Channing Matthew Tatum (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor, producer, and former model. After beginning his career as a fashion model, he has branched out into acting roles, appearing in the films Havoc (2005), Coach Carter (2005), Supercross (2005), She's the Man, then Step Up, and A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, all of which were released in 2006.

Born in Cullman, a small city in Alabama, Tatum has one sister. 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. 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, Read more...

Tatum's first experience was in the fashion industry as a model. He was then 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, Page 305 (Page Parkes Modeling Agency), and appeared in Vogue magazine. He soon appeared in campaigns for Abercrombie & Fitch, Nautica, Read more...