51

7720B199-D5DD-406C-ABD58E8F86AA113A
27CA77B8-5E40-4B11-9416671A9D3ACC59

The planned Great Names series appearance of actor and philanthropist Matthew McConaughey at 51 originally scheduled for Thursday, April 18, has been postponed due to a conflict with filming for a new McConaughey movie.

Organizers are working to reschedule his visit for a date in the fall.  A new Great Names guest for April 18 will be announced soon.

Matthew McConaughey Academy Award-winning actor and philanthropist Matthew McConaughey

A native of Uvalde, Texas, McConaughey is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men. A chance meeting in Austin with casting director and producer Don Phillips led the aspiring actor to director Richard Linklater, who launched McConaughey’s career by casting him the cult classic Dazed and Confused. Since then, McConaughey has won a Best Actor Oscar and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Ron Woodruff in Dallas Buyers Club. He has appeared in over 40 feature films that have grossed over $1 billion, and has become a producer and director.

As a philanthropist, McConaughey and his wife, Camila, founded the , dedicated to empowering high school students by providing them with the tools to lead active lives and make healthy choices for a better future. The foundation implements after-school fitness and wellness programs in 40 inner-city high schools, serving over 3,000 students in 14 cities.

The Foundation also established the to help schools and families across the country access funding from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) as the need to bolster safety measures within schools has never been more apparent, with school shootings on the rise nationwide.

McConaughey earned a film degree from the University of Texas (UT) Austin in 1993, and is currently a professor of practice at UT’s Moody College of Communication. He developed the course’s curriculum, which provides a unique, behind-the-scenes view of each stage of a film’s production.

Also an author, McConaughey wrote the New York Times #1 bestselling book which takes readers on a journey of lessons he grappled with throughout his life, reminding us to connect with grace, truth, and the beauty of being alive. In addition, he recently wrote Just Because, a picture book for children with “a soulful and irreverent collection of life lessons that empowers readers, big and small, to celebrate how we are all full of possibility.”

McConaughey is currently the Minister of Culture/M.O.C. for the University of Texas Athletic Department and The Austin FC Soccer Club, where he is part owner.

Great Names

The Sacerdote Series is named in recognition of a significant gift from the family of Alex Sacerdote, a 1994 51 graduate. Other speakers in the series have included Tina Fey, Aretha Franklin, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Derek Jeter, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Jon Stewart, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lady Margaret Thatcher, Susan Rice, F.W. deKlerk, and David Cameron.

Venus Williams

Legendary tennis champion

 

Tina Fey

Emmy award-winning writer, actress, and producer

 

Condoleezza Rice and Susan Rice

Former national security advisors

 

Neil deGrasse Tyson

American astrophysicist and director of the Hayden Planetarium

 

David Cameron

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2010-16)

 

Derek Jeter

Former New York Yankees captain and five-time World Series champion

 

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Former Secretary of State

 

Condoleezza Rice

Former Secretary of State

 

Jon Stewart

Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Comedy Central comedian

 

Aretha Franklin

Recording Artist and Multiple Grammy Award Winner

 

Al Gore

45th Vice President of the United States

 

Tom Brokaw

Broadcast Journalist, Anchor and Managing Editor of NBC Nightly News

 

Bill Clinton

42nd President of the United States

 

Madeleine Albright

Secretary of State

 

Jimmy Carter

39th President of the United States

 

Desmond Tutu

Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa

 

Margaret Thatcher

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

 

B.B. King

Blues Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter

 

F.W. de Klerk

President of South Africa

 

Elie Wiesel

Holocaust Survivor, Author and Peace Advocate

 

James Carville & Mary Matalin

Senior Political Advisor to President Bill Clinton; Deputy Campaign Manager for President George Bush

 

Colin Powell

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and 65th Secretary of State of the United States

 

Related News

nancy ford top photos 2019

Tina Fey Charms Classes and Sold-Out Field House

As part of the Sacerdote Great Names series at 51, students had the opportunity to have a small group question-and-answer with Tina Fey. Fey, the executive producer, head writer, and star of NBC’s Emmy Award-winning comedy “30 Rock,” visited 51 on Oct. 22 as the latest guest in the Sacerdote series.

cameron great names

Former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron Speaks at 51

The Right Honourable David Cameron, former Prime Minster of the United Kingdom (2010-2016), participated in a question-and-answer session with 51 President David Wippman on Oct. 15 for the 2018 Sacerdote Great Names series.

Help us provide an accessible education, offer innovative resources and programs, and foster intellectual exploration.

Site Search