British actor Julian Sands identified as hiker missing in California

However, those efforts have been suspended since Saturday because of conditions on the trail and the risk of avalanches. Rescuers are using helicopters and drones until ground searches can resume, Huerta added.

Sands’s agent did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Thursday.

In a separate statement issued Wednesday morning, the sheriff’s department said two hikers had died in falls on or around the Mount Baldy area over the past month amid “extremely dangerous” conditions on the mountain, which is about 40 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

In total, rescuers had launched 14 search operations for lost, stranded or injured hikers over the previous four weeks, the statement said, noting that snow had turned to ice amid high winds. Bad weather and avalanche conditions have hampered any search and rescue efforts, the statement said, adding: “The recent storms that brought the snow and ice conditions are not favorable for hikers, even those that feel they have a high level of experience.”

Sands starred opposite Helena Bonham Carter in the 1985 romance “A Room With a View.” He appeared in other films including “The Killing Fields,” “Boxing Helena” and “Leaving Las Vegas,” as well as the series “24.”