Birth name:
Matthew David McConaughey
Date of birth:
4 November 1969,
Uvalde, Texas, USA
Height:
5' 11 3/4"

Matthew McConaughey made his motion picture debut in Richard Linklater's film classic, Dazed and Confused (1993), while attending the University of Texas. After only a short time in Los Angeles, McConaughey soon received leading man status with his riveting performance in Time To Kill, A (1996), director Joel Schumacher's adaptation of John Grisham's first novel. The film also starred 'Sandra Bullock' (qv), Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson. It surpassed over 0 million dollars in domestic box office and earned McConaughey rave reviews. McConaughey solidified his resume by working with A-list directors and highly regarded co-stars. He starred opposite Jodie Foster in Robert Zemeckis' film, Contact (1997) which was also another 0 million dollar domestic box-office hit for Warner Bros. McConaughey then worked with Steven Spielberg in Amistad (1997), which co-starred Anthony Hopkins and Morgan Freeman. The film was based on the true story of a 1839 revolt by Africans on the slave ship "Amistad" and their subsequent trial. McConaughey broadened his resume by starring in Ron Howard's Edtv (1999) for Universal Pictures, playing a young man caught up in the fame of reality TV. He then starred in the submarine action-thriller U-571 (2000), a German submarine which is boarded by disguised Americans trying to capture the German's Enigma cipher machine. The film was directed by Jonathan Mostow. The Texas native from Uvalde and Longview had contemplated a career in law before deciding to tackle the world of entertainment. He studied at the University of Texas at Austin and graduated in 1992. During his senior year, he directed a 12-minute short film centered on the world of low riders called Chicano Chariots (1992). Before moving to Los Angeles, he won the villain role as "Vilmer," the bloodthirsty truck driver in Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The (1994). Upon arriving in Los Angeles he landed roles in such films as Herbert Ross' Boys on the Side (1995), Disney's Angels In the Outfield (1994) and John Sayles' Lone Star (1996). McConaughey's production company, j.k. livin' (short for 'just keep livin,' which he adapted from one of his lines in Dazed and Confused (1993)), produced _Making Sandwiches (1998)_ with Sandra Bullock's Fortis Films. The company also executive produced the feature documentary, Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary (1998) which won raves from critics. McConaughey also wrote, produced and directed a short entitled Rebel, The (1998) in which he plays the title character, a man who breaks arbitrary rules while imagining himself to be a criminal. <%}%>