Matthew David McConaughey (born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He first gained notice for his supporting performance in the coming-of-age 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 comedy-drama The Newton Boys (1998), the satire EDtv (1999), the war film U-571 (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), Fool's Gold (2008), and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009), establishing him as a sex symbol. After a two-year 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).
McConaughey's 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 HBO's 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).
Known For
The Rivals of Amziah King
Amziah King
2025
Deadpool & Wolverine
Cowboypool (voice)
2024
Superhuman Body: World of Medical Marvels
Narrator (voice)
2024
Nine Ball
Pool Shark Father
2024
Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story
Narrator (voice)
2022
Sing 2
Buster Moon (voice)
2021
Come Home
Buster Moon (voice)
2021
Disclosure
Ron Woodroof (archive footage)
2020
The Gentlemen
Michael Pearson
2020
The Beach Bum
Moondog
2019
Serenity
Baker Dill
2019
Friedkin Uncut
Self
2018
White Boy Rick
Richard Wershe Sr.
2018
U2 at The BBC
Self
2017
The Dark Tower
Walter O’Dim
2017
Sing
Buster Moon (voice)
2016
Kubo and the Two Strings
Beetle (voice)
2016
Free State of Jones
Newton Knight
2016
The Sea of Trees
Arthur Brennan
2016
Gold
Kenny Wells
2016
Inside 'Interstellar'
Self - 'Cooper'
2015
The Science of Interstellar
Narrator (voice)
2014
21 Years: Richard Linklater
Self - Actor
2014
Interstellar
Cooper
2014
Interstellar: Nolan's Odyssey
Self
2014
I Am Evel Knievel
Self
2014
The Wolf of Wall Street
Mark Hanna
2013
Dallas Buyers Club
Ron Woodroof
2013
Synthesizers
Woodson
2013
Mud
Mud
2013
The Paperboy
Ward Jansen
2012
Magic Mike
Dallas
2012
Killer Joe
Killer Joe Cooper
2012
Bernie
Danny Buck Davidson
2012
The Lincoln Lawyer
Mickey Haller
2011
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Connor Mead
2009
Surfer, Dude
Steve Addington
2008
Tropic Thunder
Rick Peck
2008
Fool's Gold
Ben 'Finn' Finnegan
2008
We Are Marshall
Jack Lengyel
2006
Failure to Launch
Tripp
2006
Two for the Money
Brandon Lang
2005
Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon
Al Bean (voice)
2005
Absolute Evel: The Evel Knievel Story
Narrator (voice)
2005
Sahara
Dirk Pitt
2005
Paparazzi
Matthew McConaughey (uncredited)
2004
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Benjamin Barry
2003
Tiptoes
Steven
2002
Reign of Fire
Denton Van Zan
2002
Frailty
Meiks
2002
Thirteen Conversations About One Thing
Troy
2001
The Wedding Planner
Steve Edison
2001
U-571
Lt. Andrew Tyler
2000
EDtv
Ed 'Eddie' Pekurny
1999
The Story of Darrell Royal
Narrator (voice)
1999
Making Sandwiches
Bud Hoagie
1998
Welcome to Hollywood
Matthew McConaughey
1998
The Newton Boys
Willis Newton
1998
Amistad
Roger Sherman Baldwin
1997
Contact
Palmer Joss
1997
Scorpion Spring
El Rojo
1996
Larger Than Life
Tip Tucker
1996
A Time to Kill
Jake Brigance
1996
Lone Star
Buddy Deeds
1996
Judgement
Deputy Sam Taylor
1995
Glory Daze
Rental Truck Guy
1995
The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Vilmer
1995
Submission
1995
Boys on the Side
Abe Lincoln
1995
Angels in the Outfield
Ben Williams
1994
Dazed and Confused
Wooderson
1993
The Lost Bus
Kevin McKay
Sing: Thriller
Buster Moon (voice)
2024
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: 10th Anniversary Special
Self (archive footage)
2024
Unsolved Mysteries: Behind the Legacy
Larry Dickens
2023
Art-House America: Austin Film Society
Self
2023
Agent Elvis
Elvis (voice) · (10 episodes)
2023
The Jennifer Hudson Show
(1 episode)
2022
05
Self · (3 episodes)
2021
Roll Up Your Sleeves
Self
2021
Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A Virtual Table Read
Mike Damone
2020
The Oprah Conversation
Self · (1 episode)
2020
Cup of Joe
Self · (1 episode)
2020
One World: Together at Home
Self
2020
Thanks a Million
Self · (1 episode)
2020
Between Two Ferns: The Movie
Matthew McConaughey
2019
Tamron Hall
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2019
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self · (1 episode)
2019
Today with Hoda & Jenna
Self · (1 episode)
2019
Red Table Talk
Self · (1 episode)
2018
The Russell Howard Hour
Self · (1 episode)
2017
Carpool Karaoke: The Series
Self · (1 episode)
2017
Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party
Team Martha · (1 episode)
2016
Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny
Self
2016
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self · (1 episode)
2015
Hot Ones
Self · (1 episode)
2015
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self · (1 episode)
2014
Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years
Self - Host
2014
The Men In Blazers Show
Self · (4 episodes)
2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self · (1 episode)
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self · (7 episodes)
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
(1 episode)
2014
True Detective
Rust Cohle · (8 episodes)
2014
The Last Leg
Self · (1 episode)
2013
We Walk The Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash
Self
2012
Man in the Glass: The Dale Brown Story
Self
2012
Honest Trailers
Mark Hanna (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2012
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest · (2 episodes)
2009
Eastbound & Down
Roy McDaniel · (3 episodes)
2009
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Self · (2 episodes)
2007
The Graham Norton Show
Self · (6 episodes)
2007
My Crazy Life
(1 episode)
2005
Making Dazed
Self
2005
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Self · (1 episode)
2005
Linklater: St. Richard of Austin
Self
2004
CMT Insider
Self · (1 episode)
2004
Best Week Ever
Self · (1 episode)
2004
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self · (3 episodes)
2003
Celebrities Uncensored
Self · (1 episode)
2003
Real Time with Bill Maher
Self · (1 episode)
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self · (2 episodes)
2003
Teen Choice Awards
Self - Presenter & Nominee · (1 episode)
1999
TRL
Self · (1 episode)
1998
Sex and the City
Matthew McConaughey · (1 episode)
1998
Behind the Music
Self · (1 episode)
1997
The View
Self · (3 episodes)
1997
The View
(1 episode)
1997
The Daily Show
Self · (3 episodes)
1996
The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Documentary
Self
1996
My Boyfriend's Back
Guy #2
1993
Untitled Mike Hammer Film
Mike Hammer
King of the Hill
Rad Thibodeaux (voice) · (1 episode)
1997
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self - Guest · (4 episodes)
1993
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Self · (4 episodes)
1992
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self · (3 episodes)
1988
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
1988
Goldene Kamera Verleihung
Self · (1 episode)
1984
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host · (2 episodes)
1975
The Oscars
Self · (2 episodes)
1953
Today
Self · (1 episode)
1952
Brothers
Matthew McConaughey · (1 episode)