David Bale

David Bale
Born	David Charles Howard Bale September 2, 1941(1941-09-02) South Africa
Died	December 30, 2003(2003-12-30) (aged 62) Santa Monica, California U.S.
Occupation	Entrepreneur, Activist
Spouse	Gloria Steinem (2000–2003)

David Charles Howard Bale (September 2, 1941 – December 30, 2003)^[1] was a South African-born entrepreneur and an environmentalist animal rights activist, perhaps best known as the husband of journalist, political and social activist, and Women's Movement leader Gloria Steinem and the father of actor Christian Bale.

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.^[2] His business activities included marketing imported jeans and skateboards.^[1][2]

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,^[2] which in 2002 became the Hollywood branch of the Humane Society of the United States.^[3] 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.

Personal life

Bale was married three times. His first marriage to Sandra Kreunen in South Africa ended in divorce, as did his second marriage in England to Jenny James. He had a daughter, Erin Bale Kreunen, from the first marriage, and three children from his second marriage: Louise, Sharon, and Christian, the latter of whom became a well-known actor.

On September 3, 2000, he married the feminist writer, journalist, activist, and political leader Gloria Steinem in a private ceremony in Oklahoma.^[4] At the time of the marriage, Bale had been facing deportation after overstaying his visa.^[5] However, both Steinem and Bale denied that Bale's immigration status was the motivation for the wedding.^[5]

Steinem had in the past been critical of the institution of marriage, stating that "marriage was the model for slavery law in this country".^[6] 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'.^[7]

Bale and Steinem remained married until Bale died of brain lymphoma on December 30, 2003, at the age of 62.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} von Zielbauer, Paul (2004-01-01). "David Bale, 62, Activist and Businessman, Dies". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/01/national/01BALE.html?ex=1388379600&en=af5fe14869777fca&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND. Retrieved 2008-06-30. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ ^{a b c} Rourke, Mary (2004-01-04). "Activist David Bale had commitment to Africa". The Seattle Times. http://google.com/search?q=cache:LbHYhUqG82IJ:seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001829381_baleobit04.html+%22david+bale%22+seattle&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
3. ^ "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. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25849404_ITM. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
4. ^ Associated Press (2000-09-05). "Feminist icon Gloria Steinem first-time bride at 66". CNN.com. Archived from the original on 2008-04-21. http://web.archive.org/web/20080421112337/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/09/05/steinem.marriage.ap/. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Rubin, Lauren; Dave Goldiner (2000-09-15). "Steinem: Wed for Love, Not for a Green Card". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2000/09/15/2000-09-15_steinem__wed_for_love__not_a.html. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
6. ^ Delves Broughton, Philip (2001-11-07). "How the fish found her bicycle". The Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2001/11/07/fmstein08.xml&page=2. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
7. ^ Mustafa, Zubeida (2007-03-25). "Still talking, writing and connecting". Dawn (Karachi). http://www.dawn.com/weekly/books/archive/070325/books3.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-30. ^{[dead link]}

External links

• Tribute to David Bale by Gloria Steinem

Persondata
Name	Bale, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1941-09-02
Place of birth	South Africa
Date of death	2003-12-30
Place of death	Santa Monica, California U.S.