- 2004
On the Road Again
Rather than endure the usual press junkets, McConaughey decorates his $65,000 Airstream trailer with art from his upcoming film Sahara and takes a six-week cross-country road trip, including a pit stop at the Daytona 500.
- 2005
Puppy Love
With Oprah's cameras rolling, McConaughey helps Dr. James Riapel, who sheltered about 50 dogs and 18 cats in a New Orleans hospital after Hurricane Katrina struck, load the pets on boats, at which point they are all choppered to safety. Almost a year later, McConaughey auctions his prized 1971 Corvette Stingray on eBay, with the $61,600 sale price going to Katrina and Rita survivors, calling the car "a luxury that I'm willing to relinquish [to] help so many with the necessities in life."
Texas Firecracker
"He's chivalrous, passionate and cooks a mean marinara. And now this Southern charmer is the 20th man to be crowned PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive," reads the headline. His reaction? "I like the 'Alive' part." In May 2007, the fitness buff makes PEOPLE's 100 Most Beautiful issue. "Do I work out because I like to look good? Yes, that part's vanity," McConaughey says. "Do I work out because it makes me feel better? Yes, and that's not vanity."
- 2006
Too Far for Love
McConaughey and actress Penélope Cruz, who met on the set of Sahara in 2004, end their two-year romance. Their work schedules, which often keep them apart, prove too difficult to handle. "It was the distance, nothing more," a friend of the couple tells PEOPLE.
McConaughey: A Man's Man
"We tried it. Wasn't for us," jokes McConaughey in the November issue of Details, responding to reports that he and close pal Lance Armstrong are gay. The fellow Texans, along with frequent cohort Jake Gyllenhaal, have become tighter pals since their respective breakups, often biking, partying or checking out University of Texas football games together.
- 2007
Matthew Falls for Camila Alves
After nearly a year of dating Camila Alves, 24, McConaughey, 37, appears in a PEOPLE cover story about his relationship with the Brazilian model. Since meeting about a year ago, Alves has been the girl at his side, riding the waves this year from Australia, where he filmed Fool's Gold, to the Bahamas, where he shot the comedy Surfer Dude.
- 2008
Daddy McConaughey
McConaughey announces on his website that he and Alves are expecting their first child. "Make no doubt about it. My kid will dance," McConaughey says. "He will be on the beach and he will be taking hikes with a wild bandana on." In July 2008, after his second film with Kate Hudson, Fool's Gold, opens at No. 1, Alves gives birth to their son Levi.
Photo Credits
BIOGRAPHY (top to bottom): G. Binuya/Retna; RAMEY; Kevin Mazur/WireImage; AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN
- Name
- Matthew McConaughey
- Birth Date
- November 04, 1969
- Birth Place
- Uvalde, Texas
- Heart Monitor
-
Camila Alves, girlfriend (2007 to present)
Penélope Cruz, ex-girlfriend (2004 to May 2006)
Ashley Judd, ex-girlfriend (1995)
