Nip/Tuck Star Julian McMahon Dead at 56 After Private Cancer Battle

In a statement shared by McMahon’s wife, Kelly, Friday, it was revealed that the Australian actor had been battling cancer when he died peacefully surrounded by his family in Clearwater, Florida.

“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,” Kelly said in a statement to Deadline. “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, who was the son of Billy McMahon, Prime Minister of Australia from 1971–1972, began his career in modeling before transitioning to acting with a lead role in the 1989 Australian daytime soap The Power, the Passion, before moving on to the wider known Home and Away from 1990–1991.

McMahon’s foray into Hollywood really began in 1992, however, when he starred opposite Elliott Gould in the Australian-American film Wet and Wild Summer!. After moving stateside, McMahon worked on the soap Another World, before landing a primetime role as a series regular on Profiler for four seasons. He then went on to play Cole Turner on Charmed, where he appeared for three seasons.

His big break, however, came in 2003, with the role of Dr. Christian Troy, alongside Dylan Walsh, in Ryan Murphy’s Nip/Tuck, which aired on FX for six seasons and earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

McMahon went on to star in several other television shows, including CBS’ FBI: Most Wanted as well as Hulu’s Marvel’s Runaways, and most recently, Netflix’s The Residence, which saw him stepping into his father’s footsteps playing the Australian Prime Minister.

On the big screen, McMahon is best remembered for portraying Dr. Doom in 2005’s Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. His other notable film credits include Premonition, RED, Paranoia, You’re Not You, Swinging Safari and The Supremes at Earl’s All‑You‑Can‑Eat.

McMahon’s last public appearance came in March at the SXSW film and music festival [BELOW].

The late actor was on-hand to for the premiere of his latest film, The Surfer, which debuted at the festival before its release in theaters on May 2. In the film, McMahon plays Scally, the leader of a surf cult that clashes with the protagonist, played by Nicholas Cage, when he returns to his childhood beach.