Buffy The Vampire Slayer actor Anthony Head dies at 72, daughters confirm
Star of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Anthony Head has died, his daughters have confirmed.
British actor Anthony Head - best known for his roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso - has died at the age of 72. The star’s daughters, Emily and Daisy Head, confirmed he had passed away “peacefully” following complications after suffering pneumonia.
Anthony was best known as librarian Rupert Giles in cult US supernatural TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, where he starred alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar between 1997 and 2003.
He also recently shot to fame among a new generation of TV fans through his role as former Richmond FC owner Rupert Mannion, the ex-husband of Hannah Waddingham’s character Rebecca, in football comedy Ted Lasso. Other notable roles included as the Prime Minister in Little Britain and Uther Pendragon in Merlin, the father of Prince Arthur.
His daughters said he was an “extraordinary father”, and went on: “He passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family. 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.
“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.”
Ted Lasso co-star and writer on the show, Brett Goldstein, paid tribute to Head as “infinitely charming and kind and fun and a joy”. “Anthony Head was a brilliant actor who played the worst person in the world, which was an incredible skill because he was the best person,” he said. “He will be sorely missed. Love to his family.”
Award-winning screenwriter and producer, Russell T Davies, remembered Head as an “absolute delight” and in a lengthy tribute, recalled their time working together on shows including Doctor Who and Merlin. Davies wrote: “He spoke always about his daughters with such love and joy, what a wonderful dad. Love and sympathy to Emily, Daisy, family and friends, he’ll be missed and remembered across the world. Good night, sir.”
Known for his distinctive baritone voice, Head first rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s in the Nescafe Gold Blend television adverts as one half of the ‘couple’, alongside Sharon Maughan, who began a slow-burning romance over a cup of coffee. The ads, which ran from 1987 to 1993, are still cited among the best-known examples of serialised advertising.
Head’s role in Buffy made him famous in the United States, but he left the regular cast during the show’s sixth season, only appearing as a guest star until the series concluded. He also acted in Motherland, Manchild, Silent Witness, Spooks, Doctor Who and My Family, as well as the film Repo! The Genetic Opera.
In July 2018, he joined the cast of BBC Radio 4 long-running drama The Archers, playing Robin Fairbrother. He was also a singer, appearing in the West End and recording music, including the album of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode, as well as solo endeavours.
Head’s long-time partner, animal welfare campaigner Sarah Fisher, died in December 2025 aged 61. Fisher was an ambassador for Battersea Dogs And Cats Home and patron of Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary.
Their daughters, Emily and Daisy, are both actresses, with Emily best known for her role as Carli D’Amato in E4 sitcom The Inbetweeners, while Daisy has appeared in TV shows including Harlots, Shadow And Bone and The Gray House.
His brother, Murray Head, is also an actor, best known for his role in the Oscar-nominated 1971 film Sunday Bloody Sunday, and for singing the 1984 single One Night In Bangkok from the musical Chess.