Matthew McConaughey

Academy Award Winner

Actor / Producer / Philanthropist

Born: November 4, 1969 | Birthplace: Uvalde, Texas, U.S.

Film Television

Career Insight: McConaughey underwent a remarkable career transformation known as the "McConaissance," shifting from romantic comedies to acclaimed dramatic roles.

Early Life and Education

1Childhood

Born to Mary Kathleen and James Donald McConaughey, the youngest of three brothers.

2Education

Graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Radio-Television-Film.

3Early Career

Began acting in commercials and student films before his breakout role in Dazed and Confused (1993).

Fun Fact: McConaughey originally planned to attend law school before discovering his passion for acting.

Major Film Roles

1Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Ron Woodroof.

2Interstellar (2014)

Played astronaut Cooper in Christopher Nolan's sci-fi epic.

3The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Memorable supporting role as Mark Hanna.

4True Detective (2014)

Critically acclaimed performance as Rust Cohle in Season 1.

Awards and Honors

1Academy Award

Best Actor for Dallas Buyers Club (2014)

2Golden Globe

Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama for Dallas Buyers Club

3Screen Actors Guild Award

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

4Emmy Nomination

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for True Detective

Notable: McConaughey lost 47 pounds for his role in Dallas Buyers Club, demonstrating his commitment to method acting.

Personal Life

1Family

Married to Camila Alves since 2012, with three children.

2Philanthropy

Founded the just keep livin Foundation to help high school students.

3Author

Published memoir Greenlights in 2020, a New York Times bestseller.

4UT Professor

Serves as a professor of practice at UT Austin's Moody College of Communication.