Matthew McConaughey

Born in Uvalde, Texas, in 1969, Matthew McConaughey was the youngest son of a kindergarten teacher and a former pro football player turned successful oil pipe fitting company owner. The family moved to Longview, Texas, where he developed an independent Texas spirit and strong values. After graduating from Longview High School, he spent a year as an exchange student in Australia, which prompted self-reflection. Initially planning to study law at the University of Texas in Austin, he switched to drama and screenwriting after reading "The Greatest Salesman in the World" and realizing his passion lay in film. A chance meeting with casting agent Don Phillips at a bar led to his breakthrough role. He debuted in Richard Linklater's "Dazed and Confused" (1993) as Wooderson. McConaughey was a scene-stealer. Linklater expanded his role from only a couple of scenes to over 300 lines. After more local productions and supporting parts, including a maniacal performance in the shelved "Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (lensed 1995), he moved to Hollywood in 1995. His breakout performance came in "Boys on the Side" (1995) as a policeman. John Sayles cast him in the acclaimed drama "Lone Star" (1996), and he was handpicked by John Grisham for the lead in the blockbuster "A Time to Kill" (1996), transforming him into a Hollywood leading man. He then formed his production company, j.k.livin', and produced the documentary "Hands on a Hardbody" (1997). Despite a brief period of media frenzy, McConaughey maintained his down-to-earth persona, living in a Malibu trailer park. His next major films included "Contact" (1997) and "Amistad" (1997). He reunited with Linklater for the "The Newton Boys" (1998) and starred in Ron Howard's "EDtv" (1999), drawing on his own experience with sudden fame. He then led the successful World War II thriller "U-571" (2000). The early 2000s saw McConaughey excel in romantic comedies, starting with "The Wedding Planner" (2001) and the huge hit "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" (2003), where his chemistry with Kate Hudson was key. Despite the flop "Two for the Money" (2005), People magazine named him "Sexiest Man Alive." He continued the romantic comedy trend with "Failure to Launch" (2006) and the dramatic "We are Marshall" (2006), the latter of which garnered mixed reviews. He re-teamed with Hudson for "Fool's Gold" (2008), appeared in "Tropic Thunder" (2008), "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" (2009), and had a TV arc on "Eastbound & Down" (2009-13). His career shift began with the courtroom thriller "The Lincoln Lawyer" (2011). This resurgence was fueled by a string of challenging, acclaimed performances: a contract killer in the darkly comedic thriller "Killer Joe" (2011) (earning an Indie Spirit nomination); a reporter in the murder investigation film "The Paperboy" (2012); a comic district attorney in Linklater's black comedy "Bernie" (2012); and the charismatic strip club owner in "Magic Mike" (2012) (earning an Indie Spirit Supporting Actor nod). In 2012, he married his long-time partner, model Camila Alves, with whom he has three children. The streak continued with the lauded "Mud" (2013). His committed performance as AIDS patient Ron Woodroof in "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013), for which he lost 50 pounds, earned him a Golden Globe, an Independent Film Spirit award, and the Best Actor Oscar. He also had a memorable cameo in Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013). Moving to television, his role as the philosophical Rust Cohle in "True Detective" (2014) became highly discussed. He followed this with the lead in Nolan's sci-fi film "Interstellar" (2014) and the indie "The Sea of Trees" (2015). His impressive list of credits continues with "Sing" (2016), "Serenity" (2019), "Sing 2" (2021) and "Deadpool & Wolverine" (2024). McConaughey has several projects in the works including "The Rivals of Amziah King" co-starring Kurt Russell.