Although Bale was born in Wales, his parents were of English descent: an entrepreneur, commercial pilot, and talent manager David Bale is his father, and circus clown and performer Jenny James his mother. He is the youngest of four children. After leaving Wales in 1976, Bale spent his childhood in several countries, including England, Portugal and the United States. Settling for four years in Bournemouth and Henley-on-Thames, Bale was educated at Shiplake C of E Primary School, the independent Dolphin School in Berkshire, and at Bournemouth School respectively. He participated actively in rugby union. Bale has described his childhood, with respect to his mother being in the circus, as "interesting". He recalled his first kiss was with an acrobat named Barta. As a child, he trained in ballet and guitar. His sister Louise's work in theatre also influenced his decision to become an actor.Bale's father was very supportive of his son's acting, resigning from his job as a commercial pilot to travel and manage Bale's burgeoning career. The elder Bale later married feminist icon Gloria Steinem, and died at the age of 62 on 30 December 2003, from brain lymphoma. Bale's first foray into acting was a commercial for the fabric softener Lenor in 1982, when he was eight years old. He appeared in a Pac-Man cereal commercial playing a child rock star a year later and in 1984 made his stage debut in The Nerd, opposite Rowan Atkinson.