Entertainment News

‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ actor Anthony Head dies at 72

Anthony Head attends the launch of a new attraction based on the hit BBC One drama series at Warwick Castle on April 13, 2011, in Warwick, Warwickshire. (Tony Woolliscroft/WireImage via Getty Images)

Anthony Head, the British actor known for his roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso, has died, the Associated Press reported Friday. He was 72.

His daughters, Emily Head and Daisy Head, told the Press Association news agency that their father died due to complications from pneumonia.

“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,” Emily Head and Daisy Head said in a statement. “How lucky we are to know we are able to watch him doing what he loved, even when he is no longer with us.”

Anthony Head was born in London on Feb. 20, 1954. He was predeceased by his longtime partner, animal welfare activist Sarah Fisher, in 2025.

The actor is known for his role as librarian Rupert Giles, who mentored Sarah Michelle Gellar’s titular character in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series ran from 1997 to 2003.

He is also known for playing Rupert Mannion, the ex-husband of Hannah Waddingham’s Rebecca, in the Apple TV comedy series Ted Lasso.

ABC News has reached out to Anthony Head’s representatives for confirmation. 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Andy Austin

Andy Austin here and thank you for clicking! It’s great to be back in Sanford after 25 years. Growing up here, I’ve spent the majority of my working life in radio. Had it not been for Media Technology at the Sanford Vocation Center and the doors that opened soon after, there’s no telling where I would have gone. With Seacoast Oldies, it’s a pleasure to help serve the community through the power and messaging of radio. Aside from broadcasting, I’ve worked extensively with NASCAR in various roles, but my real passion is cycling. Road, gravel, and fat tire cycling make up a lot of the time I spend outdoors. My girlfriend Heather and I have two rescue animals in Brandon the cat and Ollie Walter the Bernedoodle.

Related Articles

Back to top button
Album art
ON AIR NOW
Reelin' In the Years
Steely Dan