Julian Sands was born in Otley, the Yorkshire region of England. He was classically trained in drama at the Lord Wandsworth College in Hampshire and the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.  He joined London’s Forum Theatre Company and was active with stage work, while filming supporting roles in Derek Jarman’s short “Broken English,” Roland Joffe’s Academy Award-winning “The Killing Fields,” “Oxford Blues” and “After Darkness.”

In 1985, Sands was cast as the lead in “A Room with a View,” which was a Golden Globe and Oscar-nominee for Best Picture. Sands explored comedies like “Vibes” and “Arachnophobia,” but had tapped into what would be a popular genre for his particular look — the stylized sexual horror film. He played author Percy Shelly in “Gothic” and explored the realm of demons in “Siesta,” “Warlock” and “Warlock: The Armageddon.”  Sands played composer Franz Liszt in “Impromptu,” before associating himself with several films which gained attention for their controversial natures — David Cronenberg’s “Naked Lunch” and “Boxing Helena.”

In 1994, Sands began a relationship with director Mike Figgis, appearing “The Browning Version,” “The Loss of Sexual Innocence” and his Academy Award-winning film “Leaving Las Vegas” before following Figgis into cutting edge directorial territory.  Sands appeared in the technically ambitious “Timecode,” which was shot with four cameras simultaneously and presented in four quadrants on one screen.

In 1998, Sands worked with director Dario Argento on the Italian filmed version of “Phantom of the Opera” before TV roles began to take up his schedule. He began a string of one-offs and recurring roles on series such as “The L Word,” “Stargate SG-1,” and “Law & Order: SVU”.  In 2006, Sands was cast as the villainous Vladimir Bierko in the series “24.”

Sands will next be seen in David Fincher’s “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,” based on the popular book trilogy.

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