British-born Hollywood actor Julian Sands, who went missing on January 13 while on a hike, has now officially been declared deceased at the age of 65, according to the Daily Wire.

Human remains that were discovered over the weekend by other hikers on southern California's Mt. Baldy were confirmed by authorities to be those of Sands.

Remains discovered and identified

The San Bernadino Sheriff's Department issued a press release on Tuesday to announce that "The identification process for the body located on Mt. Baldy on June 24, 2023, has been completed and was positively identified as 65-year-old Julian Sands of North Hollywood."

"The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results," the statement added. "We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to locate Mr. Sands."

The press release further noted that on the morning of Saturday, June 24, "civilian hikers contacted the Fontana Sheriff’s Station after they discovered human remains in the Mt. Baldy wilderness." The remains were then recovered and transported to the Coroner's Office "pending positive identification."

Authorities launched repeated searches for Sands

NBC News reported that the death of Sands was further confirmed by his manager, Sarah Jackson, who said Tuesday that her client had died "in a place he loved, doing what he loved."

Sands had never returned from a January 13 hike in the Mt. Baldy wilderness, located about 45 minutes east of Los Angeles, and no less than eight air and ground searches were conducted specifically to find him, in addition to another eight unrelated searches for others in the area during which an eye had been kept out for him.

Those searches had often been hampered by severe winter conditions that lasted well into the Spring as well as the inhospitable terrain, but the San Bernadino County Sheriff's Department had just in mid-June that it would resume the search for Sands, albeit in a "limited capacity."

Jackson told NBC that Sands "was a great friend and client," and said, "He chose interesting projects that mattered to him and was adored by everyone who worked with him. We are filled with the most beautiful memories."

Avid actor/hiker/mountain climber

The Associated Press reported that the British-born and raised and theatrically-trained Sands first attained stardom in the 1985 romance "A Room With a View," after which he moved from the United Kingdom to Hollywood, California to further pursue his acting career.

That career ultimately spanned more than four decades and included more than 150 credits, including horror films like "Warlock" and "Arachnophobia," as well as award-winning films like "Leaving Las Vegas." Sands also made numerous appearances, sometimes in recurring roles, in a variety of TV series, including shows like "24," "Dexter," and "Smallville," among many others.

In addition to his acting, Sands was also reportedly an avid hiker and mountain climber, who nearly died during an ascent of a peak in the Andes Mountains of South America in the 1990s, but who was most happiest "close to a mountain summit on a glorious cold morning" and whose dream it was to scale "a remote peak in the high Himalayas, such as Makalu."

Family in mourning

The AP noted that just days prior to his remains being discovered, Sands' family had said in a statement, "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."

Sands is survived by his second wife, journalist Evgenia Citkowitz, who he married in 1990 and with whom he had two adult daughters, Imogen and Natalya, as well as an older adult son, Henry, whom he had with journalist Sarah Harvey, who was his first wife.