Julian Sands: remains found belong to missing actor

Sad confirmation has arrived of what, unfortunately, had long been feared: the remains of the body found by some hikers in the vicinity of Mount Baldy belong to actor Julian Sands, whose trail had been lost on Jan. 13.

It was actually some hikers, walking the trail that actor Julian Sands had last walked, who had found human remains, which were later transported to the coroner's office for identification.

Confirmation of the actor's death comes from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department: "The identification process for the body located on Mt. Baldy on June 24, 2023, has been completed and was positively identified as 65-year-old Julian Sands of North Hollywood. The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results."

“We continue to 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.”

Friday, January 13: "A hiker was reported missing in the Baldy Bowl area," reported the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

The missing hiker was none other than British actor Julian Sands, whose family had already reported him missing hours earlier.

Photos of the last place Sands was seen were shared by his family. A family member told The Independent: “This is how he would love to be seen, doing what he loved best – a heroic mountaineer, and thrilled to send a picture of him looking so happy to share with his beloved grandson, Billy.”

Photo: Robson Hatsukami Morgan / Unsplash

Local authorities started looking for the disappeared actor in America’s San Gabriel mountains: “Sheriff’s department search and rescue crews responded and began a search,” their spokesperson revealed.

Photo: Unsplash - Nathan Anderson

However, the conditions were so bad that the search for Julian Sands had been called off. Spokesperson Nathan Campos said, “It’s extremely dangerous, and experienced hikers are having a hard time getting through there.”

Photo: Alessio Soggetti / Unsplash

The actor ventured out hiking on the slopes of Mount Baldy, known for being the scene of countless tragedies over the years.

Photo: Don B. / Unsplash

Ground crews were pulled off the mountain due to avalanche risks but the authorities continued to “search by helicopter and drones when the weather permits,” as Campos explained.

More than a week after Julian Sands' disappearance, authorities were still unable to locate him.

Unfortunately, Julian Sands was not the only one missing. Three days after the actor's disappearance, another man was reported missing in Crystal Lake, near the San Gabriel Mountains.

“Think twice and heed warnings”, the force stated, urging hikers and skiers not to set out in dangerous conditions.

Photo: eberhard grossgasteiger / Unsplash

Weather conditions are so adverse in this area of California that authorities have had to carry out more than 15 emergency interventions in the vicinity of Mount Baldy.

The great danger in the area in winter is the large amount of accumulated snow that turns to ice, which greatly complicates hiking.

Rescue crews planned to resume their ground search once the weather improved. The Independent, however, claimed that the actor might not be in the same place and they would have to widen their search.

Phone data revealed Julian Sand's last known movements. It seems he was mobile and on the move two days after his reported disappearance in the California mountains.

They then lost track of the actor. The Sheriff’s department said: “Additional phone pings from the cell provider were attempted but were unsuccessful, due to the lack of cell service and most likely cell phone power failure.”

The ‘Arachnophobia’ actor’s car was found near where he had set off for his hike. It was in a car park near the trail, The Independent reports.

The search for Julian Sands continued with his own son joining in the efforts. The Independent wrote that Sands’ son Henry was "retracing the route his father took, with the assistance of an experienced climber."

Photo: Don B. / Unsplash

Authorities maintained that there was “no hard deadline” for calling off the search after a week of searching for Mr. Sands. They kept looking until they found him in June.

Julian Sands was a star performer, especially in the 1980s and 1990s.

The star of films such as 'Gothic' and 'Arachnophobia', he lived in North Hollywood with Evgenia Citkowitz, his second wife, and their two daughters.

Julian Sands rose to fame thanks to 'A Room with a View' in 1985 where he acted alongside Helena Bonham Carter, Sir Daniel Day-Lewis, Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith.

The success of the film led him to move to the United States in 1987, where he would forge a career that, although it has not had memorable successes, has allowed him to work continuously for more than 30 years and add over 140 film and TV credentials to his CV.

In cinema, Julian Sands had roles in films such as 'Arachnophobia' (1990) and 'Leaving Las Vegas', the Academy Award winning film also starring Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue.

However, during the 21st century, television has given Julian Sands the most appealing roles: such as the terrorist Vladimir Bierko, whom he played in 2006 in the series '24'.

The actor is remembered for his portrayals of Jor-El, a character he played in the ninth and tenth seasons of 'Smallville'; Greco Montgomery in ‘Ocean's Thirteen’ (2007); George Cutter in ‘All Things to All Men’ (2013) and Kotov in ‘The Chosen’ (2014).