Matthew McConaughey
| Matthew McConaughey | |
|---|---|
 McConaughey approaching the finish line in a triathlon, September 2008 |
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| Born | Matthew David McConaughey November 4, 1969 Baltimore, Maryland, USA |
Matthew David McConaughey (pronounced /məˈkɑnəˌheɪ/[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 (1993), director Richard Linklater's second feature film), he appeared in films such as A Time to Kill (1996), Contact (1997), U-571 (2000), Sahara (2005), and We Are Marshall (2007). He also played the leading man in several romantic comedies, including The Wedding Planner (2001), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Failure to Launch (2006), and Fool's Gold (2008).
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Early life
McConaughey, the youngest of three boys, was born in Uvalde, Texas, the son of Mary Kathleen "Kay" (née McCabe), a substitute school 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, in what McConaughey describes as a "loving, but unstable relationship".[5]
McConaughey moved to Longview, Texas — located east of Dallas. He lived for a year in Gorokan, New South Wales, Australia as a Rotary exchange student.[6]
Career
McConaughey began his acting career in 1991, appearing in student films and television commercials while attending the College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin before being cast in Richard Linklater's film Dazed and Confused (1993). Also, during this period he played the neglectful boyfriend in country singer Trisha Yearwood's video "Walkaway Joe". After appearing in some additional small parts 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.
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 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 (budgeted at $130 million), 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.[7] McConaughey has been spoofed by many, including friend Matt Damon on the fact he often appears shirtless in public.
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 and can most recently be seen in the football drama We Are Marshall. He is supposedly in line to star as Thomas Magnum in the 2009 movie Magnum, P.I.[8] McConaughey appeared in Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder, replacing Owen Wilson for the role.
On January 21, 2008, McConaughey became the new spokesman for the national radio campaign, "Beef: It's What's For Dinner".[9][10]
Personal life
McConaughey's personal motto is "Just Keep Livin" and his foundation is called JK Livin Foundation. JK Livin Foundation's main purpose is to help young people live "fuller" lives.
On October 24, 1999, McConaughey was arrested at his home in Austin, Texas on charges of possession of marijuana and resisting arrest. The police were responding to a 2:30 a.m. noise disturbance call. According to police reports, McConaughey was dancing around naked and playing bongo drums with a friend, actor Cole Hauser, a co-actor in Dazed and Confused (1993).[11] The drug charges were dropped, but McConaughey pled guilty for violating the city's noise ordinance and paid a USD $50 fine.
McConaughey rescued various pets, including cats, dogs and hamsters, that were stranded after the flooding of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina.[12] 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.[13]
McConaughey's personal life is the subject of media attention. He has dated actresses Sandra Bullock, Kate Hudson, Ashley Judd, Salli Richardson, and Penelope Cruz.
In Sports, McConaughey is a big Texas Longhorns fan and is also a huge Washington Redskins fan.
McConaughey and his Brazilian Supermodel girlfriend, Camila Alves, welcomed a son named Levi Alves McConaughey on July 7, 2008 in Los Angeles. He was born at 6:22 p.m. and weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | My Boyfriend's Back | Teenage Moviegoer | $3,335,984 |
| 1993 | Dazed and Confused | David Wooderson | $7,993,039 |
| 1994 | Angels in the Outfield | Ben Williams | $50,236,831 |
| 1995 | Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation | Vilmer | $141,626 |
| Boys on the Side | Officer Abe Lincoln | $23,450,000 | |
| 1996 | A Time to Kill | Jake Tyler Brigance | $108,706,165 |
| Lone Star | Buddy Deeds | $13,269,963 | |
| Glory Daze | Rental Truck Guy | ||
| Larger Than Life | Tip Tucker | $8,289,972 | |
| Scorpion Spring | El Rojo | ||
| 1997 | Amistad | Baldwin | $44,175,394 |
| Contact | Palmer Joss | $100,853,835 | |
| 1998 | The Newton Boys | Willis Newton | $10,297,897 |
| 1999 | EDtv | Ed 'Eddie' Pekurny | $22,362,500 |
| 2000 | U-571 | Lt. Andrew Tyler, Executive Officer | $77,086,030 |
| 2001 | The Wedding Planner | Steve "Eddie" Edison | $60,400,856 |
| 2002 | Reign of Fire | Denton Van Zan | $43,061,982 |
| Thirteen Conversations About One Thing | Troy | $3,287,435 | |
| Frailty | Adam Meiks | $13,103,828 | |
| 2003 | How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days | Benjamin 'Ben' Barry | $105,807,520 |
| 2004 | Paparazzi | Himself | $15,712,072 |
| 2005 | Two for the Money | Brandon Lang | $22,862,049 |
| Sahara | Dirk Pitt | $68,642,452 | |
| 2006 | We Are Marshall | Jack Lengyel | $43,532,294 |
| Failure to Launch | Tripp | $88,658,172 | |
| 2008 | Fool's Gold | Ben 'Finn' Finnegan | $70,224,196 |
| Tropic Thunder | Rick Peck | $183,282,858 | |
| Surfer, Dude | Steve Addington | ||
| 2009 | The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past | Connor | In post-production |
References
- ↑ Say How? A Pronunciation Guide to Names of Public Figures, Library of Congress
- ↑ Matthew McConaughey Biography (1969-)
- ↑ "Metro.co.uk". 60 Second interview: Matthew McConaughey. Retrieved on 2006-05-07.
- ↑ "FindArticles". Matthew's interview - Matthew McConaughey - Interview. Retrieved on 2006-04-15.
- ↑ "ABC7news.com". Barbara Walters' Oscar Special. Retrieved on 2006-04-15.
- ↑ "ONEnews". McConaughey credits Australian town. Retrieved on 2006-12-22.
- ↑ People magazine: "2005 Sexiest Man of the Year" Retrieved May 19, 2008.
- ↑ BitsofNews.com: "McConaughey is Magnum P.I." Retrieved March 25, 2007.
- ↑ National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (2008-01-07). "“Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner” Advertising Campaign Invites Consumers to Discover the Power of Protein". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
- ↑ Shinn, Peter (2008-01-08). "Iowa beef producers talk ethanol, checkoff, ID and more". Learfield Communications, Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
- ↑ The Smoking Gun: "McConaughey1. [1]" Retrieved March 25, 2007.
- ↑ Toronto Fashion Monitor: "Matthew McConaughey Saves the Pets." Retrieved March 25, 2007.
- ↑ San Francisco Chronicle: "McConaughey in Cat Rescue." Retrieved March 25, 2007.
External links
- Matthew McConaughey Official Site
- Matthew McConaughey at the Internet Movie Database
- Matthew McConaughey at People.com
- "Walkaway Joe" video[2]
- Matthew McConaughey's Guest DJ Set on KCRW KCRW Guest DJ Set
| Preceded by Jude Law |
People's Sexiest Man Alive 2005 |
Succeeded by George Clooney |
| Persondata | |
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| NAME | McConaughey, Matthew David |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | American actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 4, 1969 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Uvalde, Texas, United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |