Christian Bale
Bale in 2009, Featureflash / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Christian Charles Philip Bale
Place of Birth: Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Date of Birth: 30 January, 1974
Ethnicity: English, as well as distant Channel Islander [Guernsey] and German
Christian Bale is an English actor. He is known for his roles in the films Empire of the Sun, American Psycho, the 2005-2012 Batman series, American Hustle, The Big Short, and Vice, among many others. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Fighter (2010).
Christian was born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, and was raised in England, in Surrey and Dorset, and Portugal, among other places. He is now also a U.S. citizen.
His father, David Charles Howard Bale, an entrepreneur, was born in South Africa, and had English, and distant Channel Islander (Guernsey) and German, ancestry. His mother, Jennifer “Jenny” (James), is English. While Christian is often described as a “Welsh actor,” it is not clear if he has any Welsh ancestry. Among Christian’s siblings is director and actress Louise Bale.
Christian is married to actress, model, and make-up artist Sibi Blazic, with whom he has two children. David’s father was married to American activist Gloria Steinem until his death.
Christian’s patrilineal ancestry can be traced back to his great-great-grandfather, John Bale, who was born, c. 1811, in Stoke, Devonshire, England.
Christian’s paternal grandfather was Phillip/Philip W. Bale (the son of Alfred Bale and Florence Elizabeth Williams). Phillip was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. Alfred was the son of William Henry Bale and Emily Sarah Bunce.
Christian’s paternal grandmother was Doreen Beswick Fuzzey (the daughter of Leonard Charles Fuzzey and Louie Beswick). Leonard was born on St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands, the son of Frederick George Fuzzey and Emily Rosa/N. Higgins. Louie was the daughter of Thomas Beswick and Eliza Murgatroyd.
Christian’s maternal grandmother is named Edna.
Sources: Christian says that he is English rather than Welsh – http://www.youtube.com
Genealogies of Christian Bale – http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com
http://gw.geneanet.org
Genealogies of Christian Bale (focusing on his father’s side) – http://www.wikitree.com
https://www.geni.com
Christian’s paternal great-grandfather, Leonard Charles Fuzzey, on the 1901 England and Wales Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Correction: Found info on his mother. She was born to John I James and Betty Dimmick. The first one is Christian’s parents mariage record the second is Jennifers birth record and the third is her parents marriage record
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV6Y-BGKC
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVQ5-PTDJ
https://www.familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QV85-3JVN
According to this and a few other articles, Bale’s maternal grandmother’s name is Edna (rather than Betty L. Dimmick). Edna was born in 1923 or 1924.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/christian-bales-mum-reveals-heartbreak-3062215
How do you know that’s his mother in the birth record?
It seemed to fit, but after looking at the interview it isnt her. She said she was 66 and if the woman in the record was her she would have been closer to 70 at the time.
I could’ve sworn that he was Welsh.
If the link I copied is correct, Christian Bale is of distant German and French ancestry, too. Below is the family tree of Bale’s great-great-grandfather, Frederick George Fuzzey (father of Leonard C. Fuzzey). Among Frederick’s ancestors are John Zimmer (German) and Margaret Quertier (French).
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=allar&id=I60883
I added the German, but Margaret Quertier was from Guernsey, which I record as a separate ethnicity.
It doesn’t actually add anything to Bale’s genealogy story (in terms of recent period, anyway), but I was wondering how correct it would be to state that the French-speaking population of Channel Islands are of distant Danish descent (Normans being related much more to Danes than the French)?
did Normans came from Denmark? not Norway/Sweden? why not
Normans were generally Norse although some could have come from Sweden and Denmark.
Normans actually have more French than Danish. Any male population like the Vikings married the local women and after a few generations they have more local ancestry and the Viking era was a long time ago. Even the Normans that came to the UK spoke Norman French. Ever seen any dna from a person from Normandy?
But French doesn’t mean just one thing. French people are made of Germanic, Celtic and Roman blood. The Germanic part comes from the germanic tribes like the Franks that the word “France” came from and the Normans who settled in Normandy. The Norman population of northern France became part of the french culture through language and assimilation over the centuries so they are completely French.
English haters again! He is English and so is the surname Bale! Secondly most Welsh have English blood although they choose not to admit it! When the Romans invaded England, most celtic native English escaped to the west i.e. Wales!, hence English blood
The English came AFTER the Romans – though they make up only 20% of the population of England!