Matthew McConaughey

Matthew David McConaughey born November 4 1969 is an American actor He first gained notice for his supporting performance in the comingofage comedy Dazed and Confused 1993 which was considered by many to be his breakout role After a number of supporting roles in films including Angels in the Outfield 1994 and Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Next Generation 1994 his breakthrough performance as a leading man came in the legal drama A Time to Kill 1996 He followed this with leading performances in the science fiction film Contact 1997 the historical drama Amistad 1997 the comedydrama The Newton Boys 1998 the satire EDtv 1999 the war film U571 2000 and the psychological thriller Frailty 2001 In the 2000s McConaughey became best known for starring in romantic comedies including The Wedding Planner 2001 How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days 2003 Failure to Launch 2006 Fools Gold 2008 and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past 2009 establishing him as a sex symbol After a twoyear hiatus from film acting McConaughey began to appear in more dramatic roles beginning with the legal drama The Lincoln Lawyer 2011 He was acclaimed for his supporting performances in Bernie 2011 Magic Mike 2012 and The Wolf of Wall Street 2013 and for his leading roles in Killer Joe 2011 and Mud 2012 McConaugheys portrayal of Ron Woodroof a cowboy diagnosed with AIDS in the biopic Dallas Buyers Club 2013 earned him widespread praise and numerous accolades including the Academy Award for Best Actor In 2014 he starred as Rust Cohle in the first season of HBOs crime anthology series True Detective for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series His film roles since have included Interstellar 2014 The Sea of Trees 2015 Free State of Jones 2016 Gold 2016 The Dark Tower 2017 and The Gentlemen 2019 earning varying degrees of commercial and critical success as well as voice work in Kubo and the Two Strings 2016 Sing 2016 and Sing 2 2021