Julian McMahon

Julian Dana William McMahon (27 July 1968 – 2 July 2025) was an Australian and American actor. He was the only son of William McMahon, a former prime minister of Australia. He was known for his television roles as Ben Lucini in Home and Away, Detective John Grant in Profiler, Cole Turner in Charmed, Dr. Christian Troy in Nip/Tuck and Jess LaCroix in FBI: Most Wanted. His film roles include Doctor Doom in the Fantastic Four duology, 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

Julian Dana William McMahon was born in Sydney on 27 July 1968, the son of Sonia , an heiress, socialite and fashion icon and William McMahon, a prominent Australian politician. His father was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives 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, when Julian was two years old.

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."

McMahon was educated at the private, boys-only, Sydney Grammar School, which his father had attended. As a child, he dreamed of being an army cadet and playing rugby. McMahon briefly studied law at the University of Sydney and economics at the University of Wollongong. McMahon started modeling at age 17 and travelled to fashion hubs including Los Angeles, New York, Milan, Rome, and Paris. While home, he filmed some Levi's commercials which helped him land a role on the Australian soap opera Home and Away. He joined the cast of Home and Away as soldier Benito "Ben" Lucini in late 1989, with his first episode airing in February 1990.

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. McMahon's big break Hollywood role was on the soap opera Another World when he was cast as Ian Rain in 1993. The first scene he shot in New York for the show had him emerge from a pool in speedos at the Cory Mansion. Nip/Tuck garnered him a nomination for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Drama Series.

In 2018, McMahon returned to Australia to film Swinging Safari in Queensland, alongside Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue, Radha Mitchell, Asher Keddie and Jeremy Sims. The film is set in the 1970s and sees McMahon sport a handlebar moustache. 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.

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

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

Personal life In 1994, McMahon married singer and actress Dannii Minogue after meeting on the set of Home and Away in 1991. 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, had been an issue from the beginning. before divorcing in 2001.

Death McMahon died from lung metastasis caused by head and neck cancer, in Clearwater, Florida, on 2 July 2025, at age 56. He had not disclosed his diagnosis publicly. His remains were cremated. 1996 Magenta Michael Walsch 1998 In Quiet Night Hayes 2004 Meet Market Hutch 2005 Fantastic Four Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom

Premonition Jim Hanson Prisoner Derek Plato Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom 2010 Red Robert Stanton 2011 Faces in the Crowd Sam Kerrest

Bait 3D Doyle Fire with Fire Robert Direct to video 2013 Paranoia Miles Meechum 2014 You're Not You Liam

Swinging Safari Rick Jones Monster Party Patrick Dawson

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Video games

Awards and nominations Year Nominated work Award Result 2003Nip/Tuck Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Dramarowspan=8 2004 Gold Derby Awards - Drama Lead Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama 2006 Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Rumble 2026 The Surfer Australian Film Institute AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in Film