Christian Bale is an actor willing to take risks. He's played a wide range of roles - a psychotic killer in
American Psycho, the caped crusader in
The Dark Knight, and an insomniac nutcase in
The Machinist (a role that required him to lose 63 pounds in a short period of time).
Entertainment Weekly called him one of the "Most Creative People in Entertainment" and one of the "Top 8 Most Powerful Cult Figures of the Past Decade." Yet while taking risks garners respect in the long run, not every risk pays off. Add an occasionally less than amicable persona off screen, and Bale winds up with many ups and downs in his esteemed career. In fact, we thought his career, while generally extremely successful, could be best visualized as a rollercoaster. To take the ride, click the image below.