With hit after hit, it didn't take long for Channing Tatum to become an international star.
After breaking out in 2006's "Step Up," one of the actor's very first roles, Tatum has gone from one starring role to the next, not only proving his versatility but also that he can pack a theater. In the past couple years, the actor has written and starred in the semi-biographical "Magic Mike" and the hit summer comedy "21 Jump Street." This summer, Tatum and Jonah Hill are back on the force and headed to college in "22 Jump Street."
From his weird connection to Ricky Martin to his awesome soda commercials, here are 21 things you probably don't know about Channing Tatum.
1. Tatum was born April 26, 1980 in Cullman, Alabama to Kay Faust, an airline worker, and Glenn Tatum, a construction worker.
2. Although he was born in Alabama, Tatum grew up in Mississippi and later spent his teenage years in Tampa, Florida.
3. Incredibly energetic growing up, Tatum's parents made him play a variety of sports to keep him out of trouble, such as baseball, track and field, soccer, and football.
4. He even practiced martial arts as a child, specifically Gor-Chor Kung Fu.
5. He was voted most athletic in his high school class and headed to Glenville State College in West Virginia on a football scholarship.
6. Tatum is dyslexic, though, and school didn't come as easy for the future actor. He spoke to Vanity Fair about his learning disability, saying the medication he took as a kid to help him in school made him feel "soulless," adding he would "never do it to" his child.
7. Tatum dropped out of college and worked odd jobs, such as roofing, before becoming a male stripper. This period in his life inspired the semi-biographical film "Magic Mike" (2012).
8. His stage name was "Chan Crawford."
9. After moving to Miami, he was discovered by a model talent scout.
10. This led to landing a job as a dancer in a Ricky Martin music video. In 2000, 20-year-old Tatum appeared in Martin's video for his incessantly catchy song "She Bangs." See if you can spot him in the video. (Hint: he's shirtless, naturally.)
11. A couple years later, he starred in a Pepsi and Mountain Dew commercial. And when we mean starred, we mean starred. The ad comes complete with close-ups, smoldering at-the-camera stares, and action sequences. The Mountain Dew commercial is pretty awesome, honestly.
12. Modeling also proved successful for Tatum, who appeared in campaigns for Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, and Nautica -- just to name a few. He's said that modeling made his life and his family's much easier because he never knew what he wanted to do professionally and now his family didn't have to worry about him.
13. Model Tatum made his way into the movie industry with 2005's "Coach Carter," where he co-starred as a member of the basketball team.
14. A year later, Tatum broke out in "Step Up" (2006), the hit dance movie (no, he was not a stripper!). He appeared alongside Jenna Dewan, and the stars began dating after shooting wrapped.
15. In 2009, the couple was married in Malibu, California. Their wedding was fairy-themed, complete with this unusual cake-topper.
16. Tatum and Dewan have matching tattoos. The newlyweds got the Balinese words for "side by side" permanently inked on themselves during their honeymoon in, well, Bali, of course.
17. Last summer, they had their first child, Everly Tatum. Their daughter was born in London in May 2013.
18. The couple started a production company together, with friend Reid Carolin, called 33andOut in 2010. Channing has both starred and produced some of his biggest movies, including "Magic Mike," "21 Jump Street," and the hit films' sequels.
19. Tatum and his wife also opened up a restaurant and bar, Saints & Sinners, in November 2012. The NOLA hotspot features live entertainment after 9 p.m., and according to its website, doesn't have a definitive closing time. Nice!
20. In 2012, he was named People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive.
21. After endless rumors, it's been confirmed that Tatum will play Gambit in the upcoming X-Men films!
[Sources: Wikipedia, IMDb]
Special thanks to Dana Taddeo for her previous article on Channing Tatum.