The beginning of life's journey
Matthew McConaughey was born in 1969 in Texas, the son of a gas station owner and a writer. The boy became the third child in the family and from birth he was different from his brothers. Unlike his brothers, who decided to follow in their father’s footsteps and manage the affairs of the gas station, Matthew chose the path of a lawyer for himself. After graduating from school, the young man entered the University of Texas at Austin to study law. Thanks to a student exchange program, McConaughey spent a year in Australia continuing to study law. It didn't take long for Matthew to acquire an accent that didn't leave him for a long time. Shortly before receiving his diploma, the young man changed his life path and decided to devote himself to the world of cinema.
Biography
Matthew McConaughey was born on November 4, 1969 in Texas and was the youngest son in the family. His mother Mary Kathleen (nee McGabe) worked as a kindergarten teacher and later became a writer. His father, James Donald McConaughey, was a gas station owner. He has Scottish, English, Irish, Swedish and German ancestry. Grew up in Longview. He graduated from high school in 1988 and entered the University of Texas at Austin with the clear intention of becoming a lawyer. I studied in Australia for a year under an exchange program. Before one of his last exams, he was inspired by Og Mandino's book "The Best Salesman in the World" and firmly decided to change his specialization from law to cinema.
First steps into the world of acting
Starting in 1991, the young man began appearing in commercials and episodic roles on television. While still a student, he was lucky to meet producer Don Phillips. Phillips, recognizing the young man’s talent, offered him a complex dramatic role in the film “Dazed and Confused.” For the sake of this character, the actor had to change beyond recognition - he lost weight and grew a beard. This complex psychological drama marked McConaughey's screen debut. After the release of this film, the main audience who began to take an interest in the actor’s life were teenagers who were close to the main idea of the film. Episodic and supporting roles in cult films became a good experience for career development, but did not bring fame.
Matthew McConaughey. Biography
Returning to the USA, he entered the Faculty of Law at the University of Texas at Austin, then transferred to the Faculty of Communications and graduated in 1993 with a degree in Radio, Television and Cinema. Since 1991, McConaughey began acting in commercials and student films in Texas.
While studying at university, McConaughey met producer Don Phillips, who offered him a role in the film Dazed and Confused (1993).
In 1994, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4 was released, in which McConaughey played one of the main roles.
The main role in the film “Time to Kill” (Time to Kill, 1996) brought the actor an MTV Movie Awards.
In the early 2000s, Matthew McConaughey played leading roles in the films Wedding Planner (2001), Reign of Fire (2002), and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Guy in 10 Days, 2003), “Money for Two” (Two for the Money, 2005), “Sahara” (Sahara, 2005) and others.
During his acting career, he gained fame as a comedic actor, who is especially successful in leading roles as a favorite of women in light romantic or adventure films.
In recent years, the actor has starred in the films Bernie (2011), Lincoln Lawyer (2011), Mud (2012), Magic Mike! (Magic Mike, 2012).
In total, the actor starred in more than 40 feature films.
In November 2012, the film “Paperboy” was released in Russia, where McConaughey played the main role along with Nicole Kidman.
In February 2014, Martin Scorsese’s film “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013) was released in Russia, where the actor played one of the roles.
One of McConaughey's last roles - the role of Ron Woodroffe in the film about the fight against AIDS "Dallas Buyers Club" (Dallas Buyers Club, 2013) brought the actor an Oscar for Best Actor. With this role, McConaughey declared himself as a dramatic actor.
In addition to the Oscar, for this role he received the Golden Globe, awards from the Rome Film Festival, the Golden Camera Award (Germany) and others.
McConaughey is the producer of the films Sahara (2005), Surfer (Surfer, Dude, 2008) and several films in the True Detective series (2014), where he played the main role.
Since 2008, the actor has been the CEO of the charitable foundation The Just Keep Living Foundation.
Matthew McConaughey was awarded the prestigious cinematic awards MTV Movie Awards (1997), Saturn (2013), Rome Film Festival (2013), Oscar (2014), Golden Globe (2014), Camera d'Or (2014) and others .
The actor is married to Brazilian model Camila Alves. The couple has three children - sons Levi (2008) and Livingston (2012) and daughter Vida (2010).
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Bold experiments that do not contradict preferences
In addition to filming films, the actor managed to take part in the creation of a music video for the song “Walkaway Joe”. The first major role in McConaughey's career was a character from the film A Time to Kill. After the release of this film, he began to receive many lucrative offers. Despite the large number of leading roles, the actor never chased fashion and always agreed only to those roles that he considered worthy. Since the beginning of the 2000s, the actor changed his role and switched to comedic characters. His first experience in a romantic comedy was the film The Wedding Planner. Immediately after him came another comedy with his participation, “How to get rid of a guy in 10 days.” Both films were successful at the global box office and brought McConaughey recognition at the highest level, and also made him the most desirable man of the decade according to People magazine polls.
Biography of Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey is an actor who is equally at home in both comedy and drama. His attractive appearance has secured him roles in romantic comedies for a long time (The Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days), but his talent is truly revealed in thrillers and dramas: A Time to Kill, The Lincoln Lawyer, “Dallas Buyers Club”, “Interstellar”, as well as the acclaimed series “True Detective”.
Matthew McConaughey
Return to the original path
Soon, the actor began to gradually return to his usual genres - drama and action. In the film "The Power of Fire", he had the chance to try a new direction for himself - science fiction and post-apocalyptic. Almost immediately after filming was completed, McConaughey appeared on the same screen with Al Pacino in the thriller “Money for Two.” Then, in 2005, the adventure film “Sahara” was released, in which McConaughey played the main character. The following year, 2006, he took part in the filming of the film “Love and Other Troubles,” in which he collaborated with Sarah Jessica Parker. The same year brought admirers of his work the dramatic film “We Are One Team.” The plot tells viewers a tragic story about a plane crash with a football team on board. McConaughey's character is a young coach who, despite grief and difficulties, had to create a new team of champions and lead them to victory. This film became a difficult test for Matthew because it carried a story based on real events.
Career
1995-2000
He began his acting career in 1991, appearing in commercials. Two years later he gets a role in Richard Linklater's film Dazed and Confused. The film received positive reviews and gained cult status, especially on college campuses in the United States. Quentin Tarantino included it in his list of the 12 greatest films in history for Sight & Sound magazine.[1] This was followed by supporting roles in films such as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4: The Next Generation”, “Angels by the Edge”, “Boys on the Side”. McConaughey also starred in Trisha Yearwood's video for "Walkaway Joe." He played his first leading role in Joel Schumacher's film A Time to Kill, based on the novel of the same name by John Grisham. In the late 90s, he also played leading roles in the films “Contact”, “Amistad”, “Ed from TV”, “U-571” and “The Newton Brothers”.
2001-2011
In the early 2000s, he starred in the romantic comedies The Wedding Planner and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, opposite Jennifer Lopez and Kate Hudson, respectively. In between, he plays in the melodrama “Little Toes” together with Kate Beckinsale and Gary Oldman, in the fantasy “Reign of Fire” with Christian Bale and Gerard Butler, in the thriller “Money for Two” he played together with Al Pacino and Rene Russo, as well as played a serial killer in the film "Vice".
McConaughey plays the lead role in the adventure film "Sahara", based on the novel of the same name by Clive Cussler. The film also stars Penelope Cruz and Steve Zahn. In 2005, People magazine named the actor “Sexiest Man Alive.” A year later, together with Sarah Jessica, Parker stars in the romantic comedy Love and Other Troubles and plays a football coach in the film We Are One Team. In 2008, Ben Stiller's film Tropic Troop was released. The film follows a group of spoiled, sissy actors who star in a Vietnam War movie and are forced into a real-life jungle to get more out of the actors. In addition to McConaughey and Stiller, the film featured Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Steve Coogan, Tom Cruise and other actors. Also released this year were the films “Surfer,” about Steve Eddington, who only smokes weed and catches waves, and “Fool’s Gold,” about adventurers looking for gold from a sunken Spanish galleon.
In 2009, the film “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” was released about a womanizer who is visited by the ghosts of all his girlfriends. Two years later, the detective story “Lincoln for a Lawyer” comes out. The film tells the story of a brilliant and successful lawyer from Los Angeles, whose bright image and lifestyle are perfectly complemented by his beloved Lincoln car. He takes on another case in which not everything is clean, along the way he is framed and now he wants to find out who did it. The same year, McConaughey starred alongside Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine in the black comedy Bernie, and also played a corrupt police officer and hitman in the thriller Killer Joe.
2012 - present
At the beginning of 2012, McConaughey starred with Channing Tatum in Steven Soderbergh's film Magic Mike. The film is partly based on the true story of Tatum, who at age 19 worked as a stripper in Tampa, Florida. The film was a success with critics and grossed $167 million worldwide against a budget of $7 million. The actor also starred in the dramas “The Paperboy” and “Mud.” The last film took part in the competition program of the Cannes Film Festival.
In 2013, the actor played Ron Woodroof in the film Dallas Buyers Club. The film follows the life of an electrician and rodeo cowboy who learns that he has AIDS. He did not accept his death sentence and managed to prolong his life by taking unconventional medicines, and then set up an underground business selling them to other patients. For the role, McConaughey lost 22 kg. The actor's performance was highly praised by critics; he received many awards, including the Golden Globe and Oscar awards for Best Actor.
In the same year, the actor played a small role in Martin Scorsese's film The Wolf of Wall Street, in which Leonardo DiCaprio performed as a soloist.
He starred alongside Woody Harrelson in the HBO series True Detective. The series was released on January 12, 2014 and became the leader in the number of views, overtaking the series “Game of Thrones”[2].
The same year, Christopher Nolan's science fiction film Interstellar was released, in which McConaughey played the main role. The film follows a group of explorers and scientists who travel through a wormhole to circumvent previous restrictions on space travel.
In April 2014, he was recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time
. Director Richard Linklater, who directed the actor in the comedy Dazed and Confused, wrote an approving speech about McConaughey for the magazine, calling it “The Most Amazing Actor in Hollywood.”[3]
On November 17, 2014 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A series of frequent breaks
The actor reappears on screens only two years later, in 2008, in the black comedy “Soldiers of Trouble.” In the same year, two comedies with his participation were released - “Surfer” and “Fool’s Gold”. The beginning of 2009 gave television viewers the opportunity to see the actor in the romantic comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. The film became one of the successful projects in McConaughey's career and brought him many positive reviews. After the release of this film, Matthew took a two-year break and appeared on screens again only in 2011. The first project, after a long break, was the detective story “Lincoln for a Lawyer,” followed by two more films, “Bernie” and “Killer Joe.” All these works differed from his last films in their particular gloom and drama, but despite this they performed well at the world box office.
Matthew McConaughey
Career
He began his acting career in 1991, appearing in commercials. Two years later he gets a role in Richard Linklater's film Dazed and Confused. The film received positive reviews and gained cult status, especially on college campuses in the United States. Quentin Tarantino included it in his list of the 12 greatest films in history for Sight & Sound magazine. This was followed by supporting roles in films such as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4: The Next Generation”, “Angels by the Edge”, “Boys on the Side”. McConaughey also starred in Trisha Yearwood's video for "Walkaway Joe." He played his first leading role in Joel Schumacher's film A Time to Kill, based on the novel of the same name by John Grisham. In the late 90s, he also played leading roles in the films “Contact”, “Amistad”, “Ed from TV”, “U-571” and “The Newton Brothers”. In the early 2000s, he starred in the romantic comedies The Wedding Planner and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, opposite Jennifer Lopez and Kate Hudson, respectively. In between, he plays in the melodrama “Little Toes” together with Kate Beckinsale and Gary Oldman, in the fantasy “Reign of Fire” with Christian Bale and Gerard Butler, in the thriller “Money for Two” he played together with Al Pacino and Rene Russo, as well as played a serial killer in the film "Vice".
McConaughey plays the lead role in the adventure film "Sahara", based on the novel of the same name by Clive Cussler. The film also stars Penelope Cruz and Steve Zahn. In 2005, People magazine named the actor “Sexiest Man Alive.” A year later, together with Sarah Jessica, Parker stars in the romantic comedy Love and Other Troubles and plays a football coach in the film We Are One Team. In 2008, Ben Stiller's film Tropic Troop was released. The film follows a group of spoiled, sissy actors who star in a Vietnam War movie and are forced into a real-life jungle to get more out of the actors. In addition to McConaughey and Stiller, the film featured Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Steve Coogan, Tom Cruise and other actors. Also released this year were the films “Surfer,” about Steve Eddington, who only smokes weed and catches waves, and “Fool’s Gold,” about adventurers looking for gold from a sunken Spanish galleon.
In 2009, the film “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” was released about a womanizer who is visited by the ghosts of all his girlfriends. Two years later, the detective story “Lincoln for a Lawyer” comes out. The film tells the story of a brilliant and successful lawyer from Los Angeles, whose bright image and lifestyle are perfectly complemented by his beloved Lincoln car. He takes on another case in which not everything is clean, along the way he is framed and now he wants to find out who did it. The same year, McConaughey starred alongside Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine in the black comedy Bernie, and also played a corrupt police officer and hitman in the thriller Killer Joe. At the beginning of 2012, McConaughey starred with Channing Tatum in Steven Soderbergh's film Magic Mike. The film is partly based on the true story of Tatum, who at age 19 worked as a stripper in Tampa, Florida. The film was a success with critics and grossed $167 million worldwide against a budget of $7 million. The actor also starred in the dramas “The Paperboy” and “Mud.” The last film took part in the competition program of the Cannes Film Festival.
In 2013, the actor played Ron Woodroof in the film Dallas Buyers Club. The film follows the life of an electrician and rodeo cowboy who learns that he has AIDS. He did not accept his death sentence and managed to prolong his life by taking unconventional medicines, and then set up an underground business selling them to other patients. For the role, McConaughey lost 22 kg. The actor's performance was highly praised by critics; he received many awards, including the Golden Globe and Oscar awards for Best Actor.
In the same year, the actor played a small role in Martin Scorsese's film The Wolf of Wall Street, in which Leonardo DiCaprio performed as a soloist.
He starred alongside Woody Harrelson in the HBO series True Detective. The series was released on January 12, 2014 and became the leader in the number of views, overtaking the series “Game of Thrones.”
The same year, Christopher Nolan's science fiction film Interstellar was released, in which McConaughey played the main role. The film follows a group of explorers and scientists who travel through a wormhole to circumvent previous restrictions on space travel.
In April 2014, he was recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. Director Richard Linklater, who directed the actor in the comedy “Dazed and Confused,” wrote an approving speech about McConaughey for the magazine, calling it “The Most Amazing Actor in Hollywood.”
On November 17, 2014 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Incredible success and worldwide recognition
The beginning of 2012 was successful for McConaughey financially. After the release of the film “Magic Mike,” the actor received a considerable fee, thanks to the gross of $168 million, despite the film’s budget being $7 million. After this role, minor, unnoticeable film projects followed. Real success and recognition came to the actor only in 2013 after the release of the dramatic feature film “Dallas Buyers Club.” To resemble the character, the actor had to go on a strict diet and lose more than 22 kilograms. His efforts and acting were appreciated, and he was awarded the Golden Globe and Oscar awards. Soon he received an offer from Martin Scorsese, who offered him a role in the film “The Wolf of Wall Street.” The film achieved considerable heights at the global box office despite the fact that film experts had mixed reactions to it.
Recent years of acting
Since 2014, the series “True Detective” began to be shown on television with McConaughey in one of the leading roles. The success of the project became obvious after True Detective overtook the acclaimed series Game of Thrones in ratings. The same year, the film Interstellar was shown, which became a hit of the season and won several Golden Globes and an Oscar. After the release of this film, McConaughey was awarded the title of the most influential person according to the readers of Time magazine. At the end of 2014, the actor became part of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2015, the mystical drama “Sea of Trees” was released, passing through the world of cinema unnoticed. Released in 2021, Free State of Jones and Gold were not successful and were unable to cover the budget spent on their filming. Despite the disastrous box office results, the actor was awarded an honorary Emmy statuette.
In 2021, the fantasy film “The Dark Tower” is planned to be released, where the actor will appear before television viewers in the title role.
Interesting Facts:
- Only after his girlfriend, Brazilian model Camila Alves, gave birth to her son Levi in 2008, did Matthew decide to propose to her. Before that, he dated the charismatic Penelope Cruz.
- He lived in Australia for a long time, which is why he acquired an Australian accent, which he could not get rid of for many years after returning to the United States.
- McConaughey was the first contender for the lead role in the film Titanic, until the director finally decided to cast Leonardo DiCaprio.
- In principle, he does not recognize either deodorant or cologne. Although this did not stop Dolce & Gabbana from inviting Matthew to star in an advertisement for the men's fragrance The One.
