Anthony Head Dies: ‘Ted Lasso’ & ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ Actor Was 72

Anthony Head, the British actor famous for his roles in *Ted Lasso* and *Buffy the Vampire Slayer*, passed away on Friday at the age of 72. His daughters, Emily and Daisy, who are also actors, shared the news with BBC News. They said he "died peacefully from complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family."

They added, "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our extraordinary father.

 It has been, and always will be, an honor and a privilege to be his daughters and to have seen the impact he and his work have had on so many people."

Anthony Head was born on February 20, 1954, in Camden Town, London.

 He started his career in musicals in the late 1970s and moved on to TV in the 1980s. He had several big theater roles in the 1990s before becoming widely known as Rupert Giles, the watcher in *Buffy the Vampire Slayer*. He moved to the U.S. for that role and was a main character in the 1997-2003 series, which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar.

He also appeared in several other TV shows and movies, including *Little Britain*, where he played the fictional prime minister; *Persuasion*, where he was Sir Walter Elliot; and *The Iron Lady*, where he portrayed Geoffrey Howe alongside Meryl Streep.

He was in all five seasons of the BBC show *Merlin* as Uther Pendragon and was a regular on the 2014-15 Syfy drama *Dominion* and the 2017 ABC drama *Still Star-Crossed*.

 He also starred in the 2013-15 British sitcom *You, Me & Them* and the 2002-03 BBC dramedy *Manchild*, which was later shown on Showtime in the U.S. He had roles in shows like *Girlfriends* and *Warehouse 13*, along with many other TV projects.

In 2020, he appeared as Rupert Mannion in *Ted Lasso*, the bitter ex-husband of Hannah Waddingham's character, Rebecca Welton.

 He was nominated for a SAG Award in 2024 for his role in the show.

He won the Best Supporting Actor award at the 2016 Prague International Film Festival for his role in the Cold War thriller *Despite the Falling Snow*.

Along with his daughters, he is survived by his brother, Murray Head, who was an actor and singer known for songs like "Superstar" from *Jesus Christ Superstar* and "One Night in Bangkok" from the musical *Chess*.

 Anthony Head's long-term partner, Sarah Fisher, passed away last year.