ACTOR · BORN 1969
Matthew McConaughey
- Born
- 4 November 1969, Uvalde, Texas, USA
- Known for
- Titanic (1997), Interstellar (2014), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), The Dark Tower (2017)
39 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Matthew McConaughey (born 4 November 1969) is an actor best known for Titanic, Interstellar and The Wolf of Wall Street.
Matthew McConaughey over the years
39 Interesting Facts About Matthew McConaughey
Interesting Facts (6)
- #001
His childhood hero was Evel Knievel, and he has said that he would like to star in a movie based on Knievel's life.
- #002
- #003
He traveled around the United States for a month in his personal Airstream trailer promoting his movie Sahara (2005).
- #004
During a guest appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992), Leno surprised him with an old airline training tape he had acted in. McConaughey had no memory of being in the video.
- #005
Has played characters named Joseph Cooper in both Killer Joe (2011) and Interstellar (2014).
- #006
He has traveled around Mali in western Africa.
Production Story (2)
- #007
His first two auditions in Los Angeles were for Angels in the Outfield (1994) and Boys on the Side (1995), in that order, and he landed both roles, learning about being cast in Boys on the Side while physically on the set.
- #008
Characters & Cast (1)
- #009
He has said that the superhero he would most like to play is The Hulk, but he doubts that it will happen since both Edward Norton and Eric Bana have played him. When someone asked him if he would consider playing Captain America, he said that he thinks "Captain America is an awesome name".
Easter Eggs & References (4)
- #010
One of his paternal ancestors, Confederate Brigadier General Dandridge McRae, who fought to keep slavery in the South, was born in Baldwin County, Alabama. One of McConaughey's most famous early roles was portraying Roger Baldwin, one of the lawyers in Amistad (1997), a real-life historical person who fought to free captive slaves and later became Governor of Connecticut and a US Senator. The lives of McRae (1829-1899) and Baldwin (1793-1863) overlapped from October 1829, when McRae was born, until February 1863, when Baldwin died during the US Civil War, which McRae was fighting in at the time.
- #011
In Michael Connelly's novel "Nine Dragons", in which Micky Haller, the character McConaughey plays in The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), makes an appearance, a suspect claims that McConaughey is his alibi.
- #012
He is a huge fan of John Mellencamp's music. He was seen wearing a T-shirt from Mellencamp's "Whenever We Wanted" tour in A Time to Kill (1996).
- #013
He played a character named Abe Lincoln in Boys on the Side (1995), plays a defense lawyer who works out of his Lincoln in The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), and is now endorsed by Lincoln cars and appears in most of its commercials.
Deeper Meaning (1)
- #014
Is a huge fan of Willie Nelson.
Career & Awards (6)
- #015
His original career plan in college was to graduate with studies in pre-law, and then graduate law school, with the goal of becoming a criminal defense attorney, something he'd end up portraying in A Time to Kill (1996) and The Lincoln Lawyer (2011).
- #016
He has his own line of clothing, called "j.k. livin", named for his life's motto, "Just keep living", which is also the name of his charitable foundation.
- #017
He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6931 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, on November 17, 2014.
- #018
One of his first acting jobs was in a music video for country music star Trisha Yearwood's song with Don Henley, "Walkaway Joe".
- #019
Was considered for a role in Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997).
- #020
In Magic Mike (2012) he played a character named Dallas, and he is from Texas.
Life & Family (19)
- #021
His father, James Donald McConaughey, died of a heart attack in August 1992. He once played football for the Green Bay Packers.
- #022
He is a member of Delta Tau Delta, an international college fraternity.
- #023
Police responded to a disturbance call at Matthew's home in Austin, Texas, in October 1999. When they arrived, the music was blaring and Matthew was playing bongo drums in the nude. He was with an unknown man, and police attempted to arrest both of them after spotting illegal drugs. Matthew resisted arrest.
- #024
McConaughey was on the sidelines with the Texas Longhorns football team during the 2006 Rose Bowl, when the Longhorns beat the USC Trojans 41-38.
- #025
His mother, Mary Kathleen "Kay" McCabe, is a schoolteacher.
- #026
He played Brazilian music for eight straight hours in the operating room to help his then-girlfriend Camila Alves McConaughey, now his wife, give birth to their first child, Levi McConaughey (b. July 7, 2008).
- #027
He announced that he would be auctioning his 1971 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray on eBay, with all proceeds from the sale earmarked for donation to Oprah Winfrey's Angel Network Hurricane Katrina and Rita relief funds (2005).
- #028
He became a father for the third time at age 43, when his wife Camila Alves McConaughey gave birth to their son Livingston Alves McConaughey on December 28, 2012.
- #029
In November 2007, he bought a 3,500-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-bathroom home in Malibu for $10 million. He was shopping for a home in the area and spotted the property, which was not on the market, and made an offer to the residents for the property, which was accepted.
- #030
He had a dog named "Mrs. Hud", named in appreciation of the movie Hud (1963), which starred his favorite actor, Paul Newman.
- #031
He is a huge fan of English rock band The Cult. On March 17, 2012, at one of The Cult's performances in Austin, Texas, he even went onstage and played bongo drums with them during two songs.
- #032
Animal lover Matthew McConaughey has helped rescue many critters, including countless pets stranded after Hurricane Katrina.
- #033
He has kept a daily diary for most of his life, a source he used to great advantage when writing his acclaimed memoir Greenlights (2020).
- #034
He lived for a year in Warnervale, New South Wales, Australia, as a 1988 Rotary exchange student in 1988, returning with an adopted Australian accent which remained with him for a while after returning to the United States.
- #035
He became a father for the second time at age 40, when his then-girlfriend Camila Alves McConaughey, now his wife, gave birth to their daughter Vida Alves McConaughey (born January 3, 2010).
- #036
He was voted "Most Handsome" in his senior year of high school.
- #037
His favorite actor is Paul Newman.
- #038
His mother Kay McConaughey appeared in Bernie (2011).
- #039
His brother, Michael McConaughey, aka Rooster McConaughey, had a son and named him Miller Lyte McConaughey.
Related pages
- Reign of Fire — Matthew McConaughey comes up in the facts on that page
- Julianne Moore — Matthew McConaughey comes up in the facts on that page
- The Martian — Matthew McConaughey comes up in the facts on that page
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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