocked by the Chinese government.
Bale capped his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Dark Knight Rises (2012); in the wake of the Aurora, Colorado tragedy, Bale made a quiet pilgrimage to the state to visit with survivors of the attack that left theatergoers dead and injured. He also starred in the thriller Out of the Furnace (2013) with Crazy Heart (2009) writer/director Scott Cooper, and the drama-comedy American Hustle (2013), reuniting with David O. Russell.
Bale will re-team with The New World (2005) director Terrence Malick for two upcoming projects: Knight of Cups (2015) and an as-yet-untitled drama.
In his personal life, he devotes time to charities including Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Foundation. He lives with his wife, Sibi Blazic, and their two children.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Rhys Ifans was born and raised in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, the son of teacher parents, Beti Wyn (Davies) and Eirwyn Evans. He was educated in two Welsh language schools - Ysgol Pentrecelyn, where his mother taught, and Ysgol Maes Garmon. During his childhood, Ifans showed an interest in performing and attended youth acting school. He went on to train at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
Ifans made his small screen debut as the host of Welsh children's TV show, Stwnsh. Various roles in theater and Welsh language television also followed. His breakthrough on the big screen came in the British hit Twin Town (1997), where he acting alongside his younger brother Llyr Ifans. More film success followed, notably as Hugh Grant's scruffy housemate in Notting Hill (1999). Other projects include Dancing at Lughnasa (1998) , Little Nicky (2000), Enduring Love (2004), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012).
In 2004, he played iconic British comedian Peter Cook in the TV film Not Only But Always (2004). His performance earned him an Emmy nomination and a BAFTA award for Best Actor.- Actor
- Producer
Leo Gregory was born on 22 November 1978 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Green Street Hooligans (2005), Stoned (2005) and Tristan + Isolde (2006).- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Zoe Lyons was born on 3 October 1971 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. She is an actress and director, known for SuperBob (2015), Meet the Richardsons (2020) and Comedy at the Fringe (2011). She is married to Sindy De Jong.- Actor
- Writer
Elis was born in Haverfordwest, Wales, on 3rd November 1980 and brought up in Carmarthen. Before entering the world of comedy he had various stop-gap jobs, including as an office temp from which was sacked for being "absolutely terrible". He also played guitar with indie band Heck, with whom he released an EP in addition to live performances. He began his career as a comedian in 2005, the next year winning the best comedy prize at the National Radio awards. In 2010 he supported Rhod Gilbert on his national tour and appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe with another Welsh comic Chris Corcoran and in 2014 he appeared at the Hay Festival with his partner Isy Suttie, with whom he has a daughter also born that year .Also in 2014 he featured in a comedy pilot 'Josh' with Josh Widdicombe' which became a series as of 2016 running into a second season. In 2015 he took the lead in 'Crims', another sitcom in which he played a hapless inmate at a prison for young offenders and has also been a regular on comedy panel show 'Mock the Week'.- Composer
- Actor
- Director
Gruff Rhys was born on 18 July 1970 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. He is a composer and actor, known for Set Fire to the Stars (2014), American Interior (2014) and The Social Network (2010).- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
- Cinematographer
Daniel Evans was born on 28th September 1986 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales. He started working at a camera hire company based at Pinewood Studios in 2010 and has since worked in the camera department on feature films and TV drama. In 2018 he started working as a camera operator. Daniel currently lives in London, UK.- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Matt Redd was born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for The Place of My Birth (2016), Tollbooth (2021) and Ambition (2019).- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Nigel Walters BSC worked as a BBC Film Cameraman for nearly 30 years, during which time he covered assignments in all parts of the World. Since beginning a Freelance career in 1992, he has been responsible for filming the first 15 episodes of Kavanagh QC (1995), as well as award-winning films such as Streetlife (1995) and _Alive and Kicking (1991) (TV)_.- Producer
- Location Management
- Production Manager
Jonathan Paul Llewellyn was born in 1959 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. He is a producer and production manager, known for One Foot in the Grave (1990), Jonathan Creek (1997) and Absolutely Fabulous (1992).- Anwen Williams was born in 1950 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995), The Proposition (1996) and The Old Devils (1992). She died on 5 January 2011 in Cardiff, Wales, UK.
- Cinematographer
- Director
- Writer
Director of Photography and award winning independent film maker who has worked professionally within the film industry since 2008. Having worked with stars such as Kevin McNally, Sue Johnston, Joseph Morgan, Vanessa Branch and Matt Ryan on various Feature films, he has also written and directed a number of short films, music videos and other promotional media.
Richard has a HND Distinction in 'Digital Film and & Video Production' from Warwick School of Arts where he won the tutors prize for best film of the year and I he has BA with first class honors in 'Media Production' from Coventry University. Richard is also 'Adobe Certified Associate' in Video communications. All of this films have been nominated for multiple awards, in the UK and internationally and in 2013 he was nominated for a Royal Television Award (RTS).
Richard started working for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon in 2015.- Jane Harvey was born in 1971 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK.
- Visual Effects
Harrison McIntosh is an Animator, who has been part of multiple VFX projects, and was most recently part of MPC. Some of these include His Dark Materials - Season 1 (2019) as a Previs Animator, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) as a Tech Anim Artist, and Argylle (2024) as a Rotoscope Animator.- Paul John Borde was born on 3 January 1961 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for The I Inside (2004), Out of Reach (2003) and High Hopes (2002). He died in 2004 in Cardiff, Wales, UK.
- Babs Hitchman was born in January 1903 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. She is known for Encounter (1952).
- Matt Johns was born on 5 December 1981 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK.
- Simon Davies was born on 23 October 1979 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK.
- Location Management
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
Luke Harris-Perfect was born on 27 April 1996 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. He is a cinematographer, known for Tomb Raider (2018), Holmes & Watson (2018) and Charley (2014).