Fantastic Four actor Julian McMahon has died aged 56
· RTE.ieJulian McMahon, best known for his roles in the Fantastic Four movies and the television shows Nip/Tuck and Charmed, has died aged 56.
The Australian actor died in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday 2 July after a private battle with cancer.
His wife, Kelly Paniagua, confirmed the news in a statement to the US entertainment trade publication Deadline.
"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.
"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."
Paniagua 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."
Born in Sydney in 1968, McMahon was the son of former Australian prime minister William "Billy" McMahon.
He began his career as a model in the 1980s before moving into acting. His first role was in the short-lived Australian daytime soap The Power, the Passion in 1989 before he landed a role in Home and Away in 1990, appearing in 150 episodes as Ben Lucini.
McMahon made his feature film debut in the comedy Exchange Lifeguards, titled Wet and Wild Summer! in the US, in 1992.
He went on to star in a series of US shows, including NBC's Another World in 1993, Profiler in 1996, Will & Grace in 1998, Charmed in 2000, where he had a three-season turn as demonic Cole Turner, and Nip/Tuck in 2003.
In 2005, he landed the role as the villain Dr Doom in the superhero film Fantastic Four, a part he reprised in 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
More recent roles included playing the Australian prime minister Stephen Roos in Netflix's comedy-mystery The Residence and menacing surfer Scally in the psychological thriller The Surfer, in which he starred alongside Nicolas Cage.
McMahon was married three times, including to Australian singer Dannii Minogue in 1994 and to Baywatch actor Brooke Burns in 1999, with whom he has a daughter Madison.
He wed Paniagua in 2014.