20 Actors Who Just Gave Their Best Performance Ever

Julian McMahon is best known for his iconic performance as Christian Troy on FX's legendary drama series Nip/Tuck, and to a lesser degree as Doctor Doom in Fox's Fantastic Four movies.

But earlier this year, mere months before he sadly passed away, McMahon gave a career-topping turn in the new Nicolas Cage thriller The Surfer.

McMahon plays Scally, the leader of a local surfer gang who doubles as a self-help guru and uses his influence to steer non-locals away from the beach.

McMahon's natural charisma as an actor allows him to portray Scally as superficially charming at first, but before long he lets the mask slip, revealing himself to be just another pathetic man peddling dated toxic masculinity to younger men.

It's a performance that perfectly inverts the suave characters McMahon was so often cast as throughout his career, and while it's devastatingly sad that he passed away so young, his final theatrically released work was ultimately the best and most nuanced of his tragically curtailed career.