Natalya Morley Sands is one of the three children of Julian Sands, a British actor who starred in movies such as A Room with a View, The Killing Fields, Warlock, Leaving Las Vegas, and Arachnophobia. Unlike her father, who became a period-piece phenomenon and a Hollywood star, Natalya pursued a different path and studied literature at Bard College. She also stayed away from the limelight and kept a low profile. Here are some facts about Natalya and her family.
Natalya’s Parents and Siblings
Natalya was born in August 1996 to Julian Sands and Evgenia Citkowitz, an author and the daughter of the late Anglo-Irish socialite Lady Caroline Blackwood and American composer Israel Citkowitz. Natalya has an older brother, Henry Sands, who was born in 1985 from Julian’s first marriage to British journalist Sarah Harvey Sands. The couple divorced in 1987 after dating for more than a decade. Natalya also has a younger sister, Imogen Morley Sands, who was born in December 1999.
Julian and Evgenia married in 1990 and have been together ever since. The actor was fiercely protective of his family and rarely spoke about his wife or children in interviews. In a 2019 interview with The Guardian, Julian was asked how he “would like to be remembered” and replied, “As an interesting, amusing father by my children.” He also said that love felt like “being exquisitely alive.”
Natalya’s Education and Career
Natalya attended Bard College, a private liberal arts college in New York, where she graduated in 2018. She wrote a literature project titled “The Conspiracy of Silence: Power and Betrayal in Pinter, Chekov, and Shakespeare.” According to Bard College, the project explored “how silence functions as a tool of manipulation and resistance in the works of three playwrights.”
It is not clear what Natalya is doing after graduation, but she seems to have inherited her mother’s passion for writing. Evgenia is the author of two books: The Shades, a novel about a family haunted by a tragic accident, and Ether, a collection of short stories. She has also written for various publications, such as The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and The Times Literary Supplement.
Natalya’s Reaction to Her Father’s Roles
Natalya grew up watching her father play various roles on the screen, some of them dark and demonic. For example, Julian portrayed Gerald Crane, a serial killer who experimented on people’s fears, on the TV series Gotham. He also played Jor-El, Superman’s biological father, on Smallville, and Lord Olivier, a vampire elder, on The Medici: Masters of Florence.
When Julian landed the role of Gerald Crane on Gotham, Natalya and her siblings felt a little anxious. Not because she was a fan of comic books, but because her dad was set to play another evil character. In a previous interview, he revealed her reaction was “more a ‘Here we go again,’ sort of thing,” rather than an “Oh Dad, what are you up to now?” Despite Natalya’s reaction, she is undoubtedly proud to see her father’s talent on the screen.
Natalya’s Father’s Disappearance and Death
Sadly, Natalya and her family had to face a tragic loss in 2023, when Julian disappeared while hiking Southern California’s snowy Mount Baldy on January 13. His family reported him missing around 7:30 p.m. local time, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department launched a search and rescue operation. However, due to trail conditions and the risk of avalanche, the ground crews were pulled off the mountain on January 15.
The search continued by helicopter and drones when weather permitted, but there was no sign of Julian. On January 18, the sheriff’s department announced that Julian’s body was found near the summit of Mount Baldy. The cause of death was not revealed, but it was suspected that he succumbed to hypothermia or a fall. Julian was 65 years old.
Natalya and her family expressed their gratitude to the search teams and their grief over Julian’s death in a statement released by the sheriff’s department. “Our heartfelt thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian, not least the heroic search teams listed below who are braving difficult conditions on the ground and in the air to bring Julian home,” the statement read.
“We are devastated by his loss and ask for privacy at this very difficult time. Julian was a brilliant actor, a loving husband and father, and a passionate adventurer. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him,” the statement continued.
Natalya Morley Sands is a young woman who has a bright future ahead of her. She has a rich heritage, a supportive family, and a love for literature. She may not have followed her father’s footsteps in the entertainment industry, but she has certainly inherited his intelligence, creativity, and spirit.