Like most people, I held out hope that Julian Sands, who had been reported missing since January, was still alive. But news came in from authorities in southern California earlier this week that Sands had been reported dead. His body was reportedly found on Mount Baldy in San Gabriel Mountains on the border of San Bernardino and Los Angeles Counties. He had gone hiking on tin January and been reported missing.
Years ago, a friend of mine since grade school, Gardner Linn, whose worked in television and entertainment for 20 years, and I had a conversation on why British and Australian actors can do better American accents. He said it has to do with the skill of the actors. While Americans focus too much on Method acting, others focus on the skill of acting. Skill would’ve been a way to describe Sands.
From the start, his blonde hair and handsome, athletic looks got him roles as Rob Lowe’s rowing partner in Oxford Blues and the star-making role of George Emerson in the Merchant-Ivory movie A Room with a View. He has also played real-life British journalist/writer Jon Swain in the historical war drama The Killing Fields. Swain whose full name is Jon Anketill Brewer Swain was able to help Dith Pran forge one of his passports to make it appear Pran was an American citizen.
In the movie as in real life, Swain, Pran, and others had taken refuge at the French Embassy in Cambodia but all Cambodians were ordered to leave. And most of them were left to the mercy of the Khmer Rouge. Many of them were killed. It’s a supporting role and Swain isn’t in the second half but Swain was taking a big risk if he was discovered. The movie falsified what happened with Pran leaving regardless but the movie makes it appear a photograph didn’t process correcting angering real-life photojournalist Al Rockoff who is shown taking it. They were able to use another photo Pran had in real life.
Controvery aside, the movie won an Oscar for Haing S. Ngor who played Pran. And this is the time of movie that opens up many doors. Sands would later appear as Percy Shelley in Ken Russell’s fictional horror movie Gothic. Not even 30, Sands had already worked with Russell, James Ivory and Roland Joffe. So, why did he decided to play the titular character in the B-movie horror classic Warlock? Did he need the money? Or did he like playing the villain? And there was something iconic about his role, with his hair pulled back in a ponytail, evil smirk and piercing eyes, he seemed to have fun in the role.
He would go on to play an entomologist in the horror comedy Arachnophobia probably giving him a more wider attention with audiences. Even though it’s a supporting character and he’s a nice guy, Sands brought a little cockiness to his role as Dr. James Atherton that was needed. Then, he would appear alongside Ian Holm, Peter Weller and Roy Scheider in the very surreal adaptation of William S. Burroughs Naked Lunch directed by David Cronenberg, where it’s revealed his character is actually a giant shapeshifting centipede. You just got to see it to believe it.
He would go on to work with Mike Figgis in several of his movies, including the Oscar-winning Leaving Las Vegas. He was part of the ensemble cast in the experimental Timecode which is set in real time in which the screen is divided in four quarters of interconnected stories set in the Los Angeles area on one afternoon. Sands was one of many in the movie that includes Salma Hayek, Holly Hunter, Danny Huston, Kyle MacLachlan and Stellan Skarsgard. He would also appear in One Night Stand and The End of Innocence also directed by Figgis.
Unfortunately, Sands career didn’t have much mainstream success through the 2000s and 2010s. He appeared in the ensemble heist movie Ocean’s Thirteen in 2007 and the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. He also appeared in the fifth season of 24 as the villainous Vladimir Bierko. He further solidified his place in the realm of fandom by appearing as Jor-El in the series Smallville.
Altogether in a career that spanned about 40 years, he had over 150 credits to his resume. Not too bad considering he took on roles that might have seem risky. In 1993, he appeared as a mad surgeon in the controversial Boxing Helena winning praise from none other than Gene Siskel for his work. Considering the movie deals with a woman being kidnapped and has her legs amputated, Siskel (who didn’t care for graphic violence especially toward women) gave the movie a three-star positive review.
What was your favorite role of Sands? Please comment.
Zane Says 