Channing Tatum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Channing Tatum
Tatum in 2025
Born	Channing Matthew Tatum (1980-04-26) April 26, 1980 (age 45) Cullman, Alabama, U.S.
Occupation	Actor producer director
Years active	2000–present
Spouse(s)	Jenna Dewan ​ ​ (m. 2009; div. 2019)​
Partner(s)	Zoë Kravitz (2021–2024)
Children	1
Awards	Full list

Channing Matthew Tatum (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor and producer. He first appeared in a film called Coach Carter in 2005. He became well-known for his roles in the sports comedy She's the Man (2006) and the dance film Step Up (2006).

Channing Tatum gained more fame playing Duke in the action movies G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013). He also played an undercover police officer in the action-comedy films 21 Jump Street (2012) and 22 Jump Street (2014).

Some of Tatum's other movies include The Vow (2012) and White House Down (2013). He also appeared in Foxcatcher (2014), The Hateful Eight (2015), and Hail, Caesar! (2016). More recently, he starred in Logan Lucky (2017) and The Lost City (2022). He has also produced several of his films. This includes the road trip movie Dog (2022), which he also starred in and helped direct. In 2022, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Early Life and Education

Channing Matthew Tatum was born on April 26, 1980, in Cullman, Alabama. His mother, Kay Tatum, worked for an airline. His father, Glenn Tatum, was a construction worker. He has one sister named Paige. His family has roots from Ireland, France, and Germany.

When he was six, his family moved to Gautier, Mississippi. He lived near the bayous along the Pascagoula River until he was ten. Channing has shared that he had attention deficit disorder (ADD) and dyslexia when he was young. These conditions made school challenging for him.

As a kid, Tatum enjoyed many sports. He played football, soccer, track, and baseball. He also practiced wuzuquan kung fu.

Channing spent most of his teenage years in the Tampa area. He first went to Gaither High School. His parents wanted him to try harder in school. They gave him a choice between a private high school or a military school. He chose Tampa Catholic High School and graduated in 1998. He was voted "most athletic" by his classmates. After high school, he attended Glenville State College in Glenville, West Virginia. He went there on a football scholarship but later left college.

Career Highlights

Early Career and Modeling

In 2000, Channing Tatum started his career as a dancer. He was in Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" music video. He got the job after an audition in Orlando, Florida. After that, he began working as a model. He worked for famous brands like Armani and Abercrombie & Fitch.

Soon, he started appearing in television commercials. He was in national ads for Mountain Dew and Pepsi in 2002. He then signed with a modeling agency in Miami. He appeared in Vogue magazine. He also worked on campaigns for Abercrombie & Fitch, Nautica, and Dolce & Gabbana. In October 2001, Tear Sheet magazine named him one of their "50 Most Beautiful Faces." Tatum later signed with Ford Models in New York City.

Tatum in 2009

Becoming a Movie Star

In 2006, Tatum starred in She's The Man with Amanda Bynes. Later that year, he starred with Jenna Dewan in Step Up. This movie was a big step for his career. Even though some critics didn't love it, Step Up earned $115 million around the world.

In 2008, Tatum was in Stop-Loss, a film about soldiers returning from the Iraq War. He also appeared in Battle in Seattle, a movie about protests in 1999. Tatum also acted in a short film called The Trap.

Channing Tatum worked again with director Dito Montiel on the action drama Fighting. He played Shawn MacArthur, a young man selling fake goods in New York City. Next, he appeared in Michael Mann's 2009 crime drama Public Enemies. In this film, he played the 1930s American gangster Pretty Boy Floyd.

In the same year, Tatum starred as Duke in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. This movie was based on the popular Hasbro action figures. He was unsure about taking the role at first. He worried the film might make war seem good. But after reading the script, he decided to do it. He also played a soldier in Dear John, a film based on a book by Nicholas Sparks. He later said he took the role to learn from director Lasse Hallström.

2010s Film Roles

In 2012, Channing Tatum hosted Saturday Night Live. He also appeared in four movies that year. He co-starred in the action-thriller Haywire. He was also in The Vow with Rachel McAdams. And he appeared in 21 Jump Street, a movie based on the TV show, with Jonah Hill.

Tatum also starred in Magic Mike. This film was co-produced by Tatum and director Steven Soderbergh. Tatum played the main character, Mike. The movie is about a performer at a male club in Tampa, Florida. He helps a younger dancer learn the ropes. The film also featured Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, and Matthew McConaughey.

Tatum at the 2015 Warner Bros. & Hoyts red carpet Arena Premiere of Magic Mike XXL

In 2013, Tatum appeared in Side Effects with Rooney Mara and Jude Law. He also played Conrad S. Hauser / Duke again in G.I. Joe: Retaliation. This was the sequel to the 2009 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The cast included Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis. The film's release was moved to March 2013 to add 3D effects and more scenes for his character. Tatum later said he did not want to be in the sequel. He was happy his character was written out early in the film. Also in 2013, he was in another action film, White House Down.

Tatum returned as Greg Jenko in 22 Jump Street, the sequel to 21 Jump Street. It was released on June 13, 2014. In 2014, he also co-starred with Steve Carell in Foxcatcher. This movie tells the true story of John du Pont, who killed Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz. Tatum played Dave's brother, Mark Schultz, who was also an Olympic gold medalist. In 2015, Tatum starred in Magic Mike XXL, playing his role from 2012 again.

Recent Work (2020s)

Channing Tatum was planned to play the X-Men character Remy LeBeau / Gambit in a solo movie. He would have also produced it. However, the film was canceled in May 2019. Tatum eventually appeared as Gambit in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). He is also set to play this role again in Avengers: Doomsday (2026).

In 2022, Tatum made his first movie as a director with Dog. This is a comedy about a road trip with a former Army Ranger and his dog. Tatum starred in the film and directed it with Reid Carolin. In the same year, he starred with Sandra Bullock in the romantic action-adventure film The Lost City.

In 2023, Tatum returned as Mike Lane in Magic Mike's Last Dance. Steven Soderbergh directed this film. It was released in theaters on February 10, 2023. Tatum also starred in Zoë Kravitz's first film as a director, Blink Twice (2024). In this movie, he plays a tech billionaire.

Other Ventures

Business Ventures

In October 2012, Channing Tatum and a friend opened a restaurant and bar in New Orleans. It was called Saints and Sinners. The place was still open ten years later.

Production Companies

Channing Tatum has said he wants to produce all the films he stars in. He wants to be involved from the very beginning of making a movie. In 2010, he, his then-wife Jenna Dewan, and their partner Reid Carolin signed a deal with Relativity Media. This deal was for any films they might create.

Tatum started two production companies: 33andOut Productions and Iron Horse Entertainment. Their first project was a documentary in 2010 called Earth Made of Glass. In 2021, another one of his companies, Free Association, made a deal with MGM.

Writing Books

Channing Tatum has written two picture books. They were inspired by his daughter. The first book, The One and Only Sparkella (2021), became a #1 New York Times bestseller for children's picture books. His second book, The One and Only Sparkella Makes a Plan, was published in 2022.

Personal Life

Tatum and then-wife Jenna Dewan at the Peabody Awards in 2012

In 2006, Channing Tatum met actress Jenna Dewan while they were filming Step Up. They got married on July 11, 2009, in Malibu, California. They have one daughter, who was born in 2013. On April 2, 2018, the couple announced they were separating. Jenna Dewan filed for divorce six months later. Their divorce was finalized in November 2019. In an interview in 2023, Tatum talked about how his divorce helped him grow as a person. He also mentioned his strong relationship with his daughter.

Tatum dated English singer Jessie J from 2018 to 2020. In 2021, Tatum started dating Zoë Kravitz. They became engaged by 2023, but their engagement ended in October 2024. In April 2025, it was confirmed that Tatum is in a relationship with model Inka Williams.

Filmography

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2005	Coach Carter	Jason Lyle
	Havoc	Nick
	Supercross	Rowdy Sparks
	War of the Worlds	Boy in church	Uncredited
2006	She's the Man	Duke Orsino
	Step Up	Tyler Gage
	A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints	Young Antonio
2007	The Trap	Greg	Short film
	Battle in Seattle	Johnson
2008	Step Up 2: The Streets	Tyler Gage	Cameo appearance
	Stop-Loss	Steve Shriver
2009	Fighting	Shawn MacArthur
	Public Enemies	Pretty Boy Floyd
	G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra	Conrad S. Hauser / Duke
2010	Dear John	John Tyree
2011	The Dilemma	Zip
	The Son of No One	Jonathan "Milk" White
	The Eagle	Marcus Flavius Aquila
	10 Years	Jake Bills	Also producer
	Haywire	Aaron
2012	The Vow	Leo Collins
	21 Jump Street	Greg Jenko	Also executive producer
	Magic Mike	Michael "Magic Mike" Lane	Also producer
2013	Side Effects	Martin Taylor
	G.I. Joe: Retaliation	Conrad S. Hauser / Duke
	This Is the End	Himself	Cameo appearance
	White House Down	John Cale	Also executive producer
	Don Jon	Connor Verreaux	Cameo appearance
2014	The Lego Movie	Superman / Clark Kent	Voice
	Foxcatcher	Mark Schultz
	22 Jump Street	Greg Jenko	Also producer
	The Book of Life	Joaquin Mondragon Jr.	Voice
2015	Jupiter Ascending	Caine Wise
	Magic Mike XXL	Michael "Magic Mike" Lane	Also producer
	The Hateful Eight	Jody Domergue
2016	Hail, Caesar!	Burt Gurney
2017	The Lego Batman Movie	Superman	Voice
	Dark Hoser		Voice role, short film
	Logan Lucky	Jimmy Logan	Also producer
	Kingsman: The Golden Circle	Tequila
2018	Smallfoot	Migo	Voice
2019	The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part	Superman / Clark Kent
2021	America: The Motion Picture	George Washington	Voice; also producer
	Free Guy	Revenjamin Buttons	Cameo
2022	Dog	Army Ranger Jackson Briggs	Also director and producer
	The Lost City	Alan Caprison / Dash McMahon
	Bullet Train	Train passenger	Uncredited cameo
2023	Magic Mike's Last Dance	Michael "Magic Mike" Lane
2024	Fly Me to the Moon	Cole Davis
	Deadpool & Wolverine	Remy LeBeau / Gambit
	Blink Twice	Slater King	Also producer
2025	Atropia	The Actor	Uncredited cameo
	Roofman	Jeffrey Manchester	Post-production
2026	Avengers: Doomsday	Remy LeBeau / Gambit	Filming
TBA	Josephine	TBA	Post-production

Television

Producer

Music Videos

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Tatum at the 2015 Warner Bros. & Hoyts red carpet Arena Premiere of Magic Mike XXL

See also

In Spanish: Channing Tatum para niños