“It has been, and forever will be, an honour and a privilege to be his daughters, and to have witnessed firsthand the impact both he and his work have had on so many. We know how dearly he will be missed by friends, colleagues, and fans of the shows he was in – he loved his job very much, and he always considered himself incredibly lucky, to have been able to work alongside such exceptionally talented people, in such wonderful productions, across a career that spanned several decades.
His daughters, Daisy and Emily Head, praised his career and asked for privacy after his death. Photo / Getty Images
“Our grief is far greater than the hole he has left behind, but we know his legacy will live on, in the shows he was a part of, and in the audiences that love them. How lucky we are to know we are able to watch him doing what he loved, even when he is no longer with us. We kindly ask that our privacy is respected at this difficult time.”
Born in Camden Town in 1954 to an artistic family, Head studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) before rising to prominence in musical theatre – where he memorably starred as Dr Frank-N-Furter in a West End revival of The Rocky Horror Show.
He became known across households in the UK in the 1980s because of his role in the Nescafé Gold Blend TV adverts.
The campaign featured Head and actress Sharon Maughan as the Gold Blend couple and their will-they- won’t-they love story won a legion of fans and ran from 1987 until 1993.
International stardom followed in 1997 when Head was cast as Rupert Giles, the scholarly librarian and mentor in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As the Watcher to Sarah Michelle Gellar’s titular vampire hunter, Head provided the emotional weight, dry humour and paternal stability that grounded the supernatural hit across seven seasons.
In a versatile career spanning decades, Head also portrayed the commanding King Uther Pendragon in the BBC’s fantasy drama Merlin, and showed his comedic range as the British Prime Minister in the hit sketch show Little Britain.
Head died peacefully of pneumonia complications, surrounded by his family. Photo / Getty Images
More recently, he found a new generation of fans as the villainous billionaire Rupert Mannion in Apple TV+’s award-winning comedy Ted Lasso.
Beyond the screen, Head was a passionate advocate for animal welfare. His death comes just months after the death of his long-term partner, Sarah Fisher, with whom he shared his daughters, The Inbetweeners star Emily and The Gray House actress Daisy.
His other credits included The Iron Lady, Persuasion, The Inbetweeners and Manchild.
– BANG Showbiz