Anthony Head, the British actor best known for portraying Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Rupert Mannion in Ted Lasso, has died at age 72.
Head died from complications related to pneumonia and passed away peacefully while surrounded by family, according to a statement released Friday by his daughters, actresses Emily Head and Daisy Head.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our extraordinary father, Anthony Head,” Emily and Daisy Head said in a statement to the Press Association.
The sisters said it was “an honour and a privilege” to be his daughters and witness the impact he had on audiences throughout his decades-long career.
“Our grief is far greater than the hole he has left behind,” they said in the statement. “How lucky we are to know we are able to watch him doing what he loved, even when he is no longer with us.”
Head became a household name in the late 1990s through his role as Rupert Giles, Buffy Summers’ trusted mentor and Watcher in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The role made him a fan favorite and helped launch him to international recognition.
He later appeared in a wide range of television and film projects, including Ted Lasso, where he portrayed former AFC Richmond owner Rupert Mannion. His other notable credits included Merlin, Little Britain, Doctor Who, Motherland, Silent Witness, The Inbetweeners, Persuasion, The Iron Lady and Manchild.
Before his acting career took off internationally, Head gained fame in the United Kingdom during the 1980s as one half of the popular Nescafé Gold Blend television advertising campaign alongside actress Sharon Maughan.
In 2018, he joined the cast of the long-running BBC Radio 4 drama The Archers as Robin Fairbrother.
Head’s death comes just months after the loss of his longtime partner, animal welfare advocate Sarah Fisher, who died in December 2025 at age 61.
His passing also follows several recent losses connected to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer family. Nicholas Brendan, who portrayed Buffy sidekick Xander, died in March at the age of 54. Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s younger sister Dawn Summers, died in February 2025 at age 39.
Head is survived by his daughters, Emily and Daisy Head.
He leaves behind a television legacy that spanned more than four decades and earned him generations of devoted fans on both sides of the Atlantic.
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