‘Nip/Tuck’ and ‘Fantastic Four’ star Julian McMahon dead at 56

Julian McMahon, an actor who was best known for the TV program "Nip/Tuck" and the "Fantastic Four" movies from 2005 and 2007, has died. The Australian actor died on July 2 in Clearwater, Florida, after a secret fight with illness. He was 56 years old.

Kelly McMahon, McMahon's wife, confirmed the news in a statement. She said he was a guy who loved life, his family, his business, and his fans. She requested for space as the family grieves his death.

“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 released to the trades. “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. 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.”

Julian McMahon was born in Sydney on the 27th of July, 1968. Billy McMahon, his father, was Prime Minister of Australia from 1971 to 1972. Julian first became famous as a model, and then he started acting. His early roles included parts in the Australian soaps The Power, the Passion and Home and Away, before landing his first film, Wet and Wild Summer!.

It wasn’t until 1992 that he made his feature acting debut in the Australian-American movie “Wet and Wild Summer!” alongside Elliott Gould.

After moving to Hollywood shortly after the release of “Wet and Wild Summer!” in 1992, McMahon was cast in the NBC soap opera “Another World” in 1993 before transitioning to primetime as a series regular on the NBC crime drama “Profiler” for four seasons.

Following a three-season stint on the WB’s supernatural drama series “Charmed,” McMahon finally landed his first role as a series lead when he was cast as Christian Troy in Ryan Murphy’s plastic surgery drama, “Nip/Tuck,” in 2003.

The popular FX series ran for six seasons and earned McMahon a Golden Globe nomination in 2005.

McMahon made a big splash in Hollywood playing Doctor Doom in 2005’s Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. He then came back to Marvel as a regular on Hulu's Runaways.

His other film credits include Premonition, RED, Paranoia, You’re Not You, Swinging Safari, and his most recent films, The Surfer and The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat in 2024.

The actor was previously married to Australian singer Dannii Minogue and Baywatch actress Brooke Burns before marrying Kelly Paniagua in 2014. He had daughter Madison Elizabeth McMahon, 25, with ex-wife Burns.

McMahon's final red carpet appearance was on March 10, 2025, in Austin, Texas, where he rolled out his movie The Surfer with costar Nicolas Cage at the SXSW Film & TV Festival.