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Julian McMahon

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For the Australian lawyer, see Julian McMahon (barrister).

Julian McMahon
McMahon in 2011
Born
Julian Dana William McMahon

(1968-07-27)27 July 1968
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died2 July 2025(2025-07-02) (aged 56)
Clearwater, Florida, U.S.
Citizenship
  • Australia
  • United States
OccupationActor
Years active1989–2025
Known for
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1994; div. 1995)​
​
​
(m. 1999; div. 2001)​
Kelly Paniagua
​
(m. 2014)​
Children1
Parents
RelativesSee McMahon family

Julian Dana William McMahon (27 July 1968 – 2 July 2025) was an Australian and American actor. He was the only son of Sir William McMahon, a former Prime Minister of Australia. He was best known for his roles as Ben Lucini in Home and Away, Detective John Grant in Profiler, Cole Turner in Charmed, Dr. Christian Troy in Nip/Tuck, Doctor Doom in the Fantastic Four duology, Jonah in Runaways and Jess LaCroix in FBI: Most Wanted. His other films include Premonition, Red, and The Surfer. For his performance in Nip/Tuck, McMahon was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Drama Series.

Early life and education

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William and Sonia McMahon with their children (Julian in the middle) and Prime Minister Gough Whitlam (on right) at The Lodge in 1975.

Julian Dana William McMahon was born in Sydney on 27 July 1968, the son of Sonia (née Hopkins), an heiress, socialite and fashion icon and William McMahon, a prominent Australian politician.[1][2] His father was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives[3] and a high-ranking minister in the 23-year Liberal Government for many years before Julian's birth; he became the 20th Prime Minister of Australia on 10 March 1971,[4] when Julian was two years old.[1] His mother left their three children in the care of a nanny to be with her husband in Canberra during his Prime Ministership. He had two sisters and was of Irish descent through his father.[5]

In an interview with the Herald Sun in 2018, McMahon discussed his childhood: "My Dad... was born in 1908. That's a very different time to what it was when he was raising me. He must have gone through a strange misunderstanding of how you were parented in 1908 versus how you parent in 1972; it would have been so conflicting. Also how you be a husband in that period of time would have been different."[6]

McMahon was educated at the private, boys-only, Sydney Grammar School,[7] which his father had attended. As a child, he dreamed of being an army cadet and playing rugby.[8] McMahon briefly studied law at the University of Sydney[9] and economics at the University of Wollongong.[10] McMahon started modeling at age 17 and travelled to fashion hubs including Los Angeles, New York, Milan, Rome, and Paris.[11]

McMahon was working in Europe when his father died in 1988 and returned to Australia for the funeral.[12] While home, he filmed some Levi's commercials which helped him land a role on the Australian soap opera Home and Away.[12]

Career

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McMahon made his television acting debut in the short-lived daytime soap opera The Power, The Passion, where he played Kane Edmonds.[13] He joined the cast of Home and Away as soldier Benito "Ben" Lucini in late 1989, with his first episode airing in February 1990.[13] McMahon chose not to renew his contract, which expired in December 1990 and he departed along with Sharyn Hodgson, who played his on-screen wife Carly Lucini.[14]

In the early 1990s, McMahon struggled to obtain a work permit for the United States and as a result he missed out on a few roles.[15] McMahon's big break Hollywood role was on the soap opera Another World when he was cast as Ian Rain in 1993.[16] The first scene he shot in New York for the show had him emerge from a pool in a speedo at the Cory Mansion.[15] He remembered the experience as "pretty magical".[15]

McMahon won recognition for his portrayals in American television dramas, such as Detective John Grant in the crime drama Profiler (1996–2000),[11] Cole Turner in the supernatural drama Charmed (2000–2003) and Dr Christian Troy in the medical drama Nip/Tuck (2003–2010).[17] He also appeared in films with leading and supporting roles, such as Chasing Sleep (2000) alongside Jeff Daniels,[18] Doctor Doom in the Fantastic Four duology (2005 and 2007),[19] Premonition (2007) alongside Sandra Bullock,[20] Red (2010) alongside Bruce Willis,[21] Faces in the Crowd (2011) alongside Milla Jovovich,[22] and Bait 3D (2012) alongside Sharni Vinson and Phoebe Tonkin.[23]

According to McMahon, he was one of the actors in the running to replace Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.[24] Nip/Tuck garnered him a nomination for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Drama Series.[25]

In 2018, McMahon returned to Australia to film Swinging Safari in Queensland, alongside Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue, Radha Mitchell, Asher Keddie and Jeremy Sims.[26] The film is set in the 1970s and sees McMahon sport a handlebar moustache.[26] McMahon and his former sister-in-law Kylie Minogue share an improvised kiss in a scene where couples partner swap.[26] He stated that he had found it difficult speaking with an Australian accent in the film because the majority of his career he had adapted to performing with an American accent.[26]

From 2020 to 2022, McMahon starred as Jess LaCroix in the CBS crime drama FBI: Most Wanted. He stated that when he received the script for the series from CBS, he had an "aha moment" and knew he had to play the character.[27] He also made guest appearances in parent series FBI and in spin-off FBI: International. McMahon departed the series mid-way through the third season; his final episode, "Shattered", aired 8 March 2022.[28]

Most of McMahon's roles were villains or damaged characters, roles to which he felt attracted.[29][30]

McMahon's final acting role was in The Residence in 2025; the show was subsequently cancelled on the same day of his death.[31]

Personal life and death

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In 1994, McMahon married singer and actress Dannii Minogue after meeting on the set of Home and Away in 1991.[32] The newlyweds spent a great deal of their marriage apart, due to McMahon pursuing his roles in the U.S. and Minogue following her music career in England. They divorced a year and a half later, with Minogue stating that her negative relationship with McMahon's mother, Sonia, Lady McMahon, had been an issue from the beginning.[32]

In 1999, McMahon married Baywatch star Brooke Burns. The couple had one daughter together[33] before divorcing in 2001.[32] McMahon married for the third time in 2014 to Kelly Paniagua.[32]

McMahon resided in the United States from the 1990s until his death, but said his soul was still Australian: "I feel like I'm Australian on the inside and American on the outside or something. I would never want to leave it behind either. I love Australians, Australianisms, I love my part of being Australian. I love where I grew up and how I grew up and, you know, I wouldn't change it for the world."[8]

McMahon became a citizen of the United States via naturalisation, but retained Australian citizenship.[34]

McMahon died from lung metastasis caused by head and neck cancer, in Clearwater, Florida, on 2 July 2025. He was 56 years old.[35][36] His remains were subsequently cremated.[36]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1992 Exchange Lifeguards Mick [37]
1996 Magenta Michael [38]
1998 In Quiet Night [11]
2000 Chasing Sleep George [18]
2004 Meet Market Hutch [39]
2005 Fantastic Four Victor Von Doom / Dr Doom [40]
2007 Premonition Jim Hanson [20]
Prisoner Derek Plato [41]
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Victor Von Doom / Dr Doom [42]
2010 Red Robert Stanton [21]
2011 Faces in the Crowd Sam [22]
2012 Bait 3D Doyle [23]
Fire with Fire Robert Direct to video [43]
2013 Paranoia Miles Meechum [44]
2014 You're Not You [45]
2018 Swinging Safari Rick Jones [46]
Monster Party Patrick Dawson [47]
2024 The Surfer Scally [48]
The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat Ray "Chick" Carlson [49]

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1989 Rafferty's Rules Season 5, Episode 2: "That Old Black Magic" [19]
1989 The Power, The Passion Kane Edmonds Main role [17]
1990–1991 Home and Away Ben Lucini Main role: Seasons 3–4 (150 episodes) [50]
1993 Another World Ian Rain Main role (22 episodes) [11]
1996–2000 Profiler Detective John Grant Main role: Seasons 1–4 (82 episodes) [11]
1998 Will & Grace Season 1, Episode 7: "Where There's a Will, There's No Way" [1]
2000–2005 Charmed Cole Turner Main role: Seasons 3–5 (46 episodes); guest role: Season 7 (1 episode) [17]
2001 Another Day Television film [51]
2003–2010 Nip/Tuck Dr Christian Troy Main role: Seasons 1–6 (100 episodes) [17]
2008 Robot Chicken Doctor Doom Voice; Season 3, Episode 18: "Monstourage" [52]
2012 Rogue Television film [53]
2013 Full Circle Stanley Season 1 (3 episodes) [54]
2015 Childhood's End Rupert Boyce Miniseries (1 episode) [55]
2016 Hunters McCarthy Main role: Season 1 (6 episodes) [56]
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency Patrick Spring Season 1 (3 episodes) [57]
2017–2018 Runaways Jonah / Magistrate Recurring role: Season 1; main role: Season 2 [58]
2019–2021 FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jess LaCroix Recurring role: Seasons 1–2, 4 (3 episodes) [59]
2020–2022 FBI: Most Wanted Main role: Seasons 1–3 (43 episodes) [59]
2021 FBI: International Recurring role: Season 1 (2 episodes) [59]
2025 The Residence Prime Minister Stephen Roos Recurring role: Season 1 (6 episodes) [60]

Video games

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2005 Fantastic Four Victor Von Doom / Dr Doom Voice role [52]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Nominated work Award Result Ref.
2003 Nip/Tuck Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama Nominated [61]
2004 Gold Derby Awards - Drama Lead Actor [62]
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama [25]
2005 Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television [63]
2006 [63]
2007 Australian Film Institute International Award for Best Actor [64]
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain [65]
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Rumble (with Chris Evans)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Magee, Caolán (4 July 2025). "Julian McMahon, Fantastic Four, Nip/Tuck and Charmed actor, dies aged 56". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  2. ^ Idato, Michael (5 July 2025). "The prime minister's son who found a home in Hollywood". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  3. ^ "McMAHON, the Rt. Hon. Sir William (Billy), GCMG, CH". Parliamentary Handbook. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  4. ^ "William McMahon: during office". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Julian McMahon Interview". Popsyndicate.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  6. ^ "How Julian McMahon kissed and made up with ex-sister-in-law Kylie Minogue on Swinging Safari". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Famous Sydney Grammar School Alumni". Ranker. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Julian McMahon Premonition & Fantastic Four 2 Interview". www.female.com.au. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Julian McMahon". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  10. ^ Books, Hephaestus (27 August 2011). Articles On University Of Wollongong Alumni, including: Julian Mcmahon, Karl Kruszelnicki, John Tranter, Bill Neskovski, Wendy Richardson, Estelle ... (activist), Mark Cutifani, Harry Goodhew. ASIN 1242848797.
  11. ^ a b c d e Botwin, Michele (28 May 1999). "Julian McMahon, 'Profiler's' Distant Detective". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  12. ^ a b Bryant, Jacob (6 May 2016). "'Hunters' Star Julian McMahon Recalls How Levi's Commercial Led to First Series Role in Australia". Variety. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  13. ^ a b Brown, David (2 December 1989). "Julian soldiers on... into Summer Bay!". TV Week. p. 21.
  14. ^ Brown, David (1 September 1990). "Summer Bay bail-out". TV Week. p. 3.
  15. ^ a b c Gidlow, Steve. "Julian McMahon on Why CBS' "FBI: Most Wanted" Was the Right Move". Media Village. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
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  20. ^ a b Sawaya, George (28 March 2007). "'Premonition' lacks excitement". The Tuscaloosa News. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
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  27. ^ Trapunski, Charles (6 May 2020). "Interview: FBI: Most Wanted's Julian McMahon". Brief Take. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  28. ^ Cordero, Rosy (7 March 2022). "'FBI: Most Wanted' Boss Teases Julian McMahon's 'Bittersweet' Departure". Deadline. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  29. ^ "Runaways: Interview: Julian McMahon". Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!. 2 January 2019. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  30. ^ "Julian McMahon Interview: Monster Party". ScreenRant. 13 November 2018. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  31. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2 July 2025). "Netflix Freshmen 'Pulse' & 'The Residence' Canceled, 'No Good Deed' On Indefinite Pause". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2 July 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  32. ^ a b c d "'I wasn't allowed near her.' For 18 months, Dannii Minogue had a MIL who wouldn't speak to her". Mamamia. 1 October 2019. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  33. ^ "Madison McMahon - Women's Volleyball". Wake Forest University Athletics.
  34. ^ Brookfield, Joanne (22 February 2017). "How to survive in Hollywood – tips from successful Australians". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  35. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (4 July 2025). "Julian McMahon Dies: 'Nip/Tuck', 'Fantastic Four', 'FBI: Most Wanted' Star Was 56". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  36. ^ a b Blackwelder, Carson; Mandell, Sean (10 July 2025). "Julian McMahon's Cause of Death Revealed After "Nip/Tuck" Actor Dies at 56 (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  37. ^ Stratton, David (7 December 1993). "Exchange Lifeguards". Variety. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  38. ^ Geurts, Hans (11 December 2006). "Magenta (1997)". Cinemagazine (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  39. ^ "Meet Market - Full Cast & Crew". tvguide.com. TV Guide. Archived from the original on 13 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  40. ^ Scott, A.O. (8 July 2005). "Even Comic-Book Superheroes Can Use a Little More Momentum". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  41. ^ "Sarasota Film Festival schedule". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 8 April 2007. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  42. ^ Dargis, Manohla (14 June 2007). "Armageddon Comes Knocking". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  43. ^ Adams, Mark (6 March 2013). "Fire With Fire". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  44. ^ Gibbs, Ed (1 September 2013). "Paranoia review: thriller in vanilla". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  45. ^ Goldstein, Gary (9 October 2014). "ALS drama 'You're Not You' pulls its emotional punch". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  46. ^ Buckmaster, Luke (12 December 2017). "Swinging Safari review – Kylie Minogue and Guy Pearce in outrageous ode to 70s Australia". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  47. ^ Salemme, Danny (13 November 2018). "Julian McMahon Interview: Monster Party". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  48. ^ Blyth, Antonia (20 May 2024). "'The Surfer's Julian McMahon On Getting Creative With Nicolas Cage: "We Both Like To Throw A Lot Of Things Out There"- Cannes Studio". Deadline. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  49. ^ Kennedy, Lisa (7 August 2024). "'The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat' Review: A Star Trio Carries This Slightly Tempered Version of Inseparable Friends Novel". Variety. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
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  52. ^ a b "Julian McMahon". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  53. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (10 March 2012). "Angela Bassett & Julian McMahon To Co-Star In Fox's Karyn Usher Spy Pilot". Deadline. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  54. ^ Wiegand, David (7 October 2013). "'Full Circle' review: Old play comes around again". SFGate. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  55. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (17 December 2014). "Julian McMahon Joins Syfy Miniseries 'Childhood's End'". Variety. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  56. ^ Tanswell, Adam (8 April 2016). "Hunters TV series "Really Pushes Boundaries"". SciFiNow. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  57. ^ Patten, Dominic (7 October 2016). "'Dirk Gently' NY Comic-Con Sneak Peek + Julian McMahon & Jessica Lowndes Join Cast". Deadline. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  58. ^ Matadeen, Renaldo (27 December 2018). "Runaways Season 2's Game-Changing Finale, Explained". CBR. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  59. ^ a b c Iacobucci, Jordan; McPhee, Samantha (30 May 2024). "FBI: Most Wanted: Why Julian McMahon's Jess LaCroix Was Killed Off". CBR. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  60. ^ Lenton, Patrick (26 March 2025). "The Residence: new Netflix series proves the US is weirdly obsessed with Aussie culture". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  61. ^ "2004 8th Annual Satellite Awards". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  62. ^ Birnbaum, Debra (4 July 2025). "Julian McMahon remembered: His best performances, from 'Nip/Tuck' to 'Fantastic Four'". Gold Derby. Archived from the original on 5 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  63. ^ a b Staveley, Patrick (5 July 2025). "Tributes flow for beloved Australian actor Julian McMahon following his death after a private cancer battle". Sky News Australia. Archived from the original on 5 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  64. ^ "Nominations announced for the L'Oréal Paris 2007 AFI Awards". IF Magazine. 24 October 2007. Archived from the original on 5 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  65. ^ "Teen Choice Press Release" (PDF). Stanton Company. 26 August 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
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