‘Fantastic Four’ star Julian McMahon has died, aged 56

5 July, 2025

Australian actor Julian McMahon has died aged 56.

He died in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday (July 2) after being diagnosed with cancer, which had not been publicly announced.

The news was confirmed by his wife, Kelly Paniagua, on Friday (July 4), who wrote in a statement: “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.”

She added: “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 best known for his television roles in Charmed, Nip/Tuck and FBI: Most Wanted. He also famously played the Fantastic Four supervillain Doctor Doom.

He was born in Sydney in 1968 to former Australian Prime Minister Sir William “Billy” McMahon. He began his career as a model in the 1980s, before being cast in the Australian soap Home and Away in 1990.

In 1992, he made his feature film debut, performing in the comedy Exchange Lifeguards, titled Wet and Wild Summer! From there, he moved into US television, appearing in Another World, Profiler and Will & Grace.

Later, McMahon would gain wider recognition for his role as Cole Turner in Charmed – a show he appeared on between 2000 and 2003 before briefly returning in 2005.

He would also be nominated for a Golden Globe in 2010 for his performance as plastic surgeon Dr Christian Troy in the Ryan Murphy-created medical drama Nip/Tuck.

Perhaps his most recognised role was as Marvel supervillain Doctor Doom, in 2005 and 2007’s Fantastic Four films. McMahon would also voice the character in the film’s 2005 video game.

He also appeared in three seasons of FBI: Most Wanted as special agent Jess LaCroix. Dick Wolf, show’s producer, has called McMahon’s death “shocking news”, adding: “All of us at Wolf Entertainment are deeply saddened by Julian’s passing and our condolences go out to his entire family,” per The Guardian.

Holly Marie Combs, McMahon’s Charmed co-star has also shared a tribute, writing: “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.”

Meanwhile, Australian film director and screenwriter Stephan Elliott has paid also paid tribute to the actor, reflecting on their time at school together and describing McMahon as a “wild child who kept his father on his toes whilst poor Billy tried to govern a country”.

“His reputation preceded him – the amusement of watching Asio agents follow him home from the gates of Sydney Grammar every day whilst he led them on a goose chase was better than any Spy Kids,” Elliott said.

“Julian’s exotic looks and fearlessness led him down a ‘no one saw this coming’ path of acting. I cast him in my last film, Swinging Safari, and begged him to play a heightened version of his parents.

“He went to town and left us crying with laughter after every take. He never had so much fun on a film. I’m graced to have been part of it.”

His most recent roles included playing the Australian prime minister Stephen Roos in Netflix’s comedy-mystery The Residence; Scally, in The Surfer, alongside Nicolas Cage; and the love interest Ray in The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat.

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