Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey, 2008
Born	Matthew David McConaughey
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1991 – present
Partner	Camila Alves (2007–present) (2 children)

Matthew David McConaughey (Template:Pron-en;^[1] born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s (including his breakout role in Dazed and Confused, director Richard Linklater's second feature film), he appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Sahara, and We Are Marshall. He also played the leading man in several romantic comedies, including The Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Failure to Launch, Fool's Gold and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.

Early life

McConaughey, the youngest of three boys, was born in Uvalde, Texas, the son of Mary Kathleen "Kay" (née McCabe), a substitute teacher, and James Donald McConaughey, a gas station owner who ran an oil pipe supply business and once played football for the Green Bay Packers.^[2] McConaughey has Irish ancestry^[3] and had what he describes as a strict Baptist upbringing.^[4] McConaughey's mother and late father divorced and re-married each other several times.^[5]

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.^[6]

Career

Matthew McConaughey began his acting career in 1991, appearing in television commercials while attending College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin, where he joined Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity, before being cast in Richard Linklater's film Dazed and Confused.^{[citation needed]} After appearing in some smaller roles in Angels in the Outfield, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, Boys on the Side, and the television series Unsolved Mysteries, 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.^{[citation needed]}

McConaughey was cast in leading roles in many more movies: Contact, Amistad, The Newton Boys, Edtv, and U-571.^{[citation needed]} 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 protege to Al Pacino's gambling mogul, and in Frailty, cast against type as a serial killer, opposite Bill Paxton. 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.^{[citation needed]} That same year, McConaughey was named People magazine's “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2005.^[7]

In 2006, he co-starred with Sarah Jessica Parker in the romantic comedy Failure to Launch, which was reasonably successful at the box office. McConaughey also provided voice work for an ad campaign of the Peace Corps in late 2006. Matthew's production company, j.k. livin, is currently in development on projects with Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount Pictures and Imagine Entertainment. McConaughey starred in the football drama We Are Marshall. He also appeared in Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder, replacing Owen Wilson for the role.^[8]

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.^[9][10]

Personal life

McConaughey lived at The Castilian Residential Hall while attending The University of Texas at Austin. He became a member of the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity while at the University of Texas.^[11] McConaughey is an avid fan of the Texas Longhorns and the Washington Redskins.^[12]

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.^[13] He had been found to be playing music very loudly on bongo drums while nude in his own home.^[14] McConaughey denied the drug charges (which were subsequently dropped),^[15] but was charged with disturbing the peace. He pleaded guilty and paid a fine of $50.

McConaughey's personal life is the subject of media attention. He has dated actresses Ashley Judd, Sandra Bullock,-with whom he had an onset affair during "A Time To Kill", Penelope Cruz, Salli Richardson and a brief relationship with Janet Jackson.^{[citation needed]}

McConaughey's personal motto is "Just Keep Livin". His 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."^[16]

McConaughey rescued various pets stranded after the flooding of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina.^[17] 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.^[18]

Matthew lives together in Malibu, California with his girlfriend, Brazilian model and designer, Camila Alves, whom he met in 2007. The couple have two children together, a son and a daughter. Their son, Levi Alves McConaughey was born on July 7, 2008.^[19] Their daughter, Vida Alves McConaughey was born on January 3, 2010 at 12:13am, weighing 7lbs., 7 oz.^[20]

Filmography

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matthew McConaughey.

• Matthew McConaughey Official Site
• Please use a more specific IMDb template. See the documentation for available templates.
• 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

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