Julian McMahon, best known for his roles in Nip/Tuck, FBI: Most Wanted, and Victor von Doom in Fantastic Four films, died on July 2 at the age of 56. The actor’s wife, Kelly, confirmed his death in a statement released to Deadline.
“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,” the statement began. “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.”
McMahon was born in Sydney, Australia, on July 27, 1968. He was the son of Billy McMahon, the former Prime Minister of Australia. His first onscreen acting role was in the Australian soap The Power, The Passion in 1989. McMahon soon made his way to the States early in his career and nabbed roles on Another World, Profiler, and more.
His first breakout role was playing Cole Turner in the supernatural series Charmed. Ryan Murphy then cast him in the FX series Nip/Tuck as Christian Troy, alongside Dylan Walsh as Sean McNamara. McMahon earned an Emmy nomination in 2005 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama.
In the midst of his run on Nip/Tuck, McMahon played villain Victor von Doom in 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
In recent years, McMahon played Jess LaCroix in the FBI universe. “What shocking news,” FBI franchise boss Dick Wolf told Deadline. “All of us at Wolf Entertainment are deeply saddened by Julian’s passing and our condolences go out to his entire family.”
The actor’s final onscreen role was playing Australian Prime Minister Stephen Roos in the Netflix series The Residence, a callback to his father’s position. He recently made an appearance at SXSW in March 2025 to promote his movie The Surfer.
McMahon had been married to his third wife, Kelly, since 2014. His first marriage was in 1994 to Dannii Minogue, whom he met on the set of Australian soap Home and Away. They split a year and a half later. McMahon married Baywatch star Brooke Burns in 1999, and they and divorced in 2001. McMahon and Burns share a daughter.