Skeletons found in the Southern California wilderness on Saturday have been identified as those of British actor Julian Sands, who has been missing since January after he went hiking in the area, officials said Tuesday.
This was announced by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. in the statement It said the body had been “positively identified” as Sands’ and the cause of death was under investigation “pending further test results.”
The 65-year-old North Hollywood resident was an avid hiker and best known for his acclaimed role in the 1986 film “A Room with a View.” The film adaptation of E. M. Foster’s novel regularly ranks him as one of the greatest British films of all time.
He also appeared in dozens of other movies and TV shows, including ‘Arachnophobia’, ‘Naked Lunch’, ‘Warlock’ and ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’.
Hikers found the body Saturday morning in the Baldy Mountains area, more than 60 miles northeast of Los Angeles, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Sands, who had a wife and three children, was reported missing after hiking alone on the Mount Baldy trail in January. Hiking websites describe this popular trek as a challenging and strenuous activity.
The search party had been searching the area for several months, looking for Mr. Sands, even though the work was made difficult by heavy rains, snow and other dangerous conditions, some of which continued into June.
In an update to the June 17 search, the Sheriff’s Department said some parts of the mountain were unusable due to “extreme alpine conditions” such as steep terrain and canyons with ice and snow more than 10 feet high. Said it can’t be reached yet.
More than 80 search and rescue volunteers, lawmakers and staff participated in the search that day. Two helicopters and a crew of drones were used to check areas inaccessible to ground-based agents, the sheriff’s department said.
Officials said the Sheriff’s Department had conducted eight searches for Mr. Sands since January, involving more than 500 hours of volunteer work. At the same time, eight other unrelated search and rescue operations were also carried out in the area.
Sands often spoke of his love for nature, stating: 2020 interview with The Guardian He said he was happiest when he approached the top of the mountain on a cold morning.
In another interview the same year Partnership with Thrive Globala health and wellness company founded by Arianna Huffington, who said he spent time in the mountains of North America and Europe.
Sands said people who don’t climb mountains think it’s ego and a “heroic sprint” to the top.
“But it’s actually the other way around,” he says. “When you go to these mountains, it is about supplication and sacrifice and humility. It loses its energy and hopefully becomes a vessel of energy that harmonizes with its environment.”
Lauren McCarthy Contributed to the report.
