Matthew McConaughey visits his Uvalde hometown to comfort community after Texas school shooting

Matthew McConaughey returned to his hometown, Uvalde, on Friday to pay his respects to the victims of the Texas elementary school mass shooting.

The Oscar-winning actor, a father of three, posed for a photo with members of the Uvalde School District  three days after an 18-year-old gunman opened fire on a Robb Elementary classroom, killing 19 children and two teachers.

The 52-year-old star did not talk to reporters during his visit, according to other media outlets.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, whose district covers Uvalde, thanked McConaughey, saying in part that he appreciated him "helping to heal our community."

"Your visit brought so many smiling faces to Uvalde," Gonzales wrote.

'We cannot accept these tragic realities': Matthew McConaughey reacts to Texas school shooting

McConaughey was born in Uvalde and spent his early years in the small southwest Texas community.

He and his family later moved to Longview in East Texas. McConaughey's mother was a teacher at a school down the road from Robb Elementary.

Matthew McConaughey says the U.S. can't accept gun violence, school shootings as 'status quo'

McConaughey called for action in a social media post Tuesday, saying that "we cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo."

Gun violence is an "epidemic we can control," he wrote.

The University of Texas graduate said that "once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us."

He added that Texans and Americans need to "re-evaluate, and renegotiate our wants from our needs. We have to rearrange our values and find common ground."

"The true call to action is now for every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror, and ask ourselves, 'What is it that we truly value? How do we repeat the problem? What small sacrifices can we individually take today, to pressure a healthier and safer nation, state, and neighborhood tomorrow?' " he wrote.

McConaughey later wrote that "action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured."

A day earlier, Duchess Meghan visited Uvalde, left white roses at a memorial for the 21 Texas school shooting victims

His visit came a day after Meghan Markle visited Uvalde to honor the 21 lives lost in the attack. A spokesperson for Archewell, a public organization founded by Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, confirmed Meghan's visit, saying it was important for Meghan as a mother to extend her condolences and support to the Texas community.

The Duchess of Sussex has two children with Prince Harry: son Archie, 3, and daughter Lilibet, 11 months.

Meghan, 40, was photographed Thursday at the memorial outside Uvalde County Court, looking pensively at a row of headstones. In another picture, she was seen leaving a bouquet of white roses.

Contributing: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY

Duchess Meghan visits Uvalde: Prince Harry's wife visits Texas school shooting memorial site, leaves white roses

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Matthew McConaughey pay respects in Uvalde after Texas school shooting