When most people think movie stars, Hollywood is the first name that pops to mind. For good reason too, as the Los Angeles sector was pretty much built on the cinematic industry. Wide-eyed actors from all over the USA, and even the world, journey to Hollywood in hopes of making a name for themselves. And quite a few of those who’ve succeeded come from Texas. In this article, we would like to take a look at the biggest movie stars that were born in the US’ biggest state.
Matthew McConaughey
Possibly one of the most respected actors in Hollywood today, Matthew McConaughey had a tough start in the business. One of his first movies was Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, a low budget horror flick, that worked as a sequel/reboot of the famous/infamous Tobe Hooper classic. It is appropriate that his first role was in a film about Texas, considering the man was born in Uvalde in 1969.
In the early 2000s, McConaughey starred in a series of romantic comedy films, establishing himself as a likable and popular romantic lead. However, even back then he showed that he has range, taking the lead role in the sports/gambling drama Two for the Money.
The film follows Brandon Lang (McConaughey), a college footballer who must take a job as a handicapper after a career-wrecking injury. For the unaware, handicapping is the practice of assigning odds to sports matches. Anyone who has ever visited an online sportsbook will be familiar with the practice.
Of course, online sportsbooks, as well as popular gambling websites like Drake casino have now attained a lot more popularity than ever. It is unlikely that anyone is unfamiliar with how sports betting odds work, thanks to these websites’ success.
Since his role in Two for the Money, McConaughey has went on to star in successful films such as The Dallas Buyers Club, the Wolf of Wall Street, Interstellar, etc. He also had a starring role in the hit TV show True Detective, where he portrayed a troubled sleuth.
Renee Zellweger
Renee Zellweger is another hugely-respected actress, who was born in Texas. Zellweger grew up in Katy, where she showed a propensity for drama and sports from an early age. She played a minor role in quite a few movies, before hitting a lead in the third installment of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. If that sounds familiar, well it should. It is the same film that got Matthew McConaughey his start.
Renee Zellweger’s most successful role is likely Bridget Jones. She portrays the young, high-strung, hopeless romantic in a series of films, all focusing on different aspects of love. The Bridget Jones Diaries might be one of the most popular and successful romantic comedy franchises in existence, and has spawned numerous imitators.
However, Zellweger’s career does not begin and end with Bridget Jones. She has had starring roles in hits like the film adaptation of Chicago (2002), and Cold Mountain (2003), for which she won the Academy Award. Today, she remains a successful actress, with a lead role in the miniseries The Thing About Pam.
Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson is another popular actor with a history of great cinema. He also is another actor with a connection to Matthew McConaughey, that goes beyond both of them being from Texas. Harrelson and McConaughey shared the lead role in the HBO hit show True Detective, where each of them portrayed old, grizzled detectives that must balance the job with their personal lives.
Before his stint as the detective, Harrelson was already a household name. The film that made him a national star was likely White Man Can’t Jump (1992), a parody of the sports film genre, that still does a decent job of being a sports film in its own right. Just two years later, Harrelson would star in the film that most people know him for today, Natural Born Killers.
But to say Natural Born Killers is his most famous film would be wrong. The actor has had a leading or supporting role in quite a few films that remain cult or even outright classics today. His most successful role is probably that of Larry Flynt, in the hit biography film The People v. Larry Flynt, a role which netted him an Oscar.
The Texan has starred in a whole slew of popular films though, including No Country for Old Men, Zombieland, The Messenger, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, the latter two of which both earned him the “Best Supporting Actor Academy Award.” Mainstream audiences might also know him from his roles in The Hunger Games franchise.
Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke was raised by his mother, a Texan activist and charity worker, in Austin Texas. He has had a long and successful career as the darling of film fans. His debut in cinema came in 1985, when he starred in the film Explorers. However, it wouldn’t be until 1989 that he became a household name, after the release of Dead Poet’s Society.
Hawke went on to star in a whole slew of excellent films, the most popular of which is likely the “Before” trilogy, comprised of Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight. The romantic drama trilogy follows the lives of two people, as they meet by total accident on a train and form a bond which lasts them a lifetime.
Most recently, audiences might have gotten reacquainted with Ethan Hawke thanks to his role in the Marvel super hero show, Moon Knight. In the series, he portrays Arthur Harrow, a horrific cult leader, who was once the avatar of the Egyptian God of Vengeance, Khonshu.
Throughout his career, Hawke has done a masterful job straddling the line between popular actor and underground darling. He continues to do so with his roles in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Batwheels animated TV show, and in more dramatic movies, such as the upcoming Spanish western drama, Strange Way of Life.
