Another World Alum Julian McMahon, Known For Nip/Tuck And Fantastic Four, Dies At 56

Julian McMahon, the Australian-American actor who portrayed Ian Rain on Another World before finding success in prime-time and feature films, has died at the age of 56. The cause of his death was cancer, his wife, Kelly McMahon, confirmed in sharing the sad news of his passing.

Gone But Not Forgotten

“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,” McMahon’s widow told Deadline in a statement. She went on to say, “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. 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 began his television acting career in Australian soaps, appearing as Kane Edmonds on The Power, The Passion and as Ben Lucini on Home and Away, but his big break came when he was tapped by AW in 1993 to play the role of Ian, a man who came to Bay City to avenge the death of his father. After romances with Judi Evans’s Paulina and Amy Carlson’s Josie, Ian left town in 1995.

From there, McMahon’s star continued to rise, with high-profile roles on shows like Profiler, Charmed and Nip/Tuck and in movies like the Fantastic Four franchise, where he portrayed Doctor Doom.

In a 2020 interview with Soap Opera Digest, McMahon looked back on his AW days fondly. “Oh, my God,” he said of his debut on the Bay City scene. “The first thing I did was at the Cory mansion and my first scene was with Judi Evans — oh, what a sweet, sweet girl, she was so kind to me I can’t even tell you, she was so supportive and so caring — and here I was this 22-year-old dude from Australia and the first scene I had to shoot was in a Speedo, getting out of the Cory pool and I was like, ‘Oh, all right, I guess this is what you do. You put on your undies and you get out of the pool.’ ”

He spoke highly of his colleagues in the soap world, noting, “The soap actors are kind of their own breed, and I’ve never met one who’s not ridiculously passionate about what they do. It’s almost like its own theater company or something. And I just really kind of thrived off of that…. I just considered it such a blessing.“

Asked if he had a message for the soap fans who had been following his career since his days as Ian, McMahon said, “I remember the soap fans were great fans and I loved my time there, so I’m just glad to hear that some of the soaps are still going, and hopefully some of the fans still enjoy some of the work I put out these days.”

Soap Opera Digest sends its heartfelt condolences to McMahon’s loved ones.

Do you have a favorite memory of McMahon’s time on AW, or a favorite role he’s played since? Let us know in the comments below.