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Friends of the missing Julian Sands have expressed their hopes and concerns as searches continue for the actor who went missing in California’s San Gabriel Mountains nearly three weeks ago.
Fellow hiker and fellow actor Kevin Ryan, who met Sands on the set of Crossbones in 2014, said Sands was the most advanced hiker he knew and he wouldn’t have gone unprepared.
He said: ‘He’s more experienced and I hope he’s hiding somewhere and can get by.’
Ryan said the severe weather was “something Julian would have seen as a challenge.”
Even so, he admitted that “every day that passes puts more pressure and I think it brings a lot of doubts.”
Family and friends have expressed their concerns to the media in recent days as search parties report less progress.
Sands’ brother, Nick, said: “For now he is missing. They haven’t given him up for dead yet, but I know in my heart that he is gone.
Friend and actor Kevin Ryan (pictured in 2018) met Sands on the set of Crossbones in 2014
Actor Julian Sands, 65, was an avid climber familiar with the San Gabriel Mountains.
Sands’ brother added: “When he was in Los Angeles, the Mount Baldy range was his favorite place. He went there as much as he could.
Julian liked to say, “I’ve never had a vacation, but I take a break from time to time.”
‘Well now he’s resting in a place I would really approve of.’
[Sands is] the most advanced hiker I know…it is beyond experience.
The father of three, known for his appearances on The Killing Fields, Arachnophobia, 24, and Smallville, he was reported missing around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, January 13, after failing to return from a hike on Mount Baldy.
The county sheriff’s department previously revealed that pings from the actor’s phone appeared to show that he had been moving toward the mountainous area of Baldy Bowl on the day he was reported missing.
Police have also recovered important phone data, showing the West Yorkshire-born actor was still on the move on Sunday, January 15, but have been unable to pick up any signals since because his battery was dying.
Adverse weather conditions in the area hampered the progress of the search as ground crews were withdrawn.
Air searches resumed last week as conditions improved.
Julian Sands (R) and his wife Evgenia Citkowitz during the HBO screening of ‘Witch Hunt’
Sands and Helena Bonham Carter on the set of the award-winning 1985 film A Room With A View
Sands’ first major production was 1984’s The Killing Fields, the acclaimed historical drama about the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia (pictured with John Malkovich)
Officials said there was no deadline to call off the search, but high winds pushed it back until the week beginning Jan. 23.
Two weeks after she went missing, her brother Nick spoke to the media: ‘I’m the most positive person there is and at first I thought she must have hidden in a cave and was just taking cover from the weather; that he would leave when he was better.
He is a passionate and experienced hiker… he took a chance. He has always been like that.
He is a passionate and experienced hiker. He set out on Friday, January 13 with his ice ax, crampons, and food for a day. They were waiting for him at home that night.
She added: ‘He took risks. He has always been like this: wild, extreme, adventurous; never limited by rules or limits. He is happiest near the top of a mountain on a cold morning.
Sands’ family publicly praised the efforts of California authorities as the search entered its third week.
A statement shared by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office read: “Our deepest thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian, in particular the heroic teams of search listed below who are facing difficult conditions”. on the ground and in the air to bring Julian home.
“We are deeply moved by the outpouring of love and support,” it read.
Julian Sands is married to Eugenia Citkowitz, a journalist, and has three children.
His wife first reported him missing when he failed to return from his hike on January 13.
The Sheriff’s Department previously warned hikers to “think twice and heed warnings” as weather conditions in the area worsen.
A second hiker, Jin Chung, 75, went missing on Mount Baldy in late January.
Chung hiked solo on one of the rigorous trails at 6 a.m. and was unable to meet his carpool companions at 2 p.m.
Police said searches would continue.