Channing Tatum

Channing Tatum (born April 26, 1980, Cullman, Alabama, U.S.) is an American actor and dancer who is best known for his portrayal of “Magic” Mike Lane, a young man navigating the world of exotic dancing, in three films (Magic Mike [2012], Magic Mike XXL [2015], and Magic Mike’s Last Dance [2023]). Noted for his versatility, Tatum also has had success with a number of other movies, including the comedies 21 Jump Street (2012) and its sequel, 22 Jump Street (2014), and such action thrillers as G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009).

Early life

Tatum, the son of Glenn Tatum and Kay (née Faust) Tatum, was raised in a working-class family. They lived in the South, moving from Alabama to Mississippi and then, when he was a teenager, to Florida. An athletic child, he tried his hand at several sports, including gridiron football, and he eventually was awarded a scholarship to Glenville State College in West Virginia. He dropped out before graduating, however, and took on a series of jobs in fields including construction and sales.

At age 19 Tatum began working as a stripper, and he later embarked on a modeling career, representing such companies as Abercrombie & Fitch and Dolce & Gabbana. This led in short order to appearances in commercials, including spots for Mountain Dew and Pepsi. He was also hired for music videos, making his debut in Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” in 2000. These early efforts helped Tatum develop professional-level dancing skills despite having never received formal training.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Step Up and early roles

In 2004 Tatum made his first appearance in a TV series, playing an aspiring rapper in an episode of CSI: Miami. His big-screen debut occurred the next year, when he portrayed basketball player Jason Lyle in the Samuel L. Jackson vehicle Coach Carter, a well-received sports drama. Roles in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and She’s the Man followed in 2006, as did his star turn as Tyler Gage in the box-office hit Step Up. In the latter, a dance drama, Tatum played a young man who repeatedly gets in trouble before meeting and falling in love with Nora Clark, a ballet student played by Jenna Dewan. Life mimicked art as Dewan and Tatum began dating, eventually marrying in 2009. Tatum returned for a cameo in the 2008 sequel, Step Up 2: The Streets.

A string of subsequent films cemented Tatum’s place in Hollywood. He showcased his dramatic skills in the war drama Stop-Loss (2008) and in Michael Mann’s Public Enemies (2009), a biopic about gangster John Dillinger starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. In the sci-fi thriller G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), Tatum played Duke, a special operative. He reprised the role in the 2013 sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation. In 2010 he branched out into rom-coms, starring with Amanda Seyfried in Dear John, an adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel.

Stardom: 21 Jump Street and Magic Mike

Highly sought after, Tatum appeared in five films in 2011. However, it was his work in 2012 that established him as a bona fide star. That year he starred in a string of box-office hits. He first appeared with Rachel McAdams in the melodrama The Vow, about a couple dealing with the aftermath of a car accident. Tatum then starred with Jonah Hill in 21 Jump Street, a remake of the 1980s TV show about police officers going undercover in a high school; he also appeared in 22 Jump Street (2014). He finished 2012 with Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike. Set in the world of male exotic dancing, the dramedy was inspired by Tatum’s own life. The film—which also starred Matthew McConaughey, Alex Pettyfer, Olivia Munn, Matt Bomer, and Joe Manganiello—was followed by the popular sequels Magic Mike XXL (2015) and Magic Mike’s Last Dance (2023). The movies inspired a Las Vegas revue, Magic Mike Live, “conceived and directed by” Tatum, that debuted in 2017.

The Lego movies and Logan Lucky

During this time Tatum sought to expand his range, and he worked with an impressive roster of costars and directors. He reunited with Hill on This Is the End (2013), an apocalyptic end-of-the-world buddy film that also featured Seth Rogen and James Franco. Also in 2013 Tatum starred in White House Down, a popular action drama in which he played a Secret Service agent trying to save the U.S. president (played by Jamie Foxx) from terrorists.

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

SUBSCRIBE

The following year Tatum lent his voice to The Lego Movie, an animated movie about the iconic toy; he returned for the sequels The Lego Batman Movie (2017) and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019). Tatum’s other credits from 2014 include Foxcatcher, a critically praised true-crime drama that centers on John du Pont (played by Steve Carell), a member of the wealthy du Pont family. Du Pont created a training facility for a number of wrestlers, including Mark Schultz (Tatum), whom he was later convicted of murdering. A small role in The Hateful Eight (2015) offered Tatum the chance to work with director Quentin Tarantino.

In the Coen brothers’ mystery-comedy Hail, Caesar! (2016), Tatum joined an A-list cast that included Frances McDormand, George Clooney, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson, and Jonah Hill. In 2017 Tatum reunited with Soderbergh for Logan Lucky, in which he and Adam Driver played brothers planning a heist. That year Tatum also appeared in the second Kingsman installment, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, a blockbuster about secret agents trying to save the world.

Tatum later provided the voice of a yeti in the popular animated movie Smallfoot (2018). In 2022 he starred with Sandra Bullock and Daniel Radcliffe in the adventure-comedy The Lost City, playing the cover model for romance novels written by Bullock’s character. In addition, that year Tatum directed, with Reid Carolin, his first feature film, Dog; he also starred in the heartfelt dramedy as a former soldier who takes a road trip with his military service dog. The movie was a success at the box office.

Other activities and personal life

In addition to acting and directing, Tatum tried his hand at writing, publishing the children’s books The One and Only Sparkella (2021), The One and Only Sparkella Makes a Plan (2022), and The One and Only Sparkella and the Big Lie (2023).

Tatum and Jenna Dewan, who share daughter Everly Tatum (born 2013), divorced in 2019, after 10 years of marriage. In 2021 he began dating actress Zoë Kravitz, who directed him in the psychological thriller Blink Twice (2024). The couple got engaged in 2023.