Julian McMahon Australian-American actor
Australian actor Julian McMahon, famed for roles in popular series like Nip/Tuck and Charmed, has died aged 56.His wife said the actor passed away in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday. He had been diagnosed with cancer."Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans. His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible," Kelly Paniagua said in a statement carried by Deadline.
McMahon's career took off with the hit supernatural television series Charmed before he gained wider recognition with Nip/Tuck, the medical drama in which he played the role of plastic surgeon Dr Christian Troy.
The USA news was confirmed by a statement on the official “Nip/Tuck” Facebook page, and an additional statement from his wife Kelly McMahon who told Deadline on Friday that her husband “died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer.”
McMahon starred opposite Dylan Walsh in the Ryan Murphy-created “Nip/Tuck” following two upscale plastic surgeons and their exploits. The series ran for six seasons between 2003 and 2010, and was nominated for 18 Primetime Emmys, winning one for best prosthetic makeup.Concurrently, he played Dr. Victor Von Doom in the “Fantastic Four” movies costarring Jessica Alba and Chris Evans from 2005 and 2007. (Dr. Doom is the villain soon to be portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in the upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday.”)McMahon’s notable additional credits include recurring characters on TV’s “Charmed” and “Profiler.” The Australian-American actor also recently appeared in “FBI: Most Wanted” and Netflix’s “The Residence.”With a resume of credits that began in the late 1980s, McMahon worked up until recently, with a role in the new Nicolas Cage movie “The Surfer,” out this summer.Julian McMahon, ‘Nip/Tuck’ and ‘Fantastic Four’ Star, Dies at 56
Julian McMahon, the Australian actor best known for his television roles in Charmed, Nip/Tuck and FBI: Most Wanted as well as Fantastic Four supervillain Doctor Doom, has died aged 56.
The actor died in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday. He had been diagnosed with cancer, which had not been publicly announced.
His wife, Kelly Paniagua, confirmed his death on Friday, calling McMahon her “beloved husband“With an open heart, I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer,” she said in a statement to Deadline.“Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans. His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible.”She added: “We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy. And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy, to continue to find joy in life. We are grateful for the memories.” He played a half-human, half-demon in the WB supernatural series “Charmed” and a playboy plastic surgeon in the FX series “Nip/Tuck.”The actor Julian McMahon wearing an open-collar shirt with his interlaced fingers resting on a surface.
Julian McMahon as Dr. Christian Troy in the FX series “Nip/Tuck.” The son of a former prime minister of Australia, he played the role of the prime minister on the Netflix show “The Residence.”Credit..Along with vowing to always carry his laugh with her wherever she goes, the 52-year-old also extended her condolences to his wife Kelly McMahon, daughter Madison and stepdaughter Iliana.
“My heart is with Kelly, with Madison, and with Iliana—his girls, his world,” she added. “He adored them. You could feel it in every conversation, every story, every text. He was a family man above all, and he loved deeply.”For his part, Ioan—who appeared alongside the late actor in 2005’s Fantastic Four as well as its 2007 sequel—reminisced on the sweet time they got to spend together on set.
“Even though we played each other’s nemeses, there was always so much lightness and laughter working together,” the actor wrote on Instagram July 4. “Every encounter with him was a joy. It was an honor to be Dr. Richards to his Dr. Doom.”Meanwhile, Rose penned her own heartfelt message to gush about the late actor’s unforgettable qualities.“Oh Julian, you force of brilliance, wild talent and humor,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories. “For you, your family and loving fans all over the world, I pray comfort."
She added, “Charmed family loves you.”
And Holly Marie Combs, who also starred in the fantasy drama, echoed that sentiment.“One of a kind is an understatement,” the Pretty Little Liars actress wrote alongside a slideshow of photos from their time on Charmed posted to Instagram Reels. “Your unyielding zest for life and crazy making sense of humor will be sorely missed. The joy and laughter you were the direct cause of will always be remembered.”And in remembrance of their late costar Shannen Doherty, who died from cancer last year, she added, “I hope you find our lady friend and dance in those rose petals.”For more on other stars’ cancer stories, keep reading.The former Golden Bachelor star shared in Dec. 2024 that he had been diagnosed with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, a bone cancer."Unfortunately, there's no cure for it,” Gerry noted to People at the time. “So that weighs heavily in every decision I make. It was like 10 tons of concrete were just dropped on me. And I was a bit in denial for a while, I didn't want to admit to it.”
Colin Egglesfield
The All My Children alum announced in January 2025 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his third cancer diagnosis throughout his life.
Despite the devastating news, he announced (for the third time) in February 2025 he was cancer-free following successful surgery and treatments.
“Remember, you’re not defined by any of your challenges," he wrote in his February 2025 Instagram update. "You’re grander than it all. I’m not my fear, my anxiousness or my scars but I embrace it all because the only way to transform it is to own it.”McMahon — who also is survived by his daughter Madison “Maddy” McMahon — was born in Sydney, Australia, on July 27, 1968. His father, Billy McMahon, served as Prime Minister of Australia from 1971 to 1972. Starting his career as a model, McMahon transitioned to acting with a lead role on the short-lived 1989 Australian daytime soap The Power, the Passion. He segued to another Aussie soap, the long-running Home and Away, where he appeared from 1990-91 before making his feature acting debut as a lead opposite Elliott Gould in the 1992 Australian-American movie Wet and Wild Summer! McMahon then moved to Hollywood and started off his American career the way he did his Australian one — with a role on a daytime soap.
Running for six seasons from 2003 to 2010, the show earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
Co-star Dylan Walsh told Deadline he was "stunned"."We rode this wave together and I loved him.
Born in Sydney in 1968, McMahon was the son of former Australian prime minister Sir William “Billy” McMahon. He began his career as a model in the 1980s before moving into acting, landing a role in the Australian soap Home and Away in 1990 and appearing in 150 episodes.
He made his feature film debut in the 1992 comedy Exchange Lifeguards, titled Wet and Wild Summer! in the US, alongside Elliott Gould, and quickly moved into US television, appearing in shows including Another World, Profiler and Will & Grace.
He gained wider recognition as the half-human, half-demon assassin Cole Turner in the hit supernatural series Charmed, appearing on the show between 2000 and 2003 and briefly returning in 2005.
Jules! I know you'd want me to say something to make you smile — all the inside jokes. All those years you had my back, and my god, we laughed. My heart is with you. Rest in peace."McMahon also played Doctor Doom in two Fantastic Four films in 2005 and 2007 and later appeared in three seasons of FBI: Most Wanted.Dick Wolf, the producer of FBI: Most Wanted, said McMahon's death was "shocking news".
McMahon was the son of a former Australian prime minister and went on to play an Australian prime minister's role in Netflix's The Residence - one of his recent appearances.
McMahon married three times - the first to Australian singer-actress Dannii Minogue, sister of Kylie Minogue.
After a stint on NBC’s Another World in 1993, McMahon transitioned to primetime as a series regular on the network’s crime drama Profiler for its four-season run. He went on to join the WB’s popular supernatural drama Charmed for a three-season starring turn as the demonic Cole Turner.“Julian McMahon was magic. That smile. That laugh. That talent. That presence,” McMahon’s Charmed co-star Alyssa Milano, who played his wife Phoebe, wrote on IG. “Julian was more than my TV husband. He was a dear friend. Losing him feels unreal. Too soon. Too unfair. Rest, my friend. I’ll carry your laugh with me. Forever Cole. Forever Julian.”
Next up, McMahon landed his first series lead when he and Dylan Walsh headlined Ryan Murphy’s hit plastic surgery drama Nip/Tuck, which ran on FX for six seasons and earned him a Golden Globe nomination for playing the handsome, charming (and promiscuous) Dr. Christian T
roy.“I’m stunned,” Walsh told Deadline. “We rode this wave together and I loved him. My heart goes out to Kelly and Maddy. Jules! I know you’d want me to say something to make you smile — all the inside jokes. All those years you had my back, and my god, we laughed. My heart is with you. Rest in peace.”Nip/Tuck established McMahon as a TV leading man, with his status reaffirmed when he was tapped as the star of CBS’ FBI: Most Wanted. He played team leader Jess LaCroix from the FBI’s Most Wanted Unit for three seasons before his surprise March 2022 exit.
McMahon’s TV resume also includes a series regular stint on Hulu’s Marvel’s Runaways. In features, he is best known for his starring role as Dr. Doom in Tim Story’s two Fantastic Four movies, the 2005 Fantastic Four and the 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. McMahon’s film credits also include Premonition, RED, Paranoia, You’re Not You, Swinging Safari, and most recently, the 2024 The Surfer with Nicolas Cage, which premiered in the Midnight Screenings section at the Cannes Film Festival, and The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat.
“Such deeply saddening news. I spent six weeks working with Julian, and he was the most talented of actors,” Cage told Deadline. “Our scenes together on The Surfer were amongst my favorites I have ever participated in, and Julian is one of my favorite people. He was a kind and intelligent man. My love to his family.”
McMahon’s final role was on Netflix’s murder mystery series The Residence. In a full-circle moment, McMahon tapped into his roots for the part, playing the Australian Prime Minister.
He later appeared in Nip/Tuck, the racy FX medical drama created by Ryan Murphy, playing the arrogant plastic surgeon Dr Christian Troy. The show ran for six seasons from 2003 to 2010 and earned McMahon a Golden Globe nomination.
Becoming known for playing charming villains, McMahon played the Marvel supervillain Doctor Doom in 20th Century Fox’s Fantastic Four films in 2005 and 2007. He also voiced Doctor Doom in the 2005 Fantastic Four video game.
McMahon also portrayed Jess LaCroix, a special agent and team leader, in FBI: Most Wanted, appearing for three seasons before leaving the show.
Dick Wolf, the producer of FBI: Most Wanted, called McMahon’s death “shocking news” in a statement on Friday. “All of us at Wolf Entertainment are deeply saddened by Julian’s passing and our condolences go out to his entire family,” he added.
Australian film director and screenwriter Stephan Elliott reflected on their time at school together, describing McMahon as a “wild child who kept his father on his toes whilst poor Billy tried to govern a country”.
“His reputation preceded him – the amusement of watching Asio agents follow him home from the gates of Sydney Grammar every day whilst he led them on a goose chase was better than any Spy Kids,” Elliott said.
“Julian’s exotic looks and fearlessness led him down a ‘no one saw this coming’ path of acting. I cast him in my last film, Swinging Safari, and begged him to play a heightened version of his parents.
“He went to town and left us crying with laughter after every take. He never had so much fun on a film. I’m graced to have been part of it.”
His most recent roles included playing the Australian prime minister Stephen Roos in Netflix’s comedy-mystery The Residence; Scally, the menacing surfer terrorising Nicolas Cage’s character in The Surfer; and the love interest Ray in The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat.
McMahon was married three times, including to Australian singer Dannii Minogue in 1994 and to actor Brooke Burns, with whom he has a daughter. His final marriage, to Paniagua, began in 2014.
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Posted on 2025/07/08 08:11 PM