Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey
McConaughey in 2011
Born	Matthew David McConaughey (1969-11-04) November 4, 1969 (age 43) Uvalde, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Actor2
Years active	1991–present
Spouse(s)	Camila Alves (m. 2012) «start: (2012-06-09)»"Marriage: Camila Alves to Matthew McConaughey" Location: (linkback://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey), 3 children

Matthew David McConaughey (pron.: /məˈkɒnəheɪ/;^[1] born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. McConaughey first gained notice for his breakout role in the coming of age comedy Dazed and Confused (1993). He went on to appear in films in a variety of genres including the slasher Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994), the legal thriller A Time to Kill (1996), Steven Spielberg's historical drama Amistad (1997), the science fiction drama Contact (1997), the comedy EDtv (1999) and the war film U-571 (2000).

In the 2000s he became best known for starring in romantic comedies,^[2] including The Wedding Planner (2001), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Failure to Launch (2006) and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009). Since 2010 he has moved away from romantic comedies and has had critically-acclaimed roles in the films The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), Bernie (2011), Killer Joe (2011), Mud and (2012) Magic Mike (2012).

[edit] Early life

McConaughey, the youngest of three boys, was born in Uvalde, Texas. His mother, Mary Kathleen "Kay" (née McCabe), was a kindergarten teacher, and his father, James Donald McConaughey, was a gas-station owner who ran an oil pipe supply business and once played NFL football for the Green Bay Packers.^[3][4][5] McConaughey's mother and late father divorced and re-married each other several times.^[6] His ancestry includes Irish, Scottish, and English. He is a relative of General Dandridge McRae.^[7][8][9] McConaughey had a Methodist upbringing.^[10][11][12]

McConaughey moved to Longview, Texas—located east of Dallas—where he attended Longview High School. While in high school, he was voted most handsome in the Longview Lobo Yearbook. He lived for a year in Warnervale, New South Wales, Australia, as a Rotary exchange student in 1988.^[13] McConaughey attended the University of Texas at Austin College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, where he joined Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity and lived at The Castilian residence hall.^[14] He began in fall of 1989 and graduated in the spring of 1993 with a B.S. degree in Radio-Television-Film.^[15]

[edit] Career

McConaughey began his acting career in 1991, appearing in television commercials, before being cast in Richard Linklater's film Dazed and Confused, which became a critical success, garnering largely positive reviews.^[16] After appearing in some smaller roles in Angels in the Outfield, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, Boys on the Side, the television series Unsolved Mysteries, and as the male lead in the Trisha Yearwood music video for the song Walkaway Joe, McConaughey's big break came as the lawyer "Jake Brigance" in the 1996 film A Time to Kill, based on the John Grisham novel of the same name.

McConaughey was cast in leading roles in many more movies: Contact, Amistad, The Newton Boys, EDtv, and U-571. By the early 2000s, he was frequently cast in romantic comedies, including The Wedding Planner and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, both of which were successful at the box office. During this period, he appeared as a firefighter in the low-budget film Tiptoes, opposite Rene Russo, in Two For The Money as a protégé to Al Pacino's gambling mogul, and in Frailty, cast against type as a serial killer, opposite Bill Paxton. On September 10, 2000, he appears as himself on the show Sex and the City on HBO, talking with Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) about optioning her columns to make a movie.^[17]

McConaughey starred in the feature film Sahara, along with Steve Zahn and Penélope Cruz. Prior to the release of the movie, he promoted it by repeating some trips he took in the late 1990s, including sailing down the Amazon River and trekking to Mali. That same year, McConaughey was named People magazine's “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2005.^[18] In 2006, he co-starred with Sarah Jessica Parker in the romantic comedy Failure to Launch. McConaughey also provided voice work for an ad campaign of the Peace Corps in late 2006.^{[citation needed]} He replaced Owen Wilson in Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder after Wilson's suicide attempt.^[19] On January 21, 2008, McConaughey became the new spokesman for the national radio campaign, "Beef: It's What's For Dinner", replacing actor Sam Elliot.^[20][21] In June 2010 it was announced that McConaughey is teaming up with Marc Hyman to develop a scripted comedy for TV channel FX based on material from J. R. Reed.^[22]

McConaughey was one of the presenters at the 2011 Academy Awards ceremony. In 2012, McConaughey starred alongside Channing Tatum in Magic Mike, based on Tatum's early life, which was directed by Steven Soderbergh. He returned to his East Texas roots, by working again with director Richard Linklater on Bernie, the story of a small-town funeral director, played by Jack Black, who kills the town's grande dame, played by Shirley MacLaine. McConaughey played real-life district attorney Danny Buck Davidson, who had prosecuted the real Bernie Tiede in 1998. McConaughey's mother, KayMac, played one of the town gossips in the film. The film premiered at the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival and hit theaters in April 2012. McConaughey will be seen as a gaunt HIV victim in his upcoming movie The Dallas Buyer's Club. The role required him to lose 38 pounds.^[23] During this time, he recorded a public service announcement in Austin, Texas for the LBJ Presidential Library.^[24] He will next appear in HBO film True Detective.^[25] In early 2013, McConaughey was confirmed as the lead in Christopher Nolan's upcoming time travel science fiction film Interstellar, which is set for release on November 7, 2014.^[26]

[edit] Personal life

McConaughey approaching the finish line in a triathlon, September 2008.

McConaughey's foundation is called j.k. livin foundation (all lower-case), which "is dedicated to helping teenage kids lead active lives and make healthy choices to become great men and women."^[27]

[edit] Arrest

On October 26, 1999, McConaughey was arrested in Austin, Texas, for resisting arrest following a disturbance in the early hours of the morning and for possession of Cannabis.^[28] He had been found to be playing music very loudly on bongo drums while nude in his own home.^[29] McConaughey denied the drug charges (which were subsequently dropped),^[30] but was charged with disturbing the peace. He pleaded guilty and paid a fine of $50.

[edit] Animal rescue

McConaughey rescued various pets stranded after the flooding of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina.^[31] In 2006, in Sherman Oaks, California, he rescued a cat from two youths who had doused the animal in hairspray and were attempting to set it on fire.^[32]

[edit] Family

McConaughey met Brazilian model and television performer Camila Alves in 2006.^[33] McConaughey proposed to Alves on Christmas Day 2011.^[34] The couple were married on June 9, 2012 in Austin, Texas, where they reside.^[35][36] Together they have three children: sons Levi Alves McConaughey (born July 7, 2008)^[37] and Livingston Alves McConaughey (born December 28, 2012),^[38] and daughter Vida Alves McConaughey (born January 3, 2010).^[39]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Matthew McConaughey

• Matthew McConaughey Official Site
• Matthew McConaughey at the Internet Movie Database
• Matthew McConaughey at People.com
• "Walkaway Joe" video Trisha Yearwood, CMT
• Matthew McConaughey's Guest DJ Set on KCRW KCRW Guest DJ Set
• 2008 interview with Bullz-Eye.com
• Matthew McConaughey Jump Roping Challenge