Julian Sands was perhaps best known for the film and television work he did throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His career started in the early 1980s, where he booked several supporting roles of note before landing the romantic lead in the 1985 film “A Room With a View.”
After his success there, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in U.S. films — and hit the ground running. He went on to star in the “Warlock” films, as well as “Arachnaphobia,” “Naked Lunch,” “Boxing Helena,” and “Leaving Las Vegas.” He later became known for his work on “Smallville,” a series about Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and his upbringing in Kansas ahead of his call to become Superman. Sands played a pivotal role, Kent’s biological Kryptonian father Jor-El, and even returned to the series for the show’s tenth and final season following the WB’s merge with UPN to create The CW.
Most recently, Sands appeared in the 2021 drama “Benediction” and the action-thriller “The Survivalist,” alongside John Malkovitch and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. He also had a starring role in a season 2 episode of Hulu and Blumhouse’s “Into The Dark” series called “A Nasty Piece of Work” in 2019.
Sands was known for juggling both well-made and less polished films in his career, but has always managed to weave between them with a dedication and clear-cut love of the craft. He’s one of those actors who, even if you don’t know him by name, his performances and characters are unforgettable.
The actor leaves behind three children and will be sorely missed.