Matthew McConaughey is an American actor, and a very good one. From his last day of school as David Wooderson in the coming-of-age comedy-drama Dazed and Confused, to Coop trying to save humanity in the dystopian setup of the epic blockbuster Interstellar, he’s done them all.
His good looks and easy-going personality made him the Most Handsome Student back in high school and People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2005.
After playing the role of Ron Woodroof in the 2013 biographical drama Dallas Buyers Club, McConaughey’s resume also includes an Oscar, besides his many other awards and accolades.
His net worth today rises to the nice sum of $100 million.
Early Life
Matthew David McConaughey was born on November 4, 1969 in Uvalde, Texas, as the youngest of three boys. His mother, Mary Kathleen, is a former kindergarten teacher and a published author, while his father, James Donald McConaughey, ran an oil pipe supply business.
From a young age he was a good athlete, playing golf and tennis while at Longview High School, which probably got him the good looks that further brought him the admiration of many female fans around the world.
Though his initial plans were different, he attended the University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 1989 and graduated four years later with a bachelor’s degree in Radio-Television-Film.
His Incredible Film Career
McConaughey started his acting career when he was still in university, appearing in several commercials and small film roles, before he got his first big break in 1993’s Dazed and Confused. The following years saw him in titles such as the legal thriller A Time to Kill (1996), Steven Spielberg’s historical drama Amistad (1997), the science fiction drama Contact (1997) and the war film U-571 (2000).
During the next decade, his charm and good looks helped him get most of the roles in romantic comedy movies, starring alongside many adorably hot actresses. Some of them – no, not the actresses, the movies – are The Wedding Planner (2001), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Failure to Launch (2006), Fool’s Gold (2008) and The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009).
As an exception, he also worked with Al Pacino, as a con man in the 2005’s dramatic thriller Two for the Money.
But something changed in 2011 when he started preferring dramatic roles. I know, why would anyone want to stop playing in films with hot girls, right? Well, a good reason might be that he got married in 2012.
Jokes aside, the end of the 2000’s was McConaughey’s career lowest point. He decided to take a break for a year and a half and he came back better than ever, so the next period of his career was called The McConaissance. He’s one of the few actors who managed to reinvent themselves and make a comeback as some of most respected Hollywood actors.
Some of his recent films include The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), Killer Joe (2011), Mud (2012), Magic Mike (2012), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Dallas Buyers Club (2013), Interstellar (2014) and Free State of Jones (2016). Interstellar, The Wolf of Wall Street and Magic Mike are the actor’s top three highest grossing movies so far.
Other Work and Endorsements
Besides his prosper acting career, McConaughey has gotten a good deal by doing Lincoln car commercials, in which he appears driving around contemplating life. The multi-year deal earns him $1 million a year.
Lincoln is not the only company with which the star has deals. Wild Turkey Bourbon is his new big gig. But he wanted more than appearing in commercials, he wanted to be part of the whole story, to grow with it, so McConaughey became its creative director a few years ago.
Matthew McConaughey makes some more bucks from endorsing other brands as well, two of them being Dolce & Gabbana and Stetson.
Homes and Cars
Built in 1997, McConaughey’s huge mansion in the Rivercrest area of Austin, Texas measures over 10,000 square feet and features seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, an elevator, an oak tree shaded gated drive with two circular motor courts, an eight car garage, and seven boat slips down the hill to Lake Austin. The value of the property rises around $7 million.
When he’s in Hollywood shooting movies, he lives in his home in Malibu. He bought it in 2008 for $10 million. The house was built in 1949, it has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and covers over an acre.
The 47 year old Hollywood star is also an avid car enthusiast. His collection includes a 1981 Camaro Z28, GMC Yukon XL, 1971 Corvette convertible, and a Lincoln MKX.
But despite his expensive homes and impressive cars, McConaughey still loves to travel in his beautiful piece of art, a 2004 Airstream International CCD 28 trailer. He enjoys using it to get away from work and clear his mind.
Matthew McConaughey Net Worth Over Time
Although he started with a film paycheck as low as $250,000 for 1996’s A Time to Kill, he got to win around $5 million for comedies like 2001’s The Wedding Planner and 2003’s How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
After his surprising comeback, he started winning between $8 and $15 million for movies like 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street, Dallas Buyers Club or other names released during The McConaissance, adding a great deal of money to his net worth and making him #52 on Forbes Celebrity 100 in 2014.
Count in the endorsements also, which bring him a few more millions yearly, and you get his nice $100 million fortune of today.
Last update: May 2020.
