Matthew McConaughey Net Worth 2024: Matthew McConaughey’s current wealth is $160 million. It’s time for another edition of our popular series, “The Net Worth of…”. In this series, we explore the finances of famous and successful people, showing our readers how much money stars can make. This time, we’re focusing on Matthew McConaughey. We’ll share how rich the actor is and how much he earned from his movies.
Matthew McConaughey Net Worth 2024
| Net Worth: | $160 million |
|---|---|
| Age | 55 years old |
| Born | November 4, 1969 |
| Country | American |
Career
Matthew McConaughey was born on November 4, 1969, in Uvalde, Texas, and has been a proud Texan ever since. Instead of becoming a cowboy, young Matthew focused on studying law. However, he eventually dropped out of the University of Texas, where he was studying criminal law.
He started his acting career with commercials and got his first small role in the movie Dazed and Confused. After several minor roles in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Coffee, Milk and Sugar, and Lone Star, he had his big break as lawyer Jake Brigance in the movie A Time to Kill, based on John Grisham’s novel.
In 1997, McConaughey won an MTV Movie Award for Best Actor for A Time to Kill. He also received two nominations for the Blockbuster Entertainment Award. The success of this movie led him to roles in other films like Contact, Amistad, The Newton Boys, EDtv, and U-571. However, his attempt to become a serious A-list actor didn’t go as planned.
From 2000 onwards, he appeared more often in romantic comedies The Wedding Planner and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. In 2005, People Magazine named him the “Sexiest Man Alive.”
For several years, he was known mainly for playing the role of a charming, good-looking guy. To break away from this image, he turned down many romantic comedy roles and took a two-year break starting in 2009.
In 2011, he played lawyer Mick Haller in The Lincoln Lawyer, which earned him critical praise. Roles followed this in movies Killer Joe, The Paperboy, Mud, and Magic Mike.
In 2013, McConaughey starred in Dallas Buyers Club, where he played Ron Woodroof, an electrician diagnosed with HIV and AIDS. For this role, he lost 21 kg (46 lbs) and won the Best Actor award at the 2014 Academy Awards and the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama.
Also in 2013, he appeared in The Wolf of Wall Street. In 2014, he played the lead role of Rust Cohle in the TV series True Detective. The same year, he starred as astronaut Cooper in Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi film Interstellar.
In German versions of his films and shows, McConaughey is usually dubbed by Benjamin Völz.
First Paycheck: The Journey from Dishwasher to TV Commercials
If you’re expecting a quick “rags to riches” story, you should know it wasn’t that simple for Matthew McConaughey. Like many other young actors, he had to work his way into show business slowly. Early in his career, he started with small roles in commercials, earning just $6,000. In 1994, he played “Ben Williams” in the sports comedy Angels. While the role was more significant, he earned a modest $48,500 for it.
Matthew McConaughey became a millionaire with A Time to Kill in 1996. His role as lawyer Jake Brigance in the movie opened up new opportunities for him. Did his law studies help him prepare for the role? The famous movie adaptation of the novel brought him his first significant income, as he earned $250,000. This must have been his first real taste of wealth. His rising fame gave him an advantage in future salary negotiations, and it started to pay off.
A year after A Time to Kill, McConaughey starred in the historical drama Amistad, directed by Steven Spielberg. He played Rodger Baldwin alongside Hollywood legends Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins. For this role, McConaughey earned his first million-dollar paycheck.
In 2001, his earnings multiplied when he earned $5 million for his lead role in The Wedding Planner, a romantic comedy where he starred alongside Jennifer Lopez, who was at the height of her career. That same year, McConaughey bought a ranch in his hometown in Texas for $500,000. With his growing income, it was only fitting for him to invest in bigger properties.
Desert Adventures: The Story of a Lucrative Trip
Matthew McConaughey continued to see more money flow into his bank account with each new project. In 2005, he starred in the adventure film Sahara, which marked another milestone in his earnings. He made an impressive $8 million from the film.
Like many rich Hollywood stars, McConaughey wasn’t content with just one property, even if it was a large ranch in Texas. In 2007, he bought a new home in the upscale area of Malibu for $10 million. Five years later, he added another property in Texas for $4 million.
Come to Stay
Despite considering a potential break, Matthew McConaughey didn’t leave the spotlight. He continued to appear in major films, such as Magic Mike in 2012 and Dallas Buyers Club in 2013.
He is Known for his fit and muscular physique, and lost an impressive 25 kilos for his role as Ron Woodroof, an AIDS patient, in Dallas Buyers Club. His performance earned him an Oscar. That same year, he also appeared in The Wolf of Wall Street, though his role was small.
In 2014, fans saw him in Interstellar and the crime series True Detective. It’s estimated that he made $21 million that year. His last major role was in the 2018 movie White Boy Rick, where he played Richard Wershe, a drug dealer.
Private Life
Matthew McConaughey has been with Brazilian model Camila Alves for 12 years, and they got married almost six years ago. The couple has three children: a daughter and two sons. Interestingly, McConaughey also dated Sandra Bullock for a few years in the mid-1990s.
Politics
In November 2020, Matthew McConaughey said he wasn’t interested in running for governor on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The Texas Tribune reported that he hadn’t voted in a primary since at least 2012 and hadn’t donated to political campaigns until 2021. However, he did vote in the 2018 and 2020 elections.
In March 2021, he mentioned he was considering running for governor in 2022. When asked about it in October 2021, he said, “I am not – until I am,” but stayed vague on political issues. Just before the filing deadline, he announced on Twitter that he wouldn’t run.
In June 2022, he spoke at the White House about gun control following the Uvalde school shooting, calling for background checks and raising the minimum age for AR-15 purchases.
In July 2024, he spoke at the National Governors Association meeting, saying he was still interested in running for political office.
Social Work
Matthew McConaughey founded the “just keep livin foundation” to help teenagers lead active lives and make healthy choices. He received the Creative Conscience Award from Unite in 2016 for his work with the foundation.
In 2019, he became a professor of practice at the Moody College of Communication at UT-Austin, where he had been a visiting instructor since 2015. His early classes focused on the movie Free State of Jones.
Matthew McConaughey: Filmography
- 1993: Dazed and Confused (Confusion – Summer of the Freaky)
- 1993: My Boyfriend’s Back
- 1994: Angels in the Outfield (Angels – Angels really exist!)
- 1995: Boys on the Side (Coffee, Milk and Sugar)
- 1995: Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
- 1995: Glory Daze (Glory Daze – Long Live the University)
- 1996: A Time to Kill (Die Jury)
- 1996: Lone Star
- 1996: Larger Than Life
- 1997: Contact
- 1997: Friendship
- 1998: The Newton Boys (Die Newton Boys)
- 1999: EDtv
- 2000: U-571
- 2000: Sex and the City (Episode 3×13)
- 2001: The Wedding Planner (Wedding Planner – In love, engaged, planned)
- 2001: Frailty
- 2001: Thirteen Conversations About One Thing
- 2002: Reign of Fire
- 2003: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
- 2003: Tiptoes
- 2004: Paparazzi
- 2005: Sahara (Sahara – Adventure in the Desert)
- 2005: Two for the Money
- 2006: Failure to Launch
- 2006: We Are Marshall
- 2008: Fool’s Gold
- 2008: Tropic Thunder
- 2008: Surfer, Dude
- 2009: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (The Womanizer – The Night of the Ex-Girlfriends)
- 2011: The Lincoln Lawyer (Der Mandant)
- 2011: Killer Joe
- 2011: Bernie
- 2010-2012: Eastbound & Down (TV series, 3 episodes)
- 2012: The Paperboy
- 2012: Mud (Mud – No Way Out)
- 2012: Magic Mike
- 2013: Dallas Buyers Club
- 2013: The Wolf of Wall Street
- 2014: True Detective (TV series, episodes 1×01–1×08)
- 2014: Interstellar
- 2015: The Sea of Trees
- 2016: Free State of Jones
- 2016: Kubo and the Two Strings (speaking role)
- 2016: Sing (voice role)
- 2016: Gold (Gold – Greed has a new color)
- 2017: The Dark Tower
- 2018: White Boy Rick
- 2019: Serenity (In the Net of Temptation)
- 2019: The Beach Bum (Beach Bum)
- 2019: Between Two Ferns: The Movie
- 2019: The Gentlemen
- 2021: Sing 2 (Sing – The Show of Your Life, speaking role)
- 2024: Deadpool & Wolverine
Awards
- 1997: MTV Movie Award for A Time to Kill (Best Young Actor)
- 1997: Lone Star Film & Television Award (Special Award – Best Young Actor)
- 2003: Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (Best Acting Ensemble)
- 2005: Sexiest Man Alive
- 2006: People’s Choice Award (Best Action Star)
- 2012: Gotham Award for Bernie (Best Acting Ensemble)
- 2012: New York Film Critics Circle Award for Bernie and Magic Mike (Best Supporting Actor)
- 2014: Golden Globe Award for Dallas Buyers Club (Best Actor – Drama)
- 2014: Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Dallas Buyers Club (Best Actor)
- 2014: Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club (Best Actor)
- 2014: Emmy nomination for True Detective (Best Actor in a Drama Series)
- 2014: Star No. 2534 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
- 2015: Golden Globe nomination for True Detective (Best Actor – Mini-Series or TV Movie)
- 2020: Golden Raspberry nomination for Serenity (Worst Actor)