Jenna Dewan Tatum (; born Jenna Lee Dewan; December 3, 1980) is an American actress and dancer. She began her career as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson, and later worked with artists including Pink, Missy Elliott, and Christina Aguilera. She is known for her role as Nora Clark in the 2006 film Step Up. She has also starred on the short-lived NBC series The Playboy Club and had a recurring role on the FX series American Horror Story. She was Freya Beauchamp on the Lifetime series Witches of East End and as of 2016 was playing the recurring role of Lucy Lane in Supergirl.
Early life
Dewan was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Nancy Smith (née Bursch) and Darryll Dewan, who was a running back on the 1972 Notre Dame football team. Her father is of Lebanese and Polish descent and her mother is of German and English ancestry. She has three siblings: brothers, Dawson Dewan, Dayne Dewan, and Daniel Dewan. Her parents divorced when she was young and her mother remarried Claude Brooks Smith. As a child, Dewan-Tatum moved frequently; she mentioned in an interview that she lived in seven cities before reaching the seventh grade. While attending high school at Notre Dame Preparatory School in Towson, Maryland, Dewan was a varsity cheerleader. She transferred to Grapevine High School in Grapevine, Texas. She was also a varsity cheerleader there and graduated in 1999 from Grapevine High School and was voted prom queen during her senior year. She went to University of Southern California and was a member of the California Gamma Chapter of Pi Beta Phi.
Career
Dancing
Dewan first appeared in Janet Jackson's "Doesn't Really Matter" video, and later in "All for You" and the All for You Tour. Dewan credits working with Jackson for aiding her career, allowing her to later work with many other artists and giving her the experience necessary to co-star in the dance film Step Up. In 2016, Dewan-Tatum modeled as the face of dancewear manufacturer Danskin in a campaign and photo shoot that captured and featured her athleticism as a dancer.
Acting
In 2006, Dewan co-starred with Channing Tatum in Step Up, as well as starring in Take the Lead that same year.
In August 2008, Dewan starred in the Lifetime made-for-television film Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal which follows five rule-breaking teens. She portrayed the role of disciplinarian Coach Emma Carr. In November 2009, she appeared in the straight-to-DVD comedy American Virgin alongside Rob Schneider.
In March 2011, Dewan was cast in the NBC pilot of The Playboy Club. In May 2011, NBC picked up the series for a full season. She portrayed the role of Bunny Janie, a provocative Playboy bunny who works at a Playboy Club in Chicago in 1961. The series premiered on September 19 to 5.2 million viewers with mixed reviews from critics. Due to low ratings, NBC cancelled the series after just three episodes in October 2011.
In November 2011, Dewan starred in the film The Jerk Theory. This was first released in Germany in 2009. It was later released in the United States in November 2011.
Dewan appeared in the romantic-comedy film 10 Years, produced by her husband Channing Tatum. The film was released on September 14, 2012. That same year, she appeared in the second season of American Horror Story, as Teresa Morrison.
In 2013, Dewan began starring in the Lifetime series Witches of East End as Freya Beauchamp, one of the lead characters. In late 2015, she began a recurring role in the CBS series Supergirl playing Lucy Lane, the sister of Lois Lane and girlfriend of James Olsen.
33andOut Productions
Along with friends Reid Carolin, Adam Martingano, Brett Rodriguez and husband Channing Tatum, Dewan started a production company called 33andOut Productions. Their first production is a documentary called Earth Made of Glass that follows Rwandan President Paul Kagame and genocide survivor Jean-Pierre Sagahutu. It premiered at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.
Personal life
Dewan previously dated Justin Timberlake as well as Shane West. In 2005, Dewan met actor Channing Tatum on the set of their film Step Up. They began dating shortly after filming had finished. The couple became engaged in early September 2008 in Maui, and married on July 11, 2009, at Church Estates Vineyards in Malibu, California. Their daughter, Everly Elizabeth Maiselle Tatum, was born on May 31, 2013 in London, England.
Dewan is an animal rights activist and a vegan. PETA declared her to be one of three "Sexiest Vegans" of 2017.
Dewan is raising her daughter as a vegetarian but says she will let her decide what to eat when she is old enough.
Filmography
Film
Television
Producer
Music videos
Awards and nominations
References
External links
- Official website
- Jenna Dewan-Tatum on IMDb
