Julian McMahon, the Australian actor known for his roles in ‘Fantastic Four,’ ‘Nip/Tuck,’ and ‘Charmed,’ has died at 56 after a battle with cancer. His wife, Kelly, shared the heartbreaking news, expressing his wish to bring joy to as many lives as possible.
McMahon was born in Sydney, Australia, on July 27, 1968, and his father, Billy McMahon, served as the Prime Minister of Australia from 1971 to 1972. The actor began his career as a model before transitioning to acting, with early roles in Australian soaps such as ‘The Power, the Passion’ and ‘Home and Away.’ He went on to play the lead in the 1992 film ‘Wet and Wild Summer’ before moving to Hollywood.
McMahon gained fame for his television roles, including playing Cole Turner in ‘Charmed’ from 2000 to 2005 and Dr. Christian Troy in ‘Nip/Tuck’ from 2003 to 2010. He also starred in the crime series ‘FBI: Most Wanted’ and announced his exit from the show in 2022. On the big screen, he portrayed the villain Victor Von Doom in the ‘Fantastic Four’ films in 2005 and 2007. His most recent role was in the Netflix series ‘The Residence,’ which was canceled after one season.
McMahon was previously married to Australian singer Dannii Minogue, sister of pop star Kylie Minogue, from 1994 to 1995. He later married ‘Baywatch’ actress Brooke Burns in 1999, and the couple share a daughter, Madison Elizabeth McMahon, 25. In 2014, he married Kelly Paniagua. His final red carpet appearance was on March 10, 2025, in Austin, Texas, where he was promoting ‘The Surfer’ with Nicolas Cage at the SXSW Film & TV Festival.