Posted in: CW, TV | Tagged: buffy, buffy the vampire slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ted Lasso Star Anthony Head Dies, Age 72

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso star Anthony Head has died at the age of 72, with his daughters Emily and Daisy confirming his passing.

Published Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:35:10 -0500

by Ray Flook

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Article Summary

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso star Anthony Head has died at 72, his daughters Emily and Daisy confirmed.
Head passed away peacefully from pneumonia complications, surrounded by family, according to a statement to BBC News.
Buffy fans remember Anthony Head best as Rupert Giles, the beloved Watcher and Sunnydale mentor for seven seasons.
Beyond Buffy, Head earned recent acclaim as Rupert Mannion, Rebecca Welton’s manipulative ex on Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso.

The entertainment world is in shock over the news that Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso star Anthony Head has died at the age of 72. "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our extraordinary father," Head's daughters, Emily and Daisy, said in a statement to BBC News. "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." The two noted that the British actor "passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family."

Born on February 20, 1954, Headd would go on to have an acclaimed career in live theater, film, and television over the course of his nearly 50-year professional career. But two roles, in particular, still resonate with fans across the pop culture universe. Head would go on to play Sunnydale High Librarian/Watcher Rupert Giles for seven seasons of Sarah Michelle Gellar-starring Buffy the Vampire Slayer, running from 1997 to 2003. Recently, Head made headlines as Rupert Mannion, the spiteful and manipulative ex-husband of Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) on Apple TV's Ted Lasso, starring Jason Sudeikis.

"I went to them with having read it, I said at the time – this has been quoted many times, but it's true – that I'd just seen 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' on the plane coming over, and I was very aware that Hugh Grant sort of cut a sexy figure at the time as this slightly bumbling, bookish man. And at the same time, there was a little bit of Alan Rickman in it – and quite a lot of Prince Charles, really – so I sort of said, 'Look, this is where I see it. Am I on the right lines?' and they said, 'Yes.' I said, 'Which would you prefer? Would you prefer the sort of Alan Rickman, or the Hugh Grant?' And they said, 'Well, give it a bit of both,'" Head shared during an interview in 2012, explaining how Giles's look came to be.

Head is survived by Emily and Daisy, with his long-term partner, Sarah Fisher, having passed in 2025.

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