Actor Julian Sands Found Dead 5 Months After Going Missing During Hike

Julian Sands has officially been pronounced dead nearly five months after he went missing during a hike in California. Authorities confirmed the identification of his remains on Tuesday. Sands was 65.

“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,” the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to locate Mr. Sands.”

Sands was a prolific British actor who was best known for his role in the critically acclaimed 1986 film A Room With a View, which was adapted from the 1908 novel of the same name by E.M. Forster. He also appeared in numerous films, including Warlock, The Killing Fields, Arachnophobia, Naked Lunch, and Ocean’s Thirteen. His television credits include appearances in The L Word, Smallville, and Person of Interest.

News of Sands’ death comes just days after authorities found human remains in the area where he was first reported missing. The actor, who was an avid hiker and mountaineer, set out on a solo trek in the Mount Baldy area northeast of Los Angeles in January. At the time of his disappearance, Sands’ family and other search parties attempted to retrace the actor’s assumed path, but the searches were put on a months-long pause due to extreme winter weather conditions and residual ice and snow in the Mount Baldy area.

After conditions cleared, the search for Sands resumed last week, with 80 volunteers, law enforcement agents, and drone operators conducting the search. Ultimately, it was hikers who stumbled upon the human remains in the Mount Baldy wilderness.

The New York Times reports that Sands was among over a dozen hikers who required a search-and-rescue operation in January; two other hikers died from injuries they sustained in a fall. Following Sands’ disappearance, the sheriff’s department issued a warning to other hikers hoping to explore the area.

On Wednesday, as the search resumed, Sands’ family issued their first statement via the sheriff’s office, “We are deeply grateful to the search teams and coordinators who have worked tirelessly to find Julian. We continue to hold Julian in our hearts with bright memories of him as a wonderful father, husband, explorer of the natural world and the arts, and as an original and collaborative performer.”