Friends of the missing Julian Sands expressed their hopes and concerns as the search continues for an actor who disappeared in the San Gabriel Mountains California almost three weeks ago.

Hiking partner and fellow actor Kevin Ryan, who met Sands on the set of Crossbones in 2014, said Sands was the most advanced hiker he knew and wouldn’t go unprepared.

He said: “He’s extremely knowledgeable and I hope he’s holed up somewhere and can survive.”

Ryan said the severe weather was “one that Julian would take as a challenge”.

However, he admitted that “every day that goes by creates more and more pressure and, I guess, brings a lot of doubt.”

Family and friends expressed their concern in the media over the past few days as search teams report less progress.

Sands’ brother, Nick, said: “He’s been missing so far. He hasn’t been left to die yet, but I know deep down that he’s gone.”

Actor Julian Sands, 65, was an avid climber familiar with the San Gabriel Mountains

Sands’ brother added: “When he was in Los Angeles, Mount Baldy was his favorite place. I went there as much as I could.

Julian liked to say, “I’ve never been on vacation, but I do take a break now and then.”

“Well, now he’s resting in a place he’d really approve of.”

Father of three children who is known for appearances in The Killing Fields, Arachnophobia, 24, and Smallville., went missing around 7.30pm on Friday 13th January after failing to return from a hike up Mt Baldy.

This was previously reported by the county sheriff’s department ping from the actor’s phone he appeared to be on the move, heading further into the Baldy Bowl mountain area on the day he was reported missing.

Police also obtained vital phone records showing the West Yorkshire-born actor was still on the move on Sunday January 15, but they have been unable to pick up a signal since then due to a dead battery.

Adverse weather conditions in the area hampered the search as ground crews were called off.

The aerial search resumed last week when conditions improved.

Julian Sands (right) and wife Yevgenia Titkovits during a screening of the HBO series “Witch Hunt”

Sands and Helena Bonham Carter on the set of the award-winning 1985 film A Room with a View

Sands’ first major production was 1984’s The Killing Fields, an acclaimed historical drama about the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia (pictured with John Malkovich)

Authorities said there was no hard-and-fast end to the search, but high winds delayed it until the week of Jan. 23.

Two weeks after his disappearance, his brother Nick told reporters: “I’m the most positive person and at first I thought he must have been holed up in a cave just hiding from the weather; that he would leave when he got better.

“He is an enthusiastic, experienced tourist. He set out on Friday, January 13, with an ice ax, cats and a day’s worth of food. They were waiting for him at home in the evening.”

He added: “He took a risk. He was always like that: wild, extreme, adventurous; never limited by rules or boundaries. He is happiest at the top of the mountain on a cold morning.’

Sands’ family publicly praised the efforts of California authorities as the search entered its third week.

In a statement released by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, they said: “We extend our sincere thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian, and last but not least to the heroic search teams listed below who are braving the difficult conditions at land and air to bring Julian home.’

“We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support,” the statement said.

Julian Sands is married to Evgenia Tsitkovits, a journalist, and has three children.

His wife first reported him missing when he did not return from a hike on January 13.

Earlier, the sheriff’s department warned hikers to “think twice and heed warnings” as weather conditions worsened in the area.

The other tourist, Jin Chung, 75, went missing on Mount Baldy later in January.

Chang hiked alone on one of the difficult routes at 6 a.m. and did not meet his friends at the bus station in the car at 2 p.m.

Police said the search will continue.