Julian McMahon, 'Nip/Tuck', 'Charmed' Star And Film’s First Doctor Doom, Has Died At 56
The actor’s death comes after a private cancer battle. Tributes have poured in.
Cancer sucks. Australian actor Julian McMahon, known in America for his starring roles in television series Nip/Tuck, the original Charmed, and FBI: Most Wanted, and as Doctor Victor Von Doom in the 2000s Fantastic Four films, died Wednesday, July 2 in Clearwater, Florida after a private battle at the age of 56.
McMahon’s wife, Kelly McMahon (née Paniagua), put out a statement announcing his passing that read “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. 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.” He is survived by his daughter Madison “Maddy” McMahon.
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Born in Sydney, Australia, on July 27, 1968, his father was Billy McMahon who served as the country’s Prime Minister from 1971 to 1972. In what’s considered a full circle role, Julian’s final television role was playing Australian Prime Minister Stephen Roos in eight episodes of the Netflix series The Residence, which premiered in March but was canceled earlier this week. Starting out with a modeling career, McMahon began acting on Australian soaps, first with a lead role on the short-lived The Power, the Passion in 1989. He moved onto Home and Away for 1990-1991, back when the still-running soap was still relatively new, playing Ben Lucini. After making his film debut as a lead opposite Elliott Gould in 1992’s Wet and Wild Summer! McMahon then moved to Hollywood, living in the United States for the rest of his life. His breakout American role was a soap as well, NBC’s Another World. It was there where he would find his first major primetime series regular role, on the four seasons of Profiler as Det. John Grant. He then would move on to become the demonic Cole Turner, aka Balthazor on the third through fifth seasons of the original Charmed, sent by The Triad to kill the Charmed Ones but instead falls in love with Phoebe. They marry, but he becomes the Source of All Evil and never regains their trust. Alyssa Milano, who played Phoebe, eulogized him on social media, writing “I’m heartbroken. Julian McMahon was magic. That smile. That laugh. That talent. That presence. He walked into a room and lit it up—not just with charisma, but with kindness. With mischief. With soulful understanding. We spent years together on Charmed—years of scenes, stories, and so many in-between moments. He made me feel safe as an actor. Seen as a woman. He challenged me, teased me, supported me. We were so different, and yet somehow we always understood each other. Julian was more than my TV husband. He was a dear friend. The kind who checks in. The kind who remembers. The kind who shares. The kind who tells you the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable—but always with love. My heart is with Kelly, with Madison, and with Iliana—his girls, his world. 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. Losing him feels unreal. Too soon. Too unfair. Rest, my friend. I’ll carry your laugh with me. Forever Cole. Forever Julian. 🕊️💔”
In fact, all three surviving Charmed Ones spoke about McMahon, with Rose McGowan, who played Paige writing “Oh Julian you force of brilliance, wild talent and humour. For you, your family and loving fans all over the world, I pray comfort.” Holly Marie Combs, who played Piper, posted to her Instagram “One of a kind is an understatement. 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. I hope you find our lady friend and dance in those rose petals. 🌹” That lady friend is of course Shannen Doherty, who played Prue Halliwell for the first three seasons before leaving, making one season of overlap where his first (as a series regular) was her last. She too died from cancer last July 13. Brian Krause, who played whitelighter Leo Wyatt, wrote “Sad day for our Charmed family! Julian was one of the funniest, devilishly handsome and kind souls! Prayers to his family and close friends! He will surely be missed! 🙏🙏🙏”
While McMahon would return for an appearance in season 7, he followed up Charmed with his first series lead, Dr. Christian Troy on Ryan Murphy’s FX plastic surgery drama Nip/Tuck, starring alongside Dylan Walsh for all six seasons. McMahon’s death stunned Walsh, saying “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.” It was during this time that he starred in both Fantastic Four films based on the Marvel comics, the 2005 film of the same name and the 2007 sequel subtitled Rise of the Silver Surfer. In regards to McMahon’s death, co-star Ioan Gruffudd wrote “This is terribly sad news about Julian. Even though we played each other’s nemeses, there was always so much lightness and laughter working together. Every encounter with him was a joy. It was an honor to be Dr. Richards to his Dr. Doom. My heart goes out to his wife and family. Godspeed Julian.” Michael Chiklis, who played Ben Grimm, wrote, “I’m devastated to hear of the passing of my friend Julian. Life is so precious and fragile. My condolences to his family. RIP Jules.” Rebecca Staab, who played Sue Storm in the unreleased The Fantastic Four film from about a decade prior, recalled guesting on Nip/Tuck just before he was going to shoot his iteration, saying “I was so fortunate to have worked with the stellar Julian McMahon on Nip/Tuck. In between takes, he told me he was flying out immediately afterwards to start on a film. I asked which film. He said, “The Fantastic Four.” Hmmm….. I then asked which character he was playing. He replied, “Doctor Doom.” An ironic smile lit up my face — I whispered in his ear, “I’m the original Sue Storm.” He pulled me close and whispered back, “I knew there was something special about you.” Rest in glory 💙4️⃣” His death comes a little over three weeks before Marvel Studios’s iteration of the team debuts in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and nearly a year since the cast’s first public appearance at San Diego Comic-Con, where it was announced that Robert Downey Jr. was returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to play Doom after having spent a decade playing Tony Stark aka Iron Man, set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, releasing in December 2026 and 2027 respectively.
McMahon had already appeared in the MCU long beforehand however, recurring as Jonah aka Magistrate on the Runaways Hulu series in the first season before being a series regular in the second. His last series regular role was as team leader Jess LaCroix on FBI: Most Wanted, leaving quite unexpectedly after three seasons in March 2022. “What shocking news,” FBI franchise creator Dick Wolf said about McMahon’s death. “All of us at Wolf Entertainment are deeply saddened by Julian’s passing and our condolences go out to his entire family.”
Considering the work McMahon continued to do after leaving, the cancer was likely not a factor, and how long he’d been fighting it was unknown. In film, his further appearances include Red among others I’d understand my audience not knowing, but his most recent includes The Surfer with Nicolas Cage, and Cage gave a statement that reads “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.”
Michelle Trachtenberg, 'Buffy' And 'Gossip Girl' Star, Has Died At 39
Oh, oh this is just tragic. Michelle Trachtenberg, an actress who had been acting since childhood known for playing Harriet the Spy in Nickelodeon Movies’s film adaptation, Dawn Summers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Georgina Sparks on Gossip Girl has died at the age of 39.
Sources: Deadline, Rebecca Staab