Julian Sands: The British actor was confirmed dead after identifying the remains

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June 27, 2023, 21:15 GMT

Updated 1 hour ago

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Sands has appeared in films such as Leaving Las Vegas, Benediction, and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Human remains found in the mountains in California have been confirmed to be those of British actor Julian Sands, who went missing while hiking in January.

Police said the remains were found by Walkers on Saturday and have now been officially identified.

Sands, 65, is best known for his roles in the Academy Award-winning film A Room With A View and the TV dramas 24 and Smallville.

His other credits include 2011’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in which he appeared opposite Daniel Craig.

The sands disappeared on January 13 due to bad weather in the Baldy Powell area of ​​the San Gabriel Mountains.

Aerial and ground searches were hampered as California was hit by deadly storms, as well as icy conditions and an avalanche threat.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said remains found in the Mount Baldy area over the weekend have been positively identified as the missing actor.

He added, “The method of death is still under investigation, pending further examination results.

“We would like to express our gratitude to all of the volunteers who worked tirelessly to try to locate Mr. Sands,” they said in a statement.

Last week, the star’s family thanked California authorities for their efforts in trying to locate him.

“We are extremely grateful to the search teams and coordinators who worked tirelessly to find Julian,” they said.

“We still hold Julian in our hearts with bright memories of him as a wonderful father, husband, explorer, lover of the natural world and the arts, and as an original and collaborative performer.”

At the end of January, his brother Nick Sands, who lives in North Yorkshire, where he, Julian and their three other brothers grew up, said he had already said his goodbyes.

“I dealt with the fact that he was gone and for me that’s the way I dealt with it,” he said.

Sands was an enthusiastic hiker. It was a real passion of his, Kevin Ryan said previously, his friend and hiking partner, and that “it was the most progressive hiker I knew.”

Born in Otley, Yorkshire, and educated at Lord Wandsworth College in Hampshire, Sands began his acting career with roles in films such as The Killing Fields.

This brought him to the attention of director James Ivory, who cast him, ahead of the likes of Rupert Everett, in the 1985 film adaptation of E.M. Forster’s novel A Room With A View.

Set in Edwardian England and Italy, the film centers around Helena Bonham Carter’s character Lucy Honeychurch and her ever-growing love for the free-spirited George Emerson at Sands.

The movie, which also featured Dame Maggie Smith, Daniel Day-Lewis and Dame Judi Dench, was a box office hit and won Oscars, BAFTAs and Golden Globes. The British Film Institute named it one of the 100 best British films.

Later, Sands played English romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in Ken Russell’s gothic psychological thriller, before moving to Hollywood.

He starred in the 1989 horror film Warlock and its sequel, and his big screen credits include notable parts in Arachnophobia, Boxing Helena, and Leaving Las Vegas, as well as starring opposite Jackie Chan in the action comedy The Medallion in 2003.

His television roles have included a Russian terrorist in Kiefer Sutherland’s TV drama 24 in 2006, and Superman’s biological father Jor-El in Smallville in 2009.

Friend and fellow actor John Malkovich introduced Sands to his wife, writer Evgenia Sitkovic. The couple, who have two children, lived in North Hollywood.

Sands was previously married to Sarah Sands, former editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, with whom he also has a son.

Image source, Getty Images

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Sands’ breakthrough role came in playing the romantic lead in A Room With a View

Image source, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office

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Search teams returned to the area on Saturday after it was discovered by hikers

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