Channing Matthew Tatum (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor, film producer, dancer, and model.

He is best known for his roles in the films Step Up (2006), G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), Dear John (2010), The Vow (2012), Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street (2012), and its 2014 sequel, 22 Jump Street. He has also appeared in films such as Coach Carter (2005), She's the Man (2006), The Dilemma (2011), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) and White House Down (2013).

Early life

Tatum was born and raised in Cullman, Alabama. He is the son of Kay (née Faust), an airline worker, and Glenn Tatum, who worked in construction. He has a sister named Paige. His ancestry includes Irish, French, German, and Native American. Tatum's family moved to Mississippi when he was six, and he grew up in the bayous near the Mississippi River, where he lived in a rural setting.

Tatum was athletic while growing up, playing football, soccer, track, baseball, and performing martial arts; he has said that "girls were always [his] biggest distraction in school." As a child, he practiced wuzuquan kung fu under the lineage of 10th dan Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong. Tatum spent most of his teenage years in the Tampa, Florida, area, and initially attended Gaither High School, before he was given the option by his parents of either selecting a private high school or attending a military school; he chose Tampa Catholic High School, where he graduated in 1998 and was voted most athletic. Afterward, Tatum attended Glenville State College in Glenville, West Virginia, on a football scholarship, but dropped out. He returned home and started working odd jobs.

US Weekly reported that around this time Tatum left his job as a roofer and began working as a stripper at a local nightclub, under the name "Chan Crawford." In 2010, he told an Australian newspaper that he wanted to make a movie about his experiences as a stripper. That idea led to the movie Magic Mike. He later moved to Miami, where he was discovered by a model talent scout.

Career

In 2000, Tatum was first cast as a dancer in Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" music video, after an audition in Orlando, Florida; he was paid $400 for the job. His experience in the fashion industry began as a model working for such noted clients such as Armani and Abercrombie & Fitch. He soon moved into television commercials, landing national spots for Mountain Dew and Pepsi in 2002. He subsequently signed with a modelling agency in Miami, Page 305 (Page Parkes Modeling Agency), but later found success after being cast by Al David for Vogue magazine and soon after appeared in campaigns for Abercrombie & Fitch, Nautica, Dolce & Gabbana, American Eagle Outfitters, and Emporio Armani. He was picked as one of Tear Sheet magazine's "50 Most Beautiful Faces" of October 2001. Tatum also signed with Beatrice Model agency in Milan, Italy and Ford Models in New York City.

Tatum has said that his modeling career has helped him with his life, specifying,

"It's made my life, and my family's life, a lot easier, because I never knew what I wanted to do and now they don't really have to worry about me anymore. I've been able to explore life, and through exploring it I've found that I love art, I love writing, I love acting, I love all the things that make sense to me. And I've been given the chance to go out and see the world, and to see all the things out there. Not everyone gets that chance."

Personal life

In 2006, Tatum met actress Jenna Dewan on the set of their movie Step Up. They began dating shortly after filming had finished. The couple became engaged in September 2008 in Maui, Hawaii, and married on July 11, 2009 at Church Estates Vineyards in Malibu, California. They have a daughter who was born in London in 2013. Tatum has discussed his dealings with attention deficit disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia. In May 2014, Tatum admitted that he drinks too much and that he is a high-functioning alcoholic in an interview with GQ magazine.

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