David Bale

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David Bale
Born David Charles Howard Bale
(1941-09-02)September 2, 1941
South Africa
Died December 30, 2003(2003-12-30) (aged 62)
Santa Monica, California U.S.
Cause of death
 Lymphoma
Nationality South African
Citizenship United Kingdom,
United States
Occupation Entrepreneur, Activist
Political movement
 Animal Rights
Spouse(s) Jenny James (?-?),
Gloria Steinem (2000–2003)
Children Erin Bale Kreunen,
Louise Bale,
Sharon Bale,
Christian Bale

David Charles Howard Bale (2 September 1941 – 30 December 2003)[1] was a South African-born English entrepreneur and an environmentalist animal rights activist. He was the father of actor Christian Bale and the husband of Gloria Steinem.

Life and career

Bale was born in South Africa to English parents. His father, Philip Bale, was a Royal Air Force pilot.[2] Bale grew up in England, Egypt, and the Channel Islands.[1] He worked as a commercial pilot and later ran a commuter airline in England.[3] His business activities included marketing imported jeans and skateboards.[1][3]

Bale was an activist for environmental and animal rights causes. He served as a board member of The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and the Ark Trust,[3] which in 2002 became the Hollywood branch of the Humane Society of the United States.[4] He also served as a board member for World Education, Inc., an international non-profit organization known for its work in educational development, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Marriage

Bale was married three times. His first marriage to Sandra Kreunen in South Africa ended in 1964 after she filed for divorce when he returned to England to visit his mother.[5] His second marriage to Jenny James in England also ended in divorce. He had a daughter, Erin Bale Kreunen, from the first marriage, and three children from his second marriage: Louise, Sharon, and Christian, the last of whom became a well-known actor.

On 3 September 2000, he married the feminist writer, journalist, activist, and political leader Gloria Steinem in a private ceremony in Oklahoma, USA.[6] At the time of the marriage, Bale had been facing deportation after overstaying his visa.[7] However, both Steinem and Bale denied that Bale's immigration status was the motivation for the wedding.[7]

Steinem had in the past been critical of the institution of marriage, stating that "marriage was the model for slavery law in this country".[8] She explained her change in attitude toward marriage, saying 'I didn't change. Marriage changed. We spent 30 years in the United States changing the marriage laws. If I had married when I was supposed to get married, I would have lost my name, my legal residence, my credit rating, many of my civil rights. That's not true anymore. It's possible to make an equal marriage'.[9]

Death

Bale died of brain lymphoma on December 30, 2003, at the age of 62.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 von Zielbauer, Paul (2004-01-01). "David Bale, 62, Activist and Businessman, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
  2. ↑ Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman, by Harrison Cheung, Nicola Pittam, pg. 24, 2012
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rourke, Mary (2004-01-04). "Activist David Bale had commitment to Africa". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
  4. ↑ "The Ark Trust, Inc. to Become Hollywood Office Of The Humane Society Of The U.S. Producer of Genesis Awards and Largest Animal Protection Organization Join Forces to Raise Awareness of Animal Protection Issues" (Press release). PR Newswire. 2002-08-27. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
  5. ↑ Harrison Cheung, Nicola Pitman (2012). "Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman". p. 27. BenBella Books,
  6. ↑ Associated Press (2000-09-05). "Feminist icon Gloria Steinem first-time bride at 66". CNN.com. Archived from the original on 2008-04-21. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rubin, Lauren; Dave Goldiner (2000-09-15). __wed_for_love__not_a.html "Steinem: Wed for Love, Not for a Green Card". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
  8. ↑ Delves Broughton, Philip (2001-11-07). "How the fish found her bicycle". The Telegraph (London). Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
  9. ↑ Mustafa, Zubeida (2007-03-25). "Still talking, writing and connecting". Dawn (Karachi). Retrieved 2008-06-30. 

External links

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