Julian Sands: British actor confirmed dead after remains identified

Sands appeared in films such as Leaving Las Vegas, Benediction and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Human remains found in mountains in California have been confirmed to be those of British actor Julian Sands, who went missing on a hike in January.

Walkers found the remains on Saturday, police said, and they have now been formally identified.

Sands, 65, was best known for his roles in the Oscar-winning film A Room With A View and TV dramas 24 and Smallville.

His other credits included 2011's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in which he appeared opposite Daniel Craig.

• Obituary: Free-spirited actor whose career started with a kiss

Sands disappeared on 13 January during bad weather in the Baldy Bowl area of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Air and ground searches were hampered as California was battered by deadly storms, as well as icy conditions and a threat of avalanches.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said the remains found in the Mount Baldy area at the weekend had been positively identified as the missing actor.

"The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results.

"We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to try to locate Mr Sands," they said in a statement.

Last week, the star's family thanked the Californian authorities for their efforts in trying to locate him.

"We are deeply grateful to the search teams and coordinators who have worked tirelessly to find Julian," they said.

"We continue to hold Julian in our hearts with bright memories of him as a wonderful father, husband, explorer, lover of the natural world and the arts, and as an original and collaborative performer."

At the end of January, brother Nick Sands, who lives in North Yorkshire, where he, Julian and their three other brothers grew up, said he had already said his "goodbyes".

"I have come to terms with the fact he's gone and for me that's how I've dealt with it," he said.

Sands was a keen hiker. His friend and hiking partner Kevin Ryan has previously said that it was a true passion of his, and that "he was the most advanced hiker I know".

Sands' breakthrough role came playing the romantic lead in A Room With a View

Born in Otley, Yorkshire, and educated at Lord Wandsworth College in Hampshire, Sands started his acting career with roles in such films as the The Killing Fields.

That brought him to the attention of director James Ivory, who cast him, ahead of the likes of Rupert Everett, in the 1985 film adaptation of EM Forster's novel A Room With A View.

Set in Edwardian-era England and Italy, the film centred around Helena Bonham Carter's character Lucy Honeychurch and her ever-growing love for Sands' free-spirited George Emerson.

The film, which also featured Dame Maggie Smith, Daniel Day-Lewis and Dame Judi Dench, was a box office hit and won Oscar, Bafta and Golden Globe awards. The British Film Institute has named it one of its top 100 British films.

Later, Sands played the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in Ken Russell's psychological thriller Gothic, before moving to Hollywood.

He played the title role in the 1989 horror film Warlock and its sequel, and his other big screen credits included prominent parts in Arachnophobia, Boxing Helena and Leaving Las Vegas, as well as starring opposite Jackie Chan in the action-comedy film The Medallion in 2003.

His TV roles included a Russian terrorist in Kiefer Sutherland's TV drama 24 in 2006, and Superman's biological father Jor-El in Smallville in 2009.

Friend and fellow actor John Malkovich introduced Sands to his wife, the writer Evgenia Citkowitz. The couple, who had two children, lived in North Hollywood.

Sands was previously married to Sarah Sands, former editor of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, with whom he also had a son.

Search teams were back in the area on Saturday, after hikers made their discovery