Ten Things You Never Knew About Christian Bale

Not so long ago, Christian Bale was best known as a Huey Lewis-loving serial killer in American Psycho. A serious performer most famous for his commitment to his craft (he once dropped a third of his body weight for a role), he spent years as a cult player before stepping firmly onto the A-List with 2005's Batman Begins. Not content to help revive one flagging franchise, the former child actor now has a second in his sights in the shape of next year's blockbuster Terminator 4. As new Batman movie The Dark Knight wings its way into cinemas later this month, we unveil ten fascinating facts about Hollywood's most dedicated star.

1. Christian and his three sisters were born in Pembrokeshire, Wales to a commercial pilot dad and circus clown mum. He spent his childhood moving around the UK and Portugal before settling in Bournemouth for four years.

2. Christian hung around with circus performers as a child and shared his first kiss with an acrobat named Barta.

3. Christian made his TV debut in a Lenor advert at the age of eight. Aww!

4. The attention following 1987's Empire Of The Sun nearly put 13-year-old Christian off acting for life. He says: "It was horrific. I was almost crying in interviews and running away during press conferences, pretending I was going to the bathroom and just disappearing." He adds that the interest made him feel like a "ponce".

5. Christian almost landed Leonardo DiCaprio's role in Titanic but the producers felt it would be "unfair" to have two Brits playing two Americans. He was also considered for the part of Will Turner in Pirates Of The Caribbean, but lost out to Orlando Bloom.

6. Christian stopped eating red meat after reading about a piglet called Wilbur in children's book Charlotte's Web. He is now an active environmentalist and supports organisations including Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Foundation.

7. Christian is nothing if not thoughtful to his viewing public. If he puts on an accent in a film, he'll keep it going in all promotional interviews so the audience doesn't become confused.

8. Is Christian as obsessive in life as he is about the roles he plays? "The only thing that I'm obsessed with is sleeping and, actually, it is more than an obsession, it is a pleasure," he reveals. "I love sleeping so much that I could do it 12 hours a day if I didn't have to turn on the alarm clock... and still, sometimes..." Hmm, we know the feeling!

9. Christian married Sandra (Sibi) Blazic, Winona Ryder's former assistant, in Las Vegas in 2000. The couple are so secretive about their family life that the name of their three-year-old daughter has never been released. (It is widely believed to be Emmaline).

10. Christian insists that his growing status has not had a huge impact on his life. He says: "I still do all the things I've always done. I would never want to give up a life of just bumming around, and hanging out by the freeway, or cemeteries, or the parking lot of the 7/11. I would hate to give that up."