Matthew McConaughey filmography facts for kids

McConaughey at the 2014 Goldene Kamera Awards

Matthew McConaughey is an American actor known for his many interesting roles in movies and TV shows. He first became widely known for his role in the 1993 comedy film Dazed and Confused, directed by Richard Linklater. This movie was about young people growing up.

His first main role was in the 1996 film A Time to Kill, based on a book by John Grisham. The next year, he acted in the historical drama Amistad, directed by Steven Spielberg, where he played a lawyer named Roger Sherman Baldwin. He also starred with Jodie Foster in the science fiction movie Contact. In 1998, he worked with director Linklater again in the movie The Newton Boys.

During the 2000s, Matthew McConaughey often played leading roles in romantic comedies. Some of these films include The Wedding Planner (2001), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Failure to Launch (2006), and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009).

In the early 2010s, McConaughey started taking on more serious and dramatic roles. This change in his career was sometimes called the "McConaissance" by the media. He played Mickey Haller in The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) and worked with Linklater once more in Bernie (2011). That same year, he starred in the dramatic film Killer Joe, for which he won an award.

In 2012, he appeared in the drama Mud and had a supporting role in the comedy-drama Magic Mike. A big moment in his career came in 2013 when he played Ron Woodroof in the true-story drama Dallas Buyers Club. For this powerful performance, he won several major awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, the Golden Globe Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Award. He also had a role in the film The Wolf of Wall Street, directed by Martin Scorsese, in 2013.

In 2014, McConaughey starred as detective Rust Cohle in the TV series True Detective. He also played a main role in the science fiction adventure film Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan. His work in True Detective earned him nominations for important television awards.

Later, in 2015, he starred in The Sea of Trees. In 2016, he appeared in the historical film Free State of Jones, playing a farmer named Newton Knight. He also starred in the adventure film Gold that year. In 2019, he co-starred in the thriller Serenity. He has also lent his voice to animated characters, like Buster Moon in the Sing movies.

Matthew McConaughey: An Actor's Journey

Early Career and Big Breaks

Matthew McConaughey began his acting career with a memorable role in the 1993 film Dazed and Confused. This movie helped him become known in Hollywood. He soon took on his first main role in the legal drama A Time to Kill in 1996. This film showed his talent for serious acting.

The following year, McConaughey continued to impress audiences. He starred in the historical drama Amistad, directed by the famous Steven Spielberg. He also appeared in the science fiction film Contact. These roles helped establish him as a versatile actor.

From Romantic Comedies to Serious Roles

During the 2000s, Matthew McConaughey became a popular choice for romantic comedy films. He starred in movies like The Wedding Planner (2001) and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003). These films made him a familiar face in lighthearted stories.

However, in the early 2010s, McConaughey decided to explore different types of roles. This shift in his career was noticed by many and was even called the "McConaissance." He took on challenging dramatic parts, starting with The Lincoln Lawyer in 2011. He also starred in Bernie and the intense drama Killer Joe that same year.

Award-Winning Performances

Matthew McConaughey's dedication to dramatic roles led to significant recognition. In 2013, he delivered a powerful performance in the biographical drama Dallas Buyers Club. For his role as Ron Woodroof, he won the prestigious Academy Award for Best Actor. He also received a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for this role.

In 2014, McConaughey continued his success with two major projects. He played a detective in the popular television series True Detective, which earned him award nominations. He also starred in the epic science fiction film Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan. These roles cemented his reputation as a leading actor.

Recent Projects and Voice Acting

Since 2015, Matthew McConaughey has continued to take on diverse roles. He appeared in films like The Sea of Trees (2015) and the historical war film Free State of Jones (2016). He also starred in the adventure film Gold that year.

McConaughey has also used his voice for animated characters. He voiced Beetle in Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and the charming koala Buster Moon in Sing (2016) and its sequel Sing 2 (2021). As of 2024, he had a voice cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine and is set to appear in The Rivals of Amziah King and The Lost Bus in 2025. He also voiced Elvis Presley in the 2023 animated series Agent Elvis.

Film Roles

Year	Title	Role(s)	Notes	Ref(s)
1992	Chicano Chariots	N/A	Short film; Director only
1993	My Boyfriend's Back	Guy #2
	Dazed and Confused	David Wooderson
1994	Angels in the Outfield	Ben Williams
1995	The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre	Vilmer Slaughter	Also known as Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
	Boys on the Side	Officer Abe Lincoln
	Glory Daze	Rental Truck Guy
	Scorpion Spring	El Rojo
1996	Lone Star	Buddy Deeds
	A Time to Kill	Jake Brigance
	Larger than Life	Tip Tucker
1997	Contact	Palmer Joss
	Amistad	Roger Sherman Baldwin
1998	The Newton Boys	Willis Newton
	Making Sandwiches	Bud Hoagie	Short film; Also producer
	Rebel, TheThe Rebel	N/A	Short film; Producer, writer, and director only
1999	EDtv	Ed Pekurny
2000	U-571	Lt. Andrew Tyler
2001	The Wedding Planner	Steve Edison
	Frailty	Fenton/Adam Meiks
2002	Thirteen Conversations About One Thing	Troy
	Reign of Fire	Denton Van Zan
2003	How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days	Benjamin Barry
	Tiptoes	Steven
2005	Sahara	Dirk Pitt	Also executive producer
	Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D	Al Bean	Documentary; Voice role
	Two for the Money	Brandon Lang
2006	Failure to Launch	Tripp
	We Are Marshall	Jack Lengyel
2008	Fool's Gold	Ben "Finn" Finnegan
	Tropic Thunder	Rick Peck
	Surfer, Dude	Steve Addington	Also producer
2009	Ghosts of Girlfriends Past	Connor Mead
2011	The Lincoln Lawyer	Mickey Haller
	Bernie	Danny Buck Davidson
	Killer Joe	"Killer" Joe Cooper
2012	Mud	Mud
	Magic Mike	Dallas
	The Paperboy	Ward Jansen
2013	Dallas Buyers Club	Ron Woodroof	Academy Award for Best Actor
	The Wolf of Wall Street	Mark Hanna	Extended cameo
2014	Interstellar	Cooper
2015	The Sea of Trees	Arthur Brennan
2016	Free State of Jones	Newton Knight
	Kubo and the Two Strings	Beetle	Voice role
	Sing	Buster Moon
	Gold	Kenny Wells	Also producer
2017	The Dark Tower	Walter Padick
2018	White Boy Rick	Wershe Sr., RichardRichard Wershe Sr.
2019	Serenity	Dill, BakerBaker Dill
	The Beach Bum	Moondog
	Between Two Ferns: The Movie	Himself	Cameo
	The Gentlemen	Pearson, MickeyMickey Pearson	Also co-producer
2021	Sing 2	Buster Moon	Voice role
2022	Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story	Narrator	Documentary
2024	Deadpool & Wolverine	Cowboypool	Voice cameo
	Sing: Thriller	Buster Moon	Voice role; short film
2025	The Rivals of Amziah King	King, AmziahAmziah King
	The Lost Bus	Kevin McKay	Post-production

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television Appearances

McConaughey (right) with True Detective co-star Woody Harrelson (left) at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2014

Music Videos

Video Games

See also

• List of awards and nominations received by Matthew McConaughey