'The Dark Knight Rises' star Christian Bale showed he has the values instilled in Bruce Wayne when he made a personal visit to Aurora, CO, yesterday to meet with the victims of last week's horrific movie theater shooting.

Bale wanted to express his condolences to them, and met with a number of emergency doctors, police officers and paramedics who were the first responders to the shooting at the Century 16 cinema theater.

The actor spent nearly 2 and 1/2 hours at the Medical Center of Aurora, where he actually showed up in an ambulance so that he could stay out the way of press and also remain a surprise to fans. The hospital's president praised the actor stating "it was good for the patients" and hoped it would be therapeutic for them as they try to recover from the tragedy.

While some considered Bale's visit a publicity stunt, Warner Bros. issued a statement confirming Bale went on his own without the studio asking him to do so. Bale may have played "The Dark Knight" on screen, but this class act shows Batman has as big heart.

Bale and his wife later visited the memorial honoring the 12 victims James Holmes gunned down.

Here are a few photos from Bale's surprise visit to Aurora that were immediately uploaded to Facebook by those lucky to have met the star.

Christian Bale visits Colorado hospital
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Christian Bale Aurora hospital
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