Biography
Tall, blonde, and statuesque British actor Julian Sands is equally fit appearing in elegant historical dramas as he is in cult movies and horror films. A native of Yorkshire, he has a fine bone structure, striking blonde hair, and an eloquent speaking voice. Sands studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London and joined the Forum Theatre Company. He made his film debut in
Derek Jarman's
Broken English but stayed working in the theater until his breakthrough film performance as photographer Jon Swain in
Roland Joffé's
The Killing Fields. He paid his dues with some routine U.K. films (
Oxford Blues,
After Darkness) until he landed the role of free-spirited George Emerson in the Merchant-Ivory production
A Room With a View. He entered the realm of sexualized horror films as poet Percy Shelley in
Ken Russell's
Gothic. This role seemed to lead straightaway to his title role in
Warlock, followed by Warlock: The Armageddon. Briefly returning to historical costume dramas to portray composer
Franz Liszt in James Lapine's lavish
Impromptu, Sands was back to creepy, sexual thrillers like
Mary Lambert's
Siesta and
David Cronenberg's
Naked Lunch. He also found time to play a few doctors in the
Cyndi Lauper movie
Vibes and in
Steven Spielberg's
Arachnophobia. After playing the sexually submissive surgeon in the critically dismissed drama
Boxing Helena, he made a quick recovery in
Paul Schrader's made-for-TV detective film
Witch Hunt. Back in the U.K., he formed a close working relationship with director
Mike Figgis and found roles in
The Browning Version,
Leaving Las Vegas,
One Night Stand,
The Loss of Sexual Innocence,
Timecode, and
Hotel. Meanwhile, he made a few films in Italy, most notably as the Phantom in
Dario Argento's
The Phantom of the Opera. In 2002, he was cast in the epic miniseries
Rose Red and
Napoleon. Not one to shy away from middle-brow genres, Sands can be also seen as the bad guy in the
Jackie Chan movie
The Medallion and as the voice of Valmont on the
Jackie Chan Adventures animated series. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide