Matthew McConaughey Always Wanted to Be a Dad: Meet His Kids Levi, Livingston and Vida

He may be known for playing rouge lawyers and male strippers, but in real life, Matthew McConaughey's starring role is a lot more wholesome than the characters he plays on screen. The all-star actor is a proud father of three children: two boys and one girl — all of whom he shares with his wife of 10 years, Camila Alves.

A far cry from having the bachelor lifestyle that Hollywood men can be known for, McConaughey has frequently said that having kids has always been something he's wanted. His candidness about fatherhood only makes his fans love him more.

"The only thing I've ever known I've wanted to be, since I was eight years old, 100 percent knew it, clear, natural law, was to be a dad," he once told MSN. "I always knew I wanted to be a dad. I've always revered that as the greatest thing a man can do, be a father. It's the greatest privilege and the greatest responsibility."

So — who are the three lucky kids who get to call the A-list actor "Dad"? Let's meet the McConaughey crew.

Levi

The oldest of the trio is Levi Alves McConaughey, born in 2008. While his name was one of six options the actor and his wife were considering, a clear sign after he was born seemed to solidify the choice.

"Levi's another name for Matthew in the Bible," he said on Good Morning America. "We had talked about possibly Matthew Jr. if he was a boy. And my favorite [verse] in the Bible is Matthew 6:22. We find out he's a boy when he's born. You're not thinking about the name, right? An hour later, the doctor comes up and he hands you that card to fill out: 'Blank was born at 6:22 p.m.' So we went, 'It's Levi.'"

According to McConaughey, his son has always had a passion for music and "came out of the womb knowing a minor from major key on the piano." Now 14, he still plays piano and can easily name various composers. He also has interests in other creative pursuits such as photography.

The actor recently told People: "In the last six months, he really got into listening to composers, and he now can listen to a movie and tell you, 'Oh, that's Hans Zimmer,' or 'That's John Williams,' which is really cool."

Levi has even taken up surfing with his dad. McConaughey has been taking his son out in the water since he was a baby; and earlier this year, he posted an Instagram photo of the bandages on his son's back, captioning them "surf souvenirs." And while he's still coming into his own and developing a persona unique from his famous father, fans can't help but notice the striking resemblance between the two.

Vida

In 2010, the McConaugheys welcomed their daughter, Vida Alves McConaughey, into the world — and she also seems to have gotten the creativity gene from her dad. The 13-year-old loves to paint and read graphic novels. She even made a cameo in her dad's animated movie Sing 2.

"Vida got a couple of lines in Sing 2," McConaughey said while on The Tonight Show. "She plays a piglet who is scuba diving in chocolate, saying, 'This is the best day of my life.'"

That small role wasn't the only time his little girl joined him in the spotlight. In 2020, she hopped in on a podcast interview he did with Amy Jo Martin. When he asked his daughter what lesson he has to keep learning over and over again, she replied: "Trusting, I guess, when you correct us. A lot of times, you'll correct us, and then you'll come back and you explain why you corrected us. But usually, we're just like ... ."

"'We got it the first time,'" he chimed in with a laugh. And she agreed. 

Livingston

The youngest of the bunch is Livingston Alves McConaughey, born in 2012. The 10-year-old is very into writing and storytelling, often telling his parents what chapter he's currently finishing up. While Alves has spoken out about him being slightly more difficult than his older sister and brother, his unique personality has made him an unforgettable force in the family.

"He was really, really attached to me," Alves said. "He would just throw fits and cry. He would not get out of that stage until he was like 4. I was like, 'This was so hard. [Livingston]'s such a troublemaker.' Now that he's in a sweet stage, he came out of the dark side."

No matter what, it seems as if McConaughey and Alves are ready for whatever directions their children's lives take. "If you have kids, every day they get older, you realize how much more it's really DNA," he told People in 2018. "We can nudge 'em and shepherd 'em, et cetera et cetera, but they are who they are. And right now, I'm just happy to say we have three healthy ones and they're very much individuals."

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