channing tatum

Biography

Early life

Tatum was born in Cullman, a small city in Alabama, the oldest of eight children; he has French, Irish and Native American ancestry. His family moved to Mississippi when he was six, although he visits Alabama, where his mother's family still lives, every summer. Tatum grew up in the bayous near the Mississippi River, where he enjoyed a rural existence, including "All the rattlesnakes and alligators a boy could possibly chase, fishing every day, Pop Warner football league, stuff like that".^[1]

Tatum was athletic while growing up, playing football, soccer, track, baseball and martial arts, and had "a lot of energy", although he says that "Girls were always my biggest distraction in school".^[1] During the ninth grade, he was sent to a military school, where he played on the football team. Tatum won a football scholarship to Glenville State College in West Virginia, although he soon lost interest in the sport and turned down the scholarship, citing his dislike of the demands of playing football.

Tatum returned home, feeling that he'd disappointed his parents.^[1] He soon worked in construction, an animal nursery, and at a clothing store. During this time, he developed an interest in club dancing.

Career

Tatum's first experience was in the fashion industry as a male fashion model. He 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. He subsequently signed with a modelling agency in Miami, and appeared in Vogue magazine. He soon appeared in the pages of Citizen K, and Contents, as well as campaigns for Abercrombie and Fitch, Nautica, Dolce & Gabbana, American Eagle Outfitters, and Emporio Armani. Tatum has also starred in a few television commercials for American Eagle Outfitters, Pepsi and Mountain Dew, and was picked as one of Tear Sheet Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful faces" of October 2001.^[1]

Tatum has said that his modeling career has helped him with his life, specifying that "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".^[1]

Tatum began his acting career in 2004, appearing in an episode of the television series CSI. His first feature film role was in 2005's high-school drama, Coach Carter, playing Jason Lyle, a street smart basketball player opposite Academy Award Nominee Samuel L. Jackson; Tatum also appeared in Twista's "Hope" music video, which accompanied the film. In the same year, Tatum had an uncredited bit role in War of the Worlds when posing as boy in a church, a factory endorsed top cycle racer in Supercross, and part of the supporting cast in Havoc. Although Tatum has said that he "love[s] modeling", he has taken a break from the profession to concentrate on his acting career, saying that he prefers making more mature movies.

Tatum was originally scheduled to play Gengis Khan in director Sergei Bodrov's epic, Mongol, but was replaced by actor Tadanobu Asano. Tatum also auditioned for the role of Gambit in X-Men: The Last Stand, but was not cast as the character was eventually removed from the film.^[2] The film's producer, Lauren Shuler Donner, noticed Tatum and cast him in the film She's the Man, where he plays the love interest of Amanda Bynes' character. The film opened on March 17, 2006.

Tatum's most recent roles were in Step Up, a dance-themed romance which opened on August 11, 2006, and the 1980s-set drama A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, in which he plays Antonio, a street youth in Astoria, Queens. Tatum has described the latter film as his "first dramatic role"; his performance received positive notices at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, where the film premiered.^[3]

Tatum's next film role will be in director Kimberly Peirce's Stop-Loss, about a soldier returning home from the Iraq War.

Personal life

In August 2006, columnist Janet Charlton reported that Tatum has been dating his Step Up co-star, Jenna Dewan, since 2005; the two met on the film's set.^[4]

Awards

Filmography

Footnotes

External links

• Channing Tatum at the Internet Movie Database