Julian McMahon, the Australian actor best known for his television roles in Charmed, Nip/Tuck and FBI: Most Wanted as well as Fantastic Four supervillain Dr Doom, has died aged 56.
The actor died in Clearwater, Florida on Wednesday after being diagnosed with cancer.
His wife, Kelly Paniagua, confirmed his death on Friday, calling McMahon her “beloved husband”.
“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,” she said in a statement to Deadline.
“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 born in Sydney and was the son of former Australian prime minister Sir William “Billy” McMahon. He began his career as a model in the 1980s before moving into acting, landing a role in the Australian soap Home and Away in 1990.
He made his feature film debut in the comedy Wet and Wild Summer! alongside Elliott Gould, while he starred in TV shows Another World, Profiler, and gained wider recognition as the Cole Turner in the hit supernatural series Charmed.
He later appeared in Nip/Tuck, the FX medical drama created by Ryan Murphy, where the show ran for six seasons from 2003 to 2010 and earned McMahon a Golden Globe nomination.
Becoming known for playing charming villains, McMahon played the Marvel supervillain Doctor Doom in 20th Century Fox’s Fantastic Four films in 2005 and 2007. He also voiced Doctor Doom in the 2005 Fantastic Four video game.
McMahon also portrayed Jess LaCroix, a special agent and team leader, in FBI: Most Wanted, appearing for three seasons before leaving the show.
His more recent roles included playing the Australian prime minister Stephen Roos in Netflix’s The Residence, and appearances in The Surfer and The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat.
McMahon was married three times, including to Australian singer Dannii Minogue in 1994 and to actor Brooke Burns, with whom he has a daughter. His final marriage, to Paniagua, began in 2014.