Matthew David McConaughey (born November 4, 1969) is an American actor.

Born in the town of Uvalde, Texas, McConaughey grew up in Longview, Texas, his father, Jim, was a former Greenbay Packer in 1967/1968 and was involved in the oil industry. His mother, Katherine, was a substitute teacher. He was the youngest of three sons, Mike, Patrick and Matthew. He studied film direction at the University of Texas at Austin and graduated in 1993.

McConaughey got his start working in some commercials and was cast in his first minor role in the movie Dazed and Confused. After playing some additional small parts in Angels in the Outfield , Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Boys on the Side, McConaughey got his big break as the lawyer Jake Brigance in the film, A Time to Kill, based on the John Grisham novel of the same name.

McConaughey's rugged good looks made him many fans, and he was cast in many more movies: Contact, Amistad, The Newton Boys, Edtv and U-571. By the early 2000s, McConaughey began being cast frequently in romantic comedies, including The Wedding Planner and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

McConaughey won an MTV Movie Award in 1997 for best breakthrough performance for A Time to Kill. He has also twice been nominated for a Blockbuster Entertainment Award .

In 1999, McConaughey was arrested at his home in Austin, Texas for resisting arrest and possession of marijuana. The police were responding to a disturbance call after a neighbor complained of loud music. According to police reports, McConaughey was found dancing around naked and playing bongo drums with a friend, Cole Hauser. The drug charges were dropped, but McConaughey pled guilty for violating Austin's noise ordinance and he paid a USD $50 fine.

Mr. McConaughey recently starred in the $130 million movie, Sahara, along with Penelope Cruz. Prior to the debut of the movie he promoted it by repeating some trips he took in the late 1990's, including sailing down The Amazon River and trekking to Mali.

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