Mr. Head\u2019s breakout came when he was cast as Rupert Giles in \u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer,\u201d the unexpected supernatural hit starring Sarah Michelle Gellar that ran from 1997 to 2003.<\/p>\n
In the show, Giles was the fussy librarian at Sunnydale High School. But his real job was as Buffy\u2019s \u201cwatcher,\u201d appointed by a mysterious council to guide the young vampire slayer.<\/p>\n
While auditioning for \u201cBuffy,\u201d Mr. Head pitched playing the role with the persona of Hugh Grant\u2019s character in \u201cFour Weddings and a Funeral,\u201d Prince Charles or as Alan Rickman \u201cin his more decisive moments,\u201d Mr. Head said in a 2001 interview with The Evening Standard. Joss Whedon, the show\u2019s creator, liked all of the ideas \u2014 so Giles became a combination of the three.<\/p>\n
The nebbishy charm of the performance endeared Mr. Head to audiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt opened the door to work internationally,\u201d Mr. Head told the British tabloid Metro in 2013<\/a>.<\/p>\n The coming decades would allow Mr. Head to show a wide range of performing abilities. That included a Tony Blair-inspired prime minister on the comedy series \u201cLittle Britain.\u201d In one episode, Mr. Head wore a black pouch and wielded a feather duster.<\/p>\n \u201cI did feel sorry for my children because they had to go into school the next day,\u201d Mr. Head said in an interview with The Guardian in 2008.<\/a><\/p>\n Mr. Head noted the difference between the parts to Metro.<\/p>\n \u201cThey couldn\u2019t be more different but it kept people guessing,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can very easily get pigeonholed in this business. It afforded me massive amounts of choice in terms of what I\u2019m asked to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional roles included Uther Pendragon on \u201cMerlin,\u201d David Whele in the science fiction show \u201cDominion\u201d and Lord Sheffield on an episode of \u201cBridgerton.\u201d<\/p>\n The most high profile recent role came when he landed a part on \u201cTed Lasso,\u201d the Apple TV comedy that won legions of fans during the height of the pandemic. Mr. Head played the recurring character of Rupert Mannion, the smarmy former owner of A.F.C. Richmond, who lost the team to his ex-wife in a divorce.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a particularly unpleasant character and a complete narcissist, but you know where he\u2019s coming from,\u201d Mr. Head told The Guardian in 2021. \u201cTo make somebody believable, you have to see their point of view. You don\u2019t need to like them, but you have to be on board with what\u2019s driving them.\u201d<\/p>\n Anthony Stewart Head was born on Feb. 20, 1954, in London. His mother, Helen Shingler, was best known for portraying Madame Maigret in the BBC detective series \u201cMaigret\u201d from 1960 to 1963. His father, Seafield Head, was a documentary filmmaker.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople think that must have made it easier for me to become an actor, but actually, that\u2019s nonsense,\u201d Mr. Head told The Guardian in 2016<\/a>. \u201cMy mother said, \u2018Well, if you must.\u2019 And my father said I needed to have a second string to my bow, so if I didn\u2019t succeed at acting, I\u2019d have something else I could do. Bless his heart, he was fairly controlling.\u201d<\/p>\n His father did hire him to be an assistant editor on some projects as a teenager. Working in cutting rooms, Mr. Head recalled to The Guardian in 2021, \u201cwas fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n This is partly what led Mr. Head to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. One of his most formative experiences, he said, was seeing Tim Curry in the musical \u201cThe Rocky Horror Show\u201d while in drama school as a teenager. He told The Guardian that it \u201cignited something in my core.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew I had acting in my blood because of my mother. Now I couldn\u2019t wait to finish drama school and try to make it in the real world,\u201d Mr. Head recalled.<\/p>\n Early in his career, Mr. Head starred in a West End revival of the musical \u201cGodspell\u201d in 1978, which led to bit parts in television shows.<\/p>\n But in the mid-1980s Mr. Head won fans for several years as the centerpiece of a campaign by the instant coffee brand Nescafe, alongside the actress Sharon Maughan. He recalled that role, at first, may have stopped him getting more satisfying acting parts.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I was tainted by it but my agent did say someone had said: \u2018This is a serious drama. We don\u2019t want people reaching for their coffee jars,\u2019\u201d Mr. Head told The Guardian in 2001. \u201cBut America is less snobbish about commercials.\u201d<\/p>\n His brother is the actor Murray Head, who played Bob Elkin in the 1971 Oscar-nominated film \u201cSunday Bloody Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Head\u2019s longtime partner, Sarah Fisher, an animal-rights activist, died last year. Both of their daughters, Emily Head and Daisy Head, are also actors. In the 2008 mini-series \u201cThe Invisibles,\u201d Mr. Head performed alongside Emily, his eldest daughter.<\/p>\n \u201cFor an actor it\u2019s a real joy for the emotions you are feeling to be real. You are not having to think,\u201d Mr. Head recalled to The Guardian in the 2008 interview<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ve got these great scenes when Emily starts to twig who I am. I\u2019d look into her eyes and I\u2019d start to well up.\u201d<\/p>\n Sopan Deb<\/p>\n Breaking news reporter<\/p>\n Writing Anthony Head\u2019s obituary really drove home just how incredibly versatile he was. Long before “Buffy,” he was a famous coffee pitchman, yet he was equally at home on the West End stage. He could pivot from comedy to posh, to absolute villainy like we saw in “Ted Lasso.” He might not have been a traditional household name, but to sci-fi fans and TV lovers, his presence was distinct and unforgettable.What was your favorite role of his? Drop your memories in the comments.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n I also remember him going toe to toe with David Tennant on opposite sides of the school swimming pool in the Doctor Who episode School Reunion. Truly amazing acting from both of them.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cropped-38ae79692b0fbc4a6c19500207b931bfd0b6e737ed4bf7f22d75fb4cd29622cec9472866.png\")
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