Julian Sands

Born: January 15 1958
Where: Otley, Yorkshire, UK

The Yorkshireman is equally at home in period pieces or contemporary dramas playing either heroes or villains.

An early star of Merchant-Ivory adaptations he has gone on to specialise in darker characters (he lost out to the part of Lestat in Interview with a Vampire to Tom Cruise).

After acting in passion plays aged six, Sands attended London's Central School of Speech and Drama and landed a part in the TV series A Married Man.

He first received attention as photographer Jon Swain in The Killing Fields and achieved star status opposite Helena Bonham Carter in James Ivory's EM Forster adaptation A Room with a View.

After writing to director Ken Russell, he was offered the key role of the poet Shelley in the movie Gothic.

Next up was an over-the-top performance in the camp horror film Warlock and its inevitable sequel Warlock: The Armgageddon.

Sands also starred alongside Jeff Daniels and John Goodman in the creepy-crawly horror Arachnophobia.

He went on to offer strong supporting performances as an overweight junkie in David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch and as composer Franz Liszt in James Lepine's Impromptu.

Sands also appeared as Elisabeth Shue's abusive pimp in Mike Figgis' acclaimed Leaving Las Vegas.

Subsequent appearances included Never Ever, Mercy, Timecode and Hotel.

He starred in the forgettable World War Two romantic drama The Scoundrel's Wife and played the evil Snakehead in lacklustre Jackie Chan vehicle The Medallion.

Sands is married to Guinness heiress Evgenia Citkowitz.