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A helicopter search is under way for missing British actor Julian Sands, as US authorities use mobile phone forensics to try to pinpoint his location.

The 65-year-old was reported missing by his wife a week ago after he failed to return home from a hike in the southern Californian mountains.

Due to evidence of avalanches, ground crews have not been able to continue their efforts, and the area is only being searched via helicopter for now.

Both national and state officials are working with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office to help find Sands, but authorities have said there was still “no time set” for when ground searches will begin.

On Friday, the county sheriff’s department revealed that pings from the actor’s phone appeared to show he had been on the move, heading further into the Baldy Bowl area of the San Gabriel Mountains on the day he was reported missing.

“We are working with state and federal agencies that have cell phone forensics to assist us in pinpointing a location, but so far no new info has been developed,” a spokesperson from the department said.

No date has been set for calling off operations yet, with the incident still being treated as a search and rescue operation.

Mount Baldy residents noted the “extreme” conditions in the area, which has been experiencing freezing temperatures and bad weather in recent days, but said they would not “rule anything out” in the mission to find Sands.

Julian Sands

‘With every step, danger increases’

San Bernardino County Fire Department captain Rodd Mascis said the search for missing hikers was “sadly regular” and could be like finding a “needle in a haystack”.

“It truly is ‘enter at your own risk’,” he added.

“Most people come equipped for the day… but coming up against the elements is very difficult after a couple of days.

“You’ve got to be careful, it’s a beautiful area, but with every step that danger increases.”

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department previously urged hikers to “think twice and heed warnings”, saying its search and rescue teams had responded to 14 calls on Mount Baldy and in the surrounding area over the last four weeks.

Actor Julian Sands and wife Evgenia Citkowitz in California in 2015
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Sands pictured with his wife Evgenia Citkowitz

Who is Julian Sands?

Born in Yorkshire, Sands’ breakout role came as the free-spirited George in the period drama A Room With A View, in which he appeared opposite Helena Bonham Carter.

He later starred in films such as Leaving Las Vegas, Warlock and Arachnophobia,

He has seen success on the small screen too, playing parts in Smallville and 24, with Kiefer Sutherland.

More recently, he played the chief medical officer in the 2021 Jack Lowden and Peter Capaldi-led drama Benediction.

Sands has three children, a son who he shares with former London Evening Standard editor Sarah Sands, and two daughters who he shares with his wife, journalist Evgenia Citkowitz.

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Tom Holland and Zendaya’s engagement confirmed by Spider-Man actor’s dad

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Tom Holland and Zendaya's engagement confirmed by Spider-Man actor's dad

Tom Holland’s dad has confirmed his son’s engagement to Zendaya – revealing how the 28-year-old meticulously planned the proposal.

Zendaya, also 28, sparked engagement rumours when she attended last Sunday’s Golden Globes wearing a sparkling diamond on her ring finger.

Neither star has publicly addressed the rumours but Tom’s comedian father, Dominic Holland, has now confirmed the pair are set to wed.

He wrote in a post on his Patreon account: “Tom, as you know by now was very incredibly well prepared. He had purchased a ring.

“He had spoken with her father and gained permission to propose to his daughter.”

“Tom had everything planned out… When, where, how, what to say, what to wear,” he added.

Zendaya arrives at the 82nd Golden Globes.
Pic: Invision/AP
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Zendaya arrived at the Golden Globes with a noticeable piece of new jewellery. Pic: Invision/AP

Dominic also noted that while most men worry about being able to afford an engagement ring, he suspects his actor son was “more concerned with the stone, its size and clarity, its housing, which jeweller”.

Tom and Zendaya met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016, when they played the titular hero and his love interest MJ, respectively. Their romance was confirmed in 2021.

In his post, Tom’s father admitted fears over whether being in the spotlight could put a strain on the couple’s relationship.

He wrote: “I do fret that their combined stardom will amplify their spotlight and the commensurate demands on them and yet they continually confound me by handling everything with aplomb.”

“And even though show business is a messy place for relationships and particularly so for famous couples as they crash and burn in public and are too numerous to mention […] yet somehow right at the same time, I am completely confident they will make a successful union.”

More entertainment news:
Paris Hilton’s home destroyed in fires
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Zendaya rose to fame after landing a role in Disney sitcom Shake It Up, and became a household name after starring in Euphoria.

Holland – who has starred in three Spider-Man films opposite his now-fiancée – made his stage debut in Billy Elliot the Musical in 2008.

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LA fires: Paris Hilton and Mel Gibson among stars to see homes destroyed in blaze

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LA fires: Paris Hilton and Mel Gibson among stars to see homes destroyed in blaze

Paris Hilton says her “heart has shattered into a million pieces,” after visiting the charred remains of her Malibu beach house which has been destroyed in wildfires sweeping LA.

Describing herself on Instagram as “in complete shock,” the hotel heiress said seeing her family memories “reduced to ashes” was “devastating”.

Meanwhile, Mel Gibson has said the loss of his family home and all his belongings in the fire was “emotional”. It burned down while he was recording the Joe Rogan Experience in Texas.

Follow live: Latest blaze investigated as possible arson

At least 10 people have been killed in the blazes, which have been burning for four days, forcing 179,000 to evacuate their homes. Tens of thousands of acres of land still burning.

The fires affected multiple celebrities, as the fires have ripped through exclusive suburbs in southern California, home to film stars and billionaires.

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Celebrities’ homes have burned down in the LA fires

Hilton, 43, said she watched her home burn to the ground on TV – and shared a video on social media from inside her gutted home.

She said she was grateful to be safe along with her husband Carter Reum and their two children, Phoenix and London, but was devastated to have lost her family home.

She wrote on Instagram: “I’m standing here in what used to be our home, and the heartbreak is truly indescribable.

“When I first saw the news, I was in complete shock – I couldn’t process it. But now, standing here and seeing it with my own eyes, it feels like my heart has shattered into a million pieces.”

She has lived in the multi-million-pound property for three years.

Hilton added: “This house wasn’t just a place to live – it was where we dreamed, laughed, and created the most beautiful memories as a family.

“It was where [son] Phoenix’s little hands made art that I’ll cherish forever, where love and life filled every corner. To see it reduced to ashes… it’s devastating beyond words.

“What breaks my heart even more is knowing that this isn’t just my story. So many people have lost everything. It’s not just walls and roofs – it’s the memories that made those houses homes. It’s the photos, the keepsakes, the irreplaceable pieces of our lives.”

She described herself as “incredibly lucky,” adding: “My loved ones, my babies, and my pets are safe. That’s the most important thing”.

She thanked the firefighters, first responders and volunteers who she said were “all risking their lives” to help, adding “Even in the ashes, there is still beauty in this world”.

Water is dropped by helicopter on the burning Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills.
Pic: AP
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Water dropped by helicopter on the burning Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills. Pic: AP

Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
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The West Hills section of Los Angeles. Pic: AP

‘When I got home, it wasn’t there’

Braveheart star Mel Gibson, who was away when the fires began, told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas Reports that the home he had lived in for over a decade had burned while he was appearing on an episode of the Joe Rogan podcast.

The 69-year-old actor said it was “emotional” to know all his belongings have been lost, but he was doing his best to stay positive.

He said he felt “relieved from the burden of my stuff, because it’s all in cinders”.

Gibson, who lived in his Hollywood home with his partner Rosalind Ross and their seven-year-old son Lars, described finding out about the loss of his house.

“I was doing the Rogan podcast… And [I was] kind of ill at ease while we were talking, because I knew my neighbourhood was on fire, so I thought, I wonder if my place is still there.

“But when I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there. I went home and I said to myself, well, at least I haven’t got any of those pesky plumbing problems anymore.”

Read more:
What caused the ferocious fires and when will they end? Everything we know about the LA wildfires
Furious LA woman challenges California governor over wildfires response

He said the family’s pet chickens had survived the blaze, and while many “personal things from over the years” had been lost, the important things were still there.

“These are only things. And the good news is that those in my family and those I love are all well, and we’re all happy and healthy and out of harm’s way, that’s all I can care about, really.”

LA fires as of Friday morning
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LA fires as of Friday morning

The ancestral home of Big Lebowski actor Jeff Bridges is also understood to have been destroyed.

The four-bedroom home, which had been in the Bridges family for generations, had been inherited by Bridges and his two siblings in 2018 according to the Los Angeles Times.

Tina Knowles, the mother of singer Beyonce, has also lost a house she owned in Malibu to the fires.

Tina Knowles, from left, Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Blue Ivy Carter arrive at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King" on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
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Tina Knowles with Jay-Z, Beyonce and Blue Ivy Carter in December. Pic: AP

She shared a short video of dolphins playing in the sea on Instagram, writing: “This is what I was looking at on my birthday this past weekend from my tiny little bungalow on the water in Malibu! It was my favorite place, my sanctuary, my sacred Happy Place. Now it is gone!!”

She went on to thank the fire department and first responders and offered condolences to others affected by the fires.

Take That star Mark Owen and his family were evacuated from their home, with his wife Emma Ferguson describing them waking to “helicopters, thick black smoke and winds howling”.

She said while she was grateful her family was safe, it was “exhausting” to be “constantly looking online to see if your house is gone.”

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Steve Guttenberg: ‘I’ve seen such tragedy’

Actor Steve Guttenberg, best known for his role in the Police Academy film franchise, has called the fires “absolutely the worst” he’s ever seen, and has been doing what he can to help distressed residents.

Other stars to have lost their homes in the fires include Billy Crystal, Miles Teller, Diane Waren, Ricki Lake, Cary Elwes, Milo Ventimiglia, Anna Faris, Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag.

On Friday, the Recording Academy, which runs the Grammy Awards, and charity MusiCares have pledged $1m (£813,000) to support music artists impacted by the fires.

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis has pledged the same amount to fire relief efforts from her family foundation.

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Alec Baldwin files lawsuit against prosecutors in fatal Rust shooting case

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Alec Baldwin files lawsuit against prosecutors in fatal Rust shooting case

Alec Baldwin has filed a lawsuit against prosecutors who pursued a criminal charge against him after the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.

The Hollywood actor, who was the lead actor and co-producer of the Western film, was pointing a gun at Ms Hutchins when it fired in October 2021.

The cinematographer was killed and director Joel Souza was wounded.

Baldwin, 66, was accused of involuntary manslaughter but his trial was upended in July when a judge threw the case out based on the misconduct of police and prosecutors over the withholding of ammunition evidence from the defence.

He has now filed a lawsuit for malicious prosecution and civil rights violations against those involved in pursuing the charge.

The lawsuit alleges that prosecutors intentionally concealed evidence that would absolve Baldwin from blame and “sought at every turn to scapegoat” him to “maliciously bring about or advance” the actor’s trial and conviction.

It claims the defendants, which include special prosecutor Kari Morrissey and Santa Fe district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, were “blinded by their desire to convict Baldwin for all the wrong reasons”.

In a statement, Ms Morrissey said: “In October 2023 the prosecution team became aware that Mr Baldwin intended to file a retaliatory civil lawsuit.

“We look forward to our day in court.”

Representatives for Ms Carmack-Altwies have been contacted for comment.

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From July 2024: Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey accused of calling Baldwin a ‘c*********’

Baldwin’s lawsuit has been filed less than a month after Ms Morrissey withdrew an appeal over the court’s decision to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor.

After the lawsuit was filed, Baldwin’s lawyers Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro said in a joint statement: “Criminal prosecutions are supposed to be about the search for truth and justice, not to pursue personal or political gain or harass the innocent.

“Kari Morrissey and the other defendants violated that basic principle, over and over, and trampled on Alec Baldwin’s rights.

“We bring this action to hold the defendants accountable for their misconduct and to prevent them from doing this to anyone else.”

Read more:
What next for Alec Baldwin?
Rust premieres three years after fatal shooting
Prosecutors say Baldwin has ‘no control’ of his emotions

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From November 2024: Tributes paid to Halyna Hutchins at Rust premiere

Baldwin had always denied the charge of involuntary manslaughter, maintaining he did not pull the gun’s trigger and that others on the set in New Mexico were responsible for safety checks on the weapon.

If he had been convicted, he could have faced up to 18 months in prison.

According to the prosecution, the actor had behaved recklessly during a scene rehearsal on the set near Santa Fe, playing “make believe with a real gun” and violating “the cardinal rules of firearm safety”.

Baldwin’s defence team argued this was not true – saying he was “an actor, acting” and “committed no crime”.

Following repeated suggestions from defence lawyer Alex Spiro that evidence had been concealed, in an unusual move, Ms Morrissey called herself to the witness stand during the trial, despite the judge telling her she was not required to do so.

Mr Spiro told the court that she had referred to the actor as a “c*********” and an “arrogant p****” to witnesses. Ms Morrissey said she did not recall this.

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