Biography

Channing Tatum

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Overview

Born
April 26, 1980 · Cullman, Alabama, USA
Birth name
Channing Matthew Tatum
Nickname
- Chan
Height
6′ 1″ (1.85 m)

Mini bio

Channing Tatum was born in a small town, Cullman, Alabama, 50 miles north of Birmingham. He is the son of Kay (Faust), an airline worker, and Glenn Matthew Tatum, who worked in construction. Growing up, he was full of energy and somewhat troublesome, so his parents decided to enroll him in different sports such as track and field, baseball, soccer, and football to keep him out of trouble. In the ninth grade he was sent to Catholic school. It was there that he discovered his passion for football and his hopes became centered on earning an athletic college scholarship. Channing's goal was finally met, and in his senior year in high school, he was recruited and earned a full athletic college scholarship to a school in West Virginia.

Tatum is also skilled in Kung Fu and in Gor-Chor Kung Fu, a form of martial arts, in which he has earned belts. Channing later left college and, in the meantime, worked as a construction worker, a stripper, a mortgage broker and salesman. He has modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch, Nautica, Gap, Aeropostale, Emporio Armani, and has been featured in television commercials for American Eagle, Pepsi, and some very popular Mountain Dew commercials.

Channing can be seen on the big screen as a featured actor in Coach Carter (2005), in which he plays a high school basketball player. He was also in the very popular TV series CSI: Miami (2002) where he played the role of Bob Davenport. Afterwards, his recognition has grown by landing leading roles in major studio pictures, such as Step Up (2006), 21 Jump Street (2012), Magic Mike (2012), White House Down (2013), 22 Jump Street (2014) and Jupiter Ascending (2015).
- IMDb mini biography by: Nickole

Family

Spouse
Children
Parents

Trademark

Deep resonant voice
Muscular physique
Often works with Steven Soderbergh and Jonah Hill

Trivia

When in ninth grade, he was given the option of either military school or a private school; he chose the military school.
Moved from Alabama to Mississippi at age six, where his family resided on a bayou.
Had worked as a construction worker, a mortgage broker, a salesman at the cologne counter of Dillard's, and a worker in a puppy/kitty nursery before he began a modeling career.
His huge break was being cast in Ricky Martin's music video "She Bangs" (2000); he was paid $400 for the seven-day shoot.
Already an accomplished dancer, he learned 1940s-style tap dancing for the Coen Brothers' Hail, Caesar! (2016), in which he plays an actor working in a 1950 musical/dance movie called "Last Call". In a barroom scene, with a dozen dancing sailors, his dance work required highly acrobatic tap combined with swing style. Doing his own work, one number included going from a standing position in front of the bar to a sustained handstand on the edge of the bar, culminating in somersaults to the end of the bar.

Quotes

(2009, on his career) I got crazy lucky. Like sometimes, I think I won the lottery or something. At times, it feels like the bottom's gonna fall out. Just 'cause I don't really know how I got here. But I just keep moving forward, and it just keeps getting better and better.
[on Haywire (2011)] My wife always hates when I go, "I just don't love female action movies." I don't know why. I'll watch them, but I don't run to go and see them. I'd say, "Find a girl that can, pardon my French, whup my ass, and I will go to the movie." And they did! They went and found [MMA champion Gina Carano] and she did! And it was awesome. I truly loved it.
Men go to strip clubs for a pretty simple reason. It's a carnal, visual thing. The point of male stripping is to bring women onstage and embarrass them so their friends can cheer them on. Women go to watch their friends' faces turn red and to have a night of camaraderie with their girlfriends.
The more you try to look sexy, the lamer it is, so you just have to commit to the comedy.
[on being told that People magazine voted him the 2012 Sexiest Man Alive] Y'all are messin' with me.