Julian McMahon, Beloved Actor and Star of ‘Nip/Tuck’, Passes Away at 56
Actor Julian McMahon has passed away at the age of 56 after a private battle with cancer. His wife, Kelly McMahon, shared the sad news with Deadline, saying, “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 asked for privacy as the family grieves but encouraged fans to continue finding joy through the memories he left behind.
Julian McMahon was born in Sydney, Australia, on July 27, 1968. His father, Billy McMahon, was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1971 to 1972. Julian started his career as a model before moving into acting.
He first appeared on Australian soaps like The Power, the Passion and Home and Away in the late ’80s and early ’90s. He made his feature film debut in 1992 with Wet and Wild Summer! before moving to Hollywood, where he began acting on American daytime soaps like Another World.
He later moved to primetime TV with roles on shows like Profiler and gained wider fame starring as the demon Cole Turner on Charmed for three seasons. Julian’s big breakthrough came with the FX drama Nip/Tuck, where he played Dr. Christian Troy. The show ran for six seasons and earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
His Nip/Tuck co-star Dylan Walsh told Deadline, “I’m stunned. 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.”
After Nip/Tuck, Julian led CBS’s FBI: Most Wanted as Jess LaCroix for three seasons until his departure in 2022. Dick Wolf, the head of the FBI franchise, expressed his sadness: “All of us at Wolf Entertainment are deeply saddened by Julian’s passing and our condolences go out to his entire family.”
Besides TV, Julian McMahon was well known for his film work. He played Doctor Doom in the Fantastic Four movies in 2005 and 2007. His other film credits include Premonition, RED, Paranoia, You’re Not You, Swinging Safari, and most recently The Surfer (2024), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
Nicolas Cage, his co-star in The Surfer, shared kind words: “Such deeply saddening news. I spent six weeks working with Julian, and he was the most talented of actors. 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.”
Julian’s last role was on Netflix’s murder mystery series The Residence, where he played the Australian Prime Minister, connecting back to his family roots.
He is survived by his wife Kelly and their daughter, Madison “Maddy” McMahon. The entertainment world and his fans mourn the loss of a talented actor who touched many with his work and kindness.
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