Julian Sands: Missing actor’s family give update after Brit film star vanished while hiking in mountains
THE family of Julian Sands have shared an update on his disappearance after the actor vanished on a mountain hike.
A search is currently underway to locate the British actor, 65, who was last seen in California’s San Gabriel Mountains, near the Mount Baldy area.
His worried family praised the “heroic” efforts of Californian authorities in a statement shared by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office.
The statement read: “Our heartfelt thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian, not least the heroic search teams listed below who are braving difficult conditions on the ground and in the air to bring Julian home.”
The statement went on to list various organisations involved in the search operations which have entered their 11th day.
“We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support,” it added.
Both national and state officials are now working with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office after the 65-year-old disappeared near LA in California.
The actor was planning to complete the dangerous trek in a day but was reported missing when he failed to return home, Friday, January 13.
Last week Julian’s snow-covered car was recovered by investigators and towed away.
Over the weekend it was revealed that US authorities were using GPS data from his phone to try to pinpoint his location.
San Bernadino authorities confirmed last week that the actor is one of the two hikers that police have yet to locate, which is the latest in a string of rescue missions caused by the area’s extreme weather.
The experienced climber’s old friend and movie producer Cassian Elwes, 63, told The Sun the situation was “incredibly sad” and “mind-boggling.”
He described his old friend as “an adventurer” who had “climbed all kinds of mountains.”
The actor is known for his roles in hit movies such as A Room With A View – where he starred alongside Helena Bonham Carter – and Leaving Las Vegas.
He was born in England but had been living in the North Hollywood area.
He has two daughters with the journalist Evgenia Citkowitz, who he married in 1990.
He has a son with his first wife Sarah Sands – the former editor of the Sunday Telegraph and the Evening Standard.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department previously urged hikers to “think twice and heed warnings”, saying its search and rescue teams had responded to 14 calls on Mount Baldy and in the surrounding area over the last four weeks.