Australian actor Julian McMahon has died aged 56.
“I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer,” his wife Kelly McMahon said in a statement to entertainment website Deadline.
“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.”
Ms McMahon did not elaborate on what kind of cancer McMahon had or how long ago he was diagnosed with the illness.
Julian McMahon appeared at a screening of The Surfer at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March. (AP: Invision/Jack Plunkett)
From Levi’s ads to Hollywood
McMahon was one of three children of former prime minister Sir William “Billy” McMahon and Lady Sonia McMahon.
He started out as a model, with his role in a series of Levi’s jeans commercials leading to an acting career.
“At the time, my father had just passed away and I was working in Europe and had come back for his funeral,” he told US entertainment website Variety in 2016.
“At the same time, I had done a few Levi’s commercials in Australia that had become a bit of a phenomenon.
“Because of the situation of why I returned, I decided to stay for a while, and because of this commercial, I was asked to come in and take a look at a TV script.
“I auditioned for the part, got the role and stayed in Australia for a few more years.”
Julian McMahon’s role in Levi’s ads propelled him to fame. (YouTube)
His star power landed him a guest spot in Rafferty’s Rules and a role in the short-lived soap opera The Power, The Passion in 1989.
And, like many Australian actors who went to Hollywood, his career was boosted by a role in Home and Away.
He joined the iconic soap’s cast in 1990 as Ben Lucini, chalking up 150 episode credits to his name on entertainment website IMBb.
But he left the show in 1991, picking up a role in US soap series Another World and starring in the surfing movie Wet and Wild Summer! in 1993.
His star power continued to rise, with his wedding to Dannii Minogue dubbed “the wedding of the year” by Woman’s Day magazine.
He starred in shows such as Nip/Tuck, Charmed, FBI: Most Wanted, Hunters and The Residence — a Netflix miniseries released earlier this year.
McMahon’s films included Fantastic Four and its sequel Fantastic 4: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, Premonition and The Surfer, which was in cinemas in May.
Julian McMahon starred alongside Nicolas Cage and Miranda Tapsell in the coastal thriller The Surfer. (Supplied: Madman)
In 2005, he was nominated for a Golden Globe award for his role as plastic surgeon Christian Troy in Nip/Tuck.
His brought his mother as his date to the awards ceremony, with Ms McMahon wearing a replica of the dress that created headlines when she met then-US president Richard Nixon at the White House in 1971.
