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More Matthew McConaughey Bios & Profiles

 

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Biography #2 (for We Are Marshall)

Matthew McConaughey earned a People's Choice Award in 2005 for his starring role in the hit film Sahara, co-starring Penelope Cruz and Steve Zahn. Sahara, which opened at the top of the weekend box office, also marked the first major motion picture produced by his production company, j.k. livin productions. McConaughey followed with a starring role opposite Al Pacino in the drama Two for the Money, before closing the year as People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive.

Among his film credits are the popular romantic comedies Failure to Launch, with Sarah Jessica Parker, and How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days, opposite Kate Hudson; the ensemble Thirteen Conversations About One Thing; the horror thriller Frailty, written and directed by Bill Paxton; the sci-fi adventure Reign of Fire; and Adam Shankman's hit romantic comedy The Wedding Planner, with Jennifer Lopez.

McConaughey also starred in Steven Spielberg's Amistad, Robert Zemeckis' Contact, Ron Howard's EDtv, Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused and Joel Schumacher's critically acclaimed courtroom drama A Time to Kill, as well as Angels in the Outfield, Lone Star, Glory Days and U-571.

He is currently in production with Kate Hudson on the romantic adventure Fool's Gold, directed by Andy Tennant and scheduled for a 2008 release. McConaughey's production company is currently in development on numerous projects with Warner Bros. Pictures, Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Imagine Entertainment.

Bio courtesy Warner Bros. for "We Are Marshall" (14-Jan-2007)


Biography #3

Matthew McConaughey made his motion picture debut in Richard Linklater's acclaimed 1970s coming-of-age drama, Dazed And Confused, after a chance meeting with producer and casting director Don Philips, in a hotel bar in Austin where he was attending the University of Texas. His character of Wooderson, although written as a brief role, became one of the film's most memorable after Linklater encouraged the actor to improvise additional material (the initial three scenes became more than 300 lines).

After moving to Los Angeles, McConaughey shortly thereafter became a sensation with his riveting performance in Joel Schumacher's movie adaptation of John Grisham's first novel, A Time To Kill. The film, also starring Sandra Bullock, Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson, surpassed the $100 million mark at the box office and earned the young actor rave reviews and overnight stardom.

McConaughey solidified his bankability with plum roles - working with great co-stars and A-list directors. He starred opposite Oscar winner Jodie Foster in Robert Zemeckis' Contact, and then segued to work with Steven Spielberg on the historical drama Amistad, starring opposite notable actors Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman and Djimon Hounsou. McConaughey also starred in EDtv for Universal Pictures, which co-starred Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson and Ellen DeGeneres.

The Texas native from Uvalde and Longview contemplated a career in law before tackling the entertainment field when he enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin. It was at the end of his sophomore year that he decided to make the switch to the school's film curriculum. After wrapping Linklater's film in 1992, McConaughey returned to the university to complete his degree. His senior year, he shot and directed a 12-minute short film centered in the world of Hispanic low riders entitled Chicano Chariots.

Before moving to Los Angeles, McConaughey won a starring role as Vilmer, the blood-thirsty tow truck driver in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, which co-starred fellow Texan Rene Zelwegger. Upon his arrival in Los Angeles, he quickly landed work in his first Hollywood audition Herbert Ross' Boys On The Side, playing a righteous Arizona cop and co-starring Whoopi Goldberg and Drew Barrymore.

He also landed a key role in Disney's Angels In the Outfield.

McConaughey also co-starred as Sheriff Buddy Deeds in John Sayles' widely-acclaimed Oscar-nominated drama Lone Star, portraying a heroic small town police officer. He also reunited with writer/director Richard Linklater in The Newton Boys, playing one of the four brothers in the true-life story of bank robbers who were notoriously successful in the 1920s.

McConaughey's production company, j.k. livin' (short for ‘just keep livin' which comes from one of the lines his character uses in Dazed And Confused), is developing several projects for Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount and Imagine Entertainment. The company executive produced the critically-acclaimed feature documentary Hands On A Hardbody, directed by fellow Texan Robb Bindler. The company also produced Making Sandwiches with Sandra Bullock's Fortis Films which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.

Bio courtesy Universal Pictures (08-Feb-2002)