Remains found last week in mountains northeast of Los Angeles were confirmed to be those of actor Julian Sands, who had been missing since he went hiking in the Mount Baldy wilderness in January, authorities said Tuesday.
Sands, 65, was reported missing from the Baldy Bowl area of Mount Baldy, about 45 miles from downtown Los Angeles, on Jan. 13, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said.
Sands’ manager, Sarah Jackson, said in a statement Tuesday that he died “in a place he loved, doing what he loved.”
Sheriff’s officials said he was hiking in Angeles National Forest, which was left wet and icy after a series of Pacific storms produced several inches of snow, damaged mountain roads with muddy, overflowing streams, and prompted the closure of off-road driving trails.
On Saturday, people hiking in the Mount Baldy wilderness discovered human remains and reported them to the Fontana Sheriff’s Station, San Bernardino officials said.
The remains were taken to the coroner’s office for identification.
Parts of the mountain were still inaccessible this month, with some areas including steep terrain and ravines still buried under 10 or more feet of ice and snow, the sheriff’s department said.
It said June 19 that crews continued the search for Sands on June 17 and that efforts to find him would continue “in a limited capacity.”
Since he was first reported missing in January, there have been eight ground and air searches for Sands, with volunteers working over 500 hours to find him, the sheriff’s department said. There have also been eight unrelated search and rescue operations in the Mount Baldy area.
Mount Baldy, originally known as Mount San Antonio, which is said to be the highest peak in Los Angeles County, is on the border of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. On clear winter days it can be seen from downtown Los Angeles.
Searches of the area indicated Sands’ cellphone activity ceased by Jan. 13, and further attempts to communicate with the device were unsuccessful, the sheriff’s department said.
Sands got his first notable role on an NBC miniseries, “The Sun Also Rises,” in 1984. He delivered his breakout performance in the 1985 movie “A Room With a View,” the best picture winner at the Academy Awards.
Other notable big-screen appearances included a part in the Academy Award-winning movie “The Killing Fields,” as well as in “Arachnophobia.” He had roles on television’s “24” and “Smallville.”
Born in Yorkshire, England, Sands studied at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama before he moved to Los Angeles. He was known to return to his homeland occasionally to perform onstage.
In an interview with the U.K.’s Guardian, published in 2020, Sands said his closest brush with death was during a climb in the Andes Mountains in the early 1990s, during which fellow mountaineers died amid bad weather and high altitude.
When he was asked when he was happiest, he said, “Close to a mountain summit on a glorious cold morning.”
Jackson, Sands’ manager, said he “was a great friend and client.”
“He chose interesting projects that mattered to him and was adored by everyone who worked with him,” Jackson said. “We are filled with the most beautiful memories.”
Agent Chris Roe echoed Jackson’s sentiment, saying Sands “was a lover of his craft, and an absolute professional.”
Sands was a resident of Los Angeles’ North Hollywood neighborhood, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department said.
He leaves behind his wife and three adult children.
Andrew Blankstein and Diana Dasrath contributed.
