Channing Matthew Tatum (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor and occasional dancer. He began his career as a fashion model and now appears in film roles. He has appeared in a number of films, including She's the Man (2006), Step Up (2006), Fighting (2009), Public Enemies (2009), and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009).

Channing Tatum was born in Cullman, Alabama. His family moved to Mississippi when he was six, although he visited Alabama, where his mother's family still lives. Tatum grew up in the bayous near the Mississippi River, where he enjoyed a rural existence.

Tatum was athletic while growing up, playing American football, soccer, track, baseball, and performing martial arts, although he says that "girls were always biggest distraction in school. As a child, he practiced kung fu. Tatum spent most of his teenage years in the Tampa, Florida area and initially attended Gaither High School before going to Tampa Catholic High School. He graduated in 1998 and was voted most athletic. Afterward, Tatum was awarded a football scholarship to Glenville State College in Glenville, West Virginia, but he turned it down. He returned home and started working odd jobs. US Weekly reported that around this time Tatum began a stint as an exotic dancer at a local nightclub, under the name "Chan Crawford." He later moved to Miami, where he was discovered on the street by a model talent scout.