Matthew McConaughey is more popular than ever. While there has been little doubt about his likability pretty much ever, the actor did have a concern that he wasn’t being taken seriously for a while. He had gotten into a groove with a batch of romantic comedy films that ere not as well-received as he had hoped. So he reinvented himself.

Not only did Matthew McConaughey dive into more serious films, he also shook up the rest of his life by getting married and starting a family.

“When I was 20 years old, I didn’t know what I wanted for a career. But I knew I wanted to be a father. It had been the thing that, since I was very young, I looked up to. The men I looked up to the most were fathers – men who raised good kids.”

Since then, McConaughey has done The Lincoln Lawyer, Dallas Buyers Club, True Detective, and of course Interstellar.

The course of Matthew McConaughey’s life to date is laid out in a new biography by Neil Daniels called Matthew McConaughey: A Biography.

Daniels talks about McConaughey’s special lady friends, including Penelope Cruz and wife Camilla Alves.

Of Cruz, Matthew McConaughey once said, “What I really love about her is that she sees everything for the first time, every time. And she’s one of the best listeners I’ve ever met.”

But his highest praise he saves for the woman he married and the mother of his children.

“The first time I saw her walk across the room,” McConaughey related, “I didn’t say, ‘Who is that?’ I said, ‘What is that?’

“The way she moved, I could see a person who knows who they are. There’s a person who spends time with herself, and is not advertising for this world, and is not asking permission. From that night I haven’t been on a date with anyone else”

Neil Daniels has done write-ups on other celebrities, especially bands and musicians. His other big-sellers include:

– From American Idol To British Rock Royalty – The Amazing Story Of Adam Lambert

– Let It Rock: The Story Of Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet

– Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers: A ZZ Top Guide

– Back To The Light – A Casual Guide To The Music Of Queen’s Brian May