Channing Tatum may have made his debut in Coach Carter back in 2005, but his real breakthrough role was in the dance movie Step Up. His dancing started back at a nightclub and inspired the film Magic Mike. (Though his wife Jenna Dewan may have proved herself the superior dancer during an appearance on Lip Sync Battles.) Tatum has gone from dancing roles and comedy to some serious roles and producing. He returned to his dancing roots in Hail, Caesar! and has a huge string of upcoming films. Tatum turns 36 today. Happy birthday sir!
Channing Tatum Movies Spotlight: Step Up (2006)
This movie about a poor dancer (Tatum) and a rich one (Dewan) who have to compete together in a showcase put Tatum’s name on the Hollywood map. It spawned a number of sequels, though Tatum only appeared in Step Up 2: The Streets in 2008. These films have a very devoted following and this one was pretty significant for Tatum. He met his wife on the set.
Channing Tatum Movies Spotlight: Dear John (2010)
In this film based on the 2006 Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, Tatum plays a soldier who falls in love with a young woman (Amanda Seyfried), but their romance is tested with his deployment and the September 11th attacks. Like any film based on a Sparks novel, it’s a tear-jerker and predictable, but both Tatum and Seyfried were nominated for their performances for MTV Movie Awards.
Channing Tatum Movies Spotlight: The Eagle (2011)
In this film based on Rosemary Sutcliff’s 1954 novel The Eagle of the Ninth, Tatum plays Marcus Flavius Aquila, a young Roman officer searching Roman Britain for the Eagle standard from his father’s battalion. He travels with his slave, Esca (Jamie Bell), the son of the late chieftain of the Birgantes. Through harrowing adventures, the two become friends.
Channing Tatum Movies Spotlight: Haywire (2011)
In this film, Tatum plays Aaron, an operative that handles “black operations,” so the government doesn’t have to take responsibility for them. He stars opposite MMA fighter Gina Carano. She’s being targeted for assassination and she and Aaron have to unravel a conspiracy to save her life. The film also stars Ewan McGregor and Antonio Banderas.
Channing Tatum Movies Spotlight: 21 Jump Street (2012)
In this film version of the 1987 television series of the same name, Tatum stars opposite Jonah Hill as a police officer undercover at a high school trying to stop the spread of a new drug. Tatum displayed his new improv skills in this film directed by The LEGO Movie’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and returned for a sequel, 22 Jump Street in 2014. The next film in the series will be a Men In Black/21 Jump Street crossover called MIB 23!
Channing Tatum Movies Spotlight: Magic Mike (2013)
This film about male strippers was based loosely on Tatum’s life before he got famous. Tatum plays Mike, a stripper at Xquisite Strip Club in Tampa, Florida (where Tatum himself was a stripper) who take a young man (Alex Pettyfer) under his wing and teaches him the ropes. Mike, however, has bigger plans for his life. Tatum, who also served as a producer on the film, returned in 2015 for Magic Mike XXL.
Channing Tatum Movies Spotlight: White House Down (2013)
In this film, on which Tatum also served as executive producer, he plays John Cale, a US Capitol Police officer working for the Speaker of the house (Richard Jenkins). He’s hoping to fix strained relations with his little daughter (Joey King) who loves politics by aiming for a Secret Service job. The film is directed by Roland Emmerich, so you know there is plenty of action and tons of explosions.
Channing Tatum Movies Spotlight: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
In this wacky film by the Wachowskis, Tatum plays Caine Wise, a space warrior who informs cleaning lady Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) that she’s really galactic royalty. Tatum’s character is half human, half canine and he had to wear a mouthpiece, making it hard to talk. You may not even notice it amongst the craziness of this film.
Channing Tatum Movies Spotlight: The Hateful Eight (2015)
Tatum’s role in the latest Quentin Tarantino film was kept under wraps. He shows up at the end of this dark Western, wrecking havoc on an already-disturbing situation. Tatum joked in an interview that he sent threatening emails to everyone else up for the role.
Channing Tatum Movies Spotlight: Hail, Caesar! (2016)
In this film about Hollywood in the 1950s, starring everyone from George Clooney to Scarlett Johansson to Josh Brolin, Tatum plays a song and dance man named Burt Gurney. Gurney may seem like a Fred Astaire-type, but he’s got a few secrets, including embracing Communism and preferring men. (Okay, the second one isn’t really a secret, if you watch the performance.) Neither of these things went over well in Hollywood at that time. His ship voyage holding his tiny dog is one of his all-time best comedy moments.
Which Channing Tatum film is your favorite? Did we leave it off the list? Let us know your pics in the comments!
(Photo Credit: Brian To / WENN.com)
