The Daily Populous Saturday July 5th, 2025 morning edition
Authored by abc.net.au and submitted by Pinkfatrat

Australian actor Julian McMahon has died aged 56.

"I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer," his wife Kelly McMahon said in a statement to entertainment website Deadline.

"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."

Ms McMahon did not elaborate on what kind of cancer McMahon had or how long ago he was diagnosed with the illness.

Julian McMahon appeared at a screening of The Surfer at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March. (AP: Invision/Jack Plunkett)

McMahon was one of three children of former prime minister Sir William "Billy" McMahon and Lady Sonia McMahon.

William McMahon upstaged by wife Sonia Photo shows William McMahon, wife Sonia and Richard Nixon Sonia McMahon's dress stole the headlines at an official White House dinner.

McMahon started out as a model, with his role in a series of Levi's jeans commercials leading to an acting career.

"At the time, my father had just passed away and I was working in Europe and had come back for his funeral," he told US entertainment website Variety in 2016.

"At the same time, I had done a few Levi's commercials in Australia that had become a bit of a phenomenon.

"Because of the situation of why I returned, I decided to stay for a while, and because of this commercial, I was asked to come in and take a look at a TV script.

"I auditioned for the part, got the role and stayed in Australia for a few more years."

Julian McMahon's role in Levi's ads propelled him to fame. (YouTube)

His star power landed him a guest spot in Rafferty's Rules and a role in the short-lived soap opera The Power, The Passion in 1989.

And, like many Australian actors who went to Hollywood, his career was boosted by a role in Home and Away.

He joined the iconic soap's cast in 1990 as Ben Lucini, chalking up 150 episode credits to his name on entertainment website IMBb.

But he left the show in 1991, picking up a role in US soap series Another World and starring in the surfing movie Wet and Wild Summer! in 1993.

His star power continued to rise, with his 1994 wedding to former wife Dannii Minogue dubbed "the wedding of the year" by Woman's Day magazine.

"That was a huge big celebrity wedding, helicopters in the air, magazine deals, paparazzi — it was an enormous thing," entertainment journalist Andrew Hornery said.

"Moving to Hollywood it kind of gave him a level of anonymity he couldn't get back here in Australia."

McMahon and Minogue split less than two years after their wedding, with Minogue saying the pair had "rushed into" marriage in an episode of Anh's Brush with Fame.

He had a daughter with his next wife, Brooke Burns, before the pair separated.

McMahon had been with his current wife, whose maiden name was Kelly Paniagua, for 11 years before proposing to her 2013.

Julian McMahon and Kelly Paniagua pictured together at a movie premiere in 2014. (AP: Invision/Richard Shotwell)

In 2005, he was nominated for a Golden Globe award for his role as Christian Troy in Nip/Tuck and brought his mother as his date to the awards ceremony.

Ms McMahon wore a replica of the dress that created headlines when she met then-US president Richard Nixon at the White House in 1971.

Julian McMahon and his mother Lady Sonia McMahon at a Golden Globes afterparty in 2005. (Reuters: Robert Galbraith)

He starred in shows such as Nip/Tuck, Charmed, FBI: Most Wanted, Hunters and The Residence — a Netflix miniseries released earlier this year.

McMahon's films included Fantastic Four, its sequel Fantastic 4: The Rise of the Silver Surfer and Premonition.

He's being remembered for his darker roles including the comic book villain Dr Doom, a demon boyfriend called Cole Turner on Charmed and a promiscuous plastic surgeon in Nip/Tuck.

"He chose roles which were ... sort of humorous," Hornery said.

"He wasn't necessarily a sort of Shakespearean thespian, he was more the sort of guy that wanted to do those shows."

Hornery said McMahon gave quite an "eye-popping performance" in Nip/Tuck.

"He relished those sorts roles because in many ways he would know that role from his own upbringing," he said.

"He did have a privileged upbringing and he moved in those Hollywood circles a long time, so I think he had a lot of fun dissecting those kinds of characters and putting them to screen."

McMahon played an Australian prime minister in The Residence, which also featured Kylie Minogue, the sister of his ex-wife Dannii.

And this tendency to play darker characters continued in his latest film, The Surfer, which was in cinemas in May.

McMahon played Scally, the intense leader of a gang of surfers who terrorise Nicholas Cage in the psychological thriller.

Julian McMahon starred alongside Nicolas Cage and Miranda Tapsell in the coastal thriller The Surfer. (Supplied: Madman)

"It's likely the best performance anyone has given from underneath a scarlet hooded towel — a well-observed balance of supreme arrogance, laddish joviality and domineering menace," ABC film critic Jamie Tram said of his role.

McMahon's colleagues in the entertainment industry paid tribute to him after news of his death broke.

Cage said his The Surfer co-star was a kind and intelligent man.

"I spent six weeks working with Julian, and he was the most talented of actors," he said in a statement to Deadline.

"Our scenes together on The Surfer were amongst my favourites I have ever participated in, and Julian is one of my favourite people."

Julian McMahon and Nicolas Cage were in The Surfer together. (Reuters: Sarah Meyssonnier )

Rose McGowan, his co-star from Charmed, paid tribute to McMahon on social media.

"Oh Julian you force of brilliance, wild talent and humour, " she wrote in an Instagram story.

"For you, your family and loving fans all over the world, I pray [for] comfort."

Another Charmed alumni Brian Krause said McMahon would be missed.

"Julian was one of the funniest, devilishly handsome and kind souls," he said.

EsquilaxM on July 4th, 2025 at 23:29 UTC »

Wow this came out of nowhere..

Reasonable-Friend764 on July 4th, 2025 at 23:24 UTC »

He was great on Charmed.

adarkuccio on July 4th, 2025 at 23:23 UTC »

Nooo, I loved him on nip/tuck