Channing Tatum

Channing Tatum was born in Cullman, AL on April 26, 1980. Tatum's family moved to Mississippi when he was six, and he grew up in the bayous near the Mississippi River. Tatum was athletic while growing up, playing football, soccer, track, baseball, and performing martial arts. Tatum spent most of his teenage years in the Tampa area, and initially attended Gaither High School, before he was given the option by his parents of either selecting a private high school or attending a military school; he chose Tampa Catholic High School, where he graduated in 1998 and was voted most athletic. Later, Tatum attended Glenville State College in Glenville, WV, on a football scholarship, but dropped out returning home and working odd jobs.

It was around this time Tatum left his job as a roofer and began working as a stripper at a local nightclub, under the name "Chan Crawford. He later moved to Miami where he was discovered by a model talent scout. In 2000, Tatum was first cast as a dancer in Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" music video. He also began as a model working for such noted clients such as Armani and Abercrombie & Fitch. He soon moved into television commercials, landing national spots for Mountain Dew and Pepsi in 2002.

In 2008, Tatum co-starred in director Kimberly Peirce's film "Stop-Loss", about soldiers returning home from the Iraq War, and in director Stuart Townsend's film "Battle in Seattle", about the 1999 protest of the World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle. Tatum played in the short film "The Trap", directed by Rita Wilson. Tatum and Dito Montiel, who worked together on "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints", teamed up again on the action drama "Fighting for Rogue Pictures." He later played a soldier in "Dear John" a film based on a popular Nicholas Sparks bestseller.

In 2012 Tatum starred in "Magic Mike," a film about his eight-month experience as a male stripper in Florida. The film was directed by Steven Soderbergh, was co-produced by Tatum and Soderbergh, and starred Tatum as Mike. In November 2012 Tatum was named People magazine's annual Sexiest Man Alive.