Claim: Matthew McConaughey was in zero films in 1997.

Matthew David McConaughey -LRB- -LSB- məˈkɒnəheɪ -RSB- born November 4 , 1969 -RRB- is an American actor . He first gained notice for his breakout role in the coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused -LRB- 1993 -RRB- . He appeared in such films as the slasher Texas Chainsaw Massacre : The Next Generation -LRB- 1994 -RRB- , the legal thriller A Time to Kill -LRB- 1996 -RRB- , Steven Spielberg 's historical drama Amistad -LRB- 1997 -RRB- , the science fiction drama Contact -LRB- 1997 -RRB- , the comedy EDtv -LRB- 1999 -RRB- , and the war film U-571 -LRB- 2000 -RRB- .   In the 2000s , Matthew McConaughey became best known for starring in romantic comedies , including The Wedding Planner -LRB- 2001 -RRB- , How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days -LRB- 2003 -RRB- , Failure to Launch -LRB- 2006 -RRB- , Fool 's Gold -LRB- 2008 -RRB- , and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past -LRB- 2009 -RRB- . Since 2011 he has preferred dramatic roles , in such films as The Lincoln Lawyer -LRB- 2011 -RRB- , Bernie -LRB- 2011 -RRB- , Killer Joe -LRB- 2011 -RRB- , The Paperboy -LRB- 2012 -RRB- , Mud -LRB- 2012 -RRB- , Magic Mike -LRB- 2012 -RRB- , The Wolf of Wall Street -LRB- 2013 -RRB- , Dallas Buyers Club -LRB- 2013 -RRB- , Interstellar -LRB- 2014 -RRB- , The Sea of Trees , and Free State of Jones -LRB- both 2016 -RRB- .   McConaughey achieved much success in 2013 for portraying a cowboy diagnosed with AIDS in the biographical film Dallas Buyers Club , which earned him the Academy Award , Golden Globe Award , and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor , among other awards and nominations . In 2014 , he also starred as Rust Cohle in the first season of HBO 's crime anthology series True Detective , for which he won a Critics ' Choice Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award .