Death of Actor Julian Sands: Remains Discovered by Hikers Report: Authorities Didn’t Take Evidence Before the Capitol Storm Seriously

Julian Sands has been missing for almost half a year and now hikers have discovered his remains in the mountains near Los Angeles. This was confirmed Tuesday by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department after the coroner identified the body.

The actor, known for such films as “A Room with a View” and “Leaving Las Vegas,” left for a trip to the Mount Baldy area northeast of Los Angeles in mid-January and never returned. Considered an outdoor fan, the 65-year-old said in an interview about the area in 2020:

The British actor remained enthusiastic about his walks: “It’s always different and always fantastic. And of course I believe in a certain sportsmanship, for me as an actor it’s important to keep fit. Living in Los Angeles – actors don’t actually live anywhere, they are always on the go – it lends itself perfectly to a wonderful outdoor life.”

Mount Baldy is part of the San Gabriel Mountains and is almost 3070 meters high. The sheriff’s office warned against hiking there in January because of dangerous weather conditions that included ice and snow. The winter storms made the weeks-long search for the missing person difficult. In mid-June, authorities reported their eighth search involving more than 80 helpers, supported by helicopters and drones.

Hikers came across the body

The family of the father of three children thanked the search teams for their tireless efforts last week. “We will continue to hold Julian in our hearts with fond memories of him as a wonderful father, husband, explorer, lover of nature and art, and an exceptional artist,” the family said in a statement the sheriff’s office posted on Twitter. A few days later, hikers came across the corpse.

Sands was an avid mountain hiker. In an interview with the British “Guardian” in 2020, when asked when he was happiest, he replied: “On a wonderfully cold morning near a mountain top.” The list of things he wants to do before he dies includes climbing a high mountain in the Himalayas. He also described a trek in the Andes in the early 1990s when a severe storm nearly killed him.

In addition to A Room With a View, Sands has appeared in numerous other films and series in his decades-long career, such as The Killing Fields, Arachnophobia, Smallville, 24, and What/If ». Klaus Maria Brandauer got the British director in front of the camera in 1994 for the Thomas Mann film “Mario and the Magician”. Recently, Sands co-starred with his good friend John Malkovich in “Seneca – Or: On the Birth of Earthquakes”. The film by German director Robert Schwentke was presented at this year’s Berlinale. (sda/dpa)