Julian McMahon Biography

Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Julian McMahon studied law at the University of Sydney, but soon realized it wasn't the right career for him. Dropping out, he began modeling internationally and also appeared in TV commercials. A commercial for blue jeans led to him being cast as a lead in the primetime drama, The Power, The Passion. He then joined the cast of the hit series Home and Away, which also starred Heath Ledger and Naomi Watts.

After filming a part in the American feature Wet and Wild Summer! (1992) opposite Elliott Gould, Julian decided to try his luck in Los Angeles. He was soon cast as Ian Rain on the daytime drama Another World and stayed with the show for two years. In 1996 he became a regular on the new crime drama series Profiler. In 2000, he joined the hit series Charmed as Cole Turner, a fan-favorite character caught between good and evil. He went on to earn critical acclaim for his performance as Dr. Christian Troy on FX’s Nip/Tuck (2003-2010), leading him to receive a Golden Globe nomination in 2005.

Julian's film credits include Chasing Sleep (2000) with Jeff Daniels, Meet Market (2004), Premonition (2007) with Sandra Bullock, and Fantastic Four (2005) and its sequel Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), in which he played iconic villain Victor Von Doom.

In his last few years of work, Julian starred as Jess LaCroix on CBS's FBI: Most Wanted (2020-2022), leading the show for three seasons before exiting to pursue other creative opportunities.

His stage credits include the Sydney and Melbourne productions of Love Letters. McMahon was married briefly (1994 to 1995) to Dannii Minogue (younger sister of Kylie Minogue) and has a daughter from his two-year marriage (1999 to 2001) to Baywatch actress Brooke Burns. In 2014, he married his third wife, Kelly Paniagua.

McMahon passed away on July 2, 2025 after battling a cancer diagnosis that was kept private from the public. The exact type of cancer he was battling has not been disclosed by his family. He leaves behind his wife and his daughter, Madison McMahon.

Filmography:

Prisoner of Love (2022)
Swinging Safari (2018)
Bait (2012)
Fire with Fire (2012)
Faces in the Crowd (2011)
Red (2010)
Premonition (2007)
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
Fantastic Four (2005)
Meet Market (2004)
Chasing Sleep (2000)
Magenta (1997)
Wet and Wild Summer! (1992)