Arab Americans
Jenna Dewan
Jenna Lee Dewan-Tatum (née Dewan; born December 3, 1980) is an American actress and dancer. She began her career as a backing dancer for Janet Jackson, and later worked with artists including Pink, Missy Elliott, and Christina Aguilera. She is known for her role as Nora in the 2006 film Step Up. She has also starred on the short-lived NBC series The Playboy Cluband had a recurring role on the FX series American Horror Story: Asylum. She was Freya Beauchamp on the Lifetime seriesWitches of East End. Dewan has been married to actor Channing Tatum since 2009.
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.[3] Her father is of Lebanese and Polish descent and her mother is of Germanand English ancestry.[4][5][6] Her parents divorced when she was young and her mother remarried Claude Brooks Smith. During high school at Grapevine High School in Grapevine, Texas, Dewan-Tatum was a varsity cheerleader. She graduated in 1999 and was voted prom queen 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
Prior to her acting career, Dewan was a background dancer, working with singers such as Janet Jackson, ‘N Sync, Sean Combs, Toni Braxton, Celine Dion, Pink, Missy Elliott, Ricky Martin, and Billy Crawford. Dewan-Tatum appeared in a bit role as a backup dancer in the film The Hot Chick. She was also featured in Christina Aguilera‘s music video for the single “Not Myself Tonight” in 2010.
Dewan first appeared in Janet Jackson‘s “Doesn’t Really Matter” video, and later in “All for You” and the All for You Tour.[7] 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.[8]
Acting
In 2004, Dewan made her acting debut on the Fox sitcom television series Quintuplets. She has guest-appeared on The Young and the Restless, Joey and Melrose Place. In 2005, Dewan portrayed the protagonist in the independent medium-budget supernatural horror film Tamara. In 2006, she made appearances in The Grudge 2 and Take the Lead. That same year, Dewan starred as the female lead in the dance drama Step Up as Nora Clark, a dance student partnered with a troubled student who is sent to spend his community service as a janitor. The film made $119 million worldwide.
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 August 2010, Dewan was cast in the ensemble crime heist film Setup. Production began in November 2010 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The film was to be released theatrically in July 2011 but was released straight to DVD in September 2011.[9]
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.[10]
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 US in November 2011.[11]
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 American Horror Story: Asylum, the second season of the horror television series, as Teresa Morrison.
In 2013, Dewan began starring in the Lifetime series Witches of East End as Freya Beauchamp, one of the lead characters.[12]
33andOut Productions
Along with friends Reid Carolin, Adam Martingano, Brett Rodriguez[13] and husband Channing Tatum, Dewan started a production company called 33andOut Productions.[14] 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.[15]
Personal life
In 2006, Dewan met actor Channing Tatum on the set of their film Step Up. They began dating shortly after filming had finished.[16] The couple became engaged in early September 2008 in Maui,[17] and married on July 11, 2009,[18] at Church Estates Vineyards in Malibu, California.[19] Their daughter, Everly, was born in May 2013 in London, England.[20][21]
Dewan is an animal rights activist and a vegan.[22]
Dewan is raising her daughter as a vegetarian but says she will let her decide what to eat when she gets old enough.[23]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Hot Chick | Bianca salsa girl | |
| 2005 | Waterborne | Devi | |
| 2005 | Tamara | Tamara Riley | |
| 2006 | Take the Lead | Sasha | |
| 2006 | Step Up | Nora Clark | |
| 2006 | The Grudge 2 | Sally | |
| 2008 | Love Lies Bleeding | Amber | Direct-to-video |
| 2008 | Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal | Emma Carr | Television film |
| 2009 | Falling Awake | Alessandra | |
| 2009 | The Six Wives of Henry Lefay | Sarah Jane | |
| 2009 | The Jerk Theory | Molly Taylor | |
| 2009 | American Virgin | Priscilla White | |
| 2011 | The Legend of Hell’s Gate: An American Conspiracy | Katherine Prescott | |
| 2011 | Balls to the Wall | Rachel Matthews | |
| 2011 | 10 Years | Jess | |
| 2011 | Setup | Mia | |
| 2012 | Slightly Single in L.A. | Hallie | |
| 2013 | She Made Them Do It | Sarah Pender | Television film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Quintuplets | Haley | Episode: “Little Man on Campus” |
| 2004 | The Young and the Restless | Donna | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | Joey | Tanya | Episode: “Joey and the Break-up” |
| 2009 | Melrose Place | Kendra Wilson | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | The Playboy Club | Bunny Janie | Main cast; 3 episodes |
| 2012–13 | American Horror Story: Asylum | Teresa Morrison | 6 episodes (2 uncredited) |
| 2013–14 | Witches of East End | Freya Beauchamp | Main cast; 23 episodes |
| 2014 | The Mindy Project | Brooke | Episode: “Be Cool” |
| 2014 | So You Think You Can Dance | Herself | Guest judge; 3 episodes |
Music Videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | So Real | Mandy Moore | |
| 2000 | He Wasn’t Man Enough | Toni Braxton | |
| 2000 | Upside Down | A*Teens | |
| 2000 | Doesn’t Really Matter | Janet Jackson | |
| 2000 | Honey Bee | Belle Perez | |
| 2001 | All for You | Janet Jackson | |
| 2001 | You’re No Good | Ellie Campbell | |
| 2002 | Gossip Folks | Missy Elliott | |
| 2003 | One Heart | Celine Dion | |
| 2003 | Juramento | Ricky Martin | |
| 2006 | (When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me | Sean Paul featuring Keyshia Cole | |
| 2006 | Get Up | Ciara featuring Chamillionaire | |
| 2010 | Not Myself Tonight | Christina Aguilera |
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Dance Scene (with Channing Tatum) | Step Up | Nominated |
References
- Jump up^ Jenna Dewan-Tatum Predicts How She and Channing Tatum Would’ve Done on SYTYCD, Imagines Step Up Reboot of Our Dreams
- Jump up^ Jenna Dewan Tatum as Freya Beauchamp – Witches of East End Cast & Characters
- Jump up^ “University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site – Football”. Und.Com. RetrievedSeptember 28, 2011.
- Jump up^ Jenna Dewan’s Fan Q&A on Twitter and New Photos at Nylon Magazine’s.channingtatumunwrapped.com. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- Jump up^ Susan Dunne (April 7, 2006). “Brilliant Dancer Puts New Focus on Acting Career”. courant.com. Retrieved July 20, 2006.
- Jump up^ “Interview Tamara: The Beautiful Leading Lady Jenna Dewan”. Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- Jump up^ “Extratv.com : Justin Timberlake”. Extra. September 9, 2002. Retrieved July 2,2014.
- Jump up^ “Timberlake’s Ex Is Out for Blood – Today’s News: Our Take”. TV Guide. Webb, Matt. June 17, 2002. Retrieved July 2, 2004.
- Jump up^ “Jenna Dewan-Tatum Joins Bruce Willis, Ryan Phillippe & 50 Cent in ‘Setup”.channingtatumunwrapped.com. December 4, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
- Jump up^ Matt Richenthal (September 19, 2011). “The Playboy Club Exclusive: Jenna Dewan Previews Series”. tvfanatic.com. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- Jump up^ “The Jerk Theory (2009)”. imdb. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- Jump up^ Lifetime’s ‘Witches Of East End’ Picked Up To Series
- Jump up^ Brett Rodriguez – IMDb
- Jump up^ 33andout.com
- Jump up^ “ChanningTatumUnwrapped.com”. Earth Made of Glass. Retrieved March 29,2010.
- Jump up^ Baclayon, Jovie (September 7, 2008). “Channing Tatum Engaged!”. E! Online. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
- Jump up^ “Channing Tatum Is Engaged”. People. Time. September 7, 2008. RetrievedMay 9, 2009.
- Jump up^ “Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Get Married”. Celebrity Bride Guide. July 11, 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
- Jump up^ “. | Channing Tatum Unwrapped | Official Website”. Channing Tatum Unwrapped. July 11, 2009. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- Jump up^ Galla, Brittany (June 2, 2013). “Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan-Tatum’s Baby: It’s a Girl!”. Us Weekly. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
- Jump up^ Loinaz, Alexis (June 4, 2013). “Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan-Tatum Reveal New Daughter’s Name!”. E! Online. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
- Jump up^ Tamar Abrams, “Jenna Dewan Tatum Bares All for PETA,” Huffington Post, July 9, 2010.
- Jump up^ Randel, Becky (January 22, 2014). “Jenna Dewan Tatum: Channing Tatum Is My Opposite – When It Comes to Diet”. People Magazine. Retrieved 26 February2014.