Last reviewed: 5 June 2026
Anthony Head, the British actor best known for playing Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has died. Reports emerged on 5 June 2026. He was 72.
## Who was Anthony Head? Anthony Stewart Head was a British stage and screen actor born on 20 February 1954 in Camden, London. He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. His career spanned television, film and theatre across five decades. He was widely recognised for the following roles:
- Rupert Giles - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003, The WB/UPN)
- Uther Pendragon - Merlin (2008-2012, BBC One)
- Richard Elton - Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
- Mr Attwell - The Inbetweeners (2010, Channel 4)
- Various stage roles at the National Theatre and in the West End
He is the father of actors Emily Head and Daisy Head, both of whom have worked in British television. ## What has been reported? Search interest for Anthony Head surged on 5 June 2026, exceeding 200,000 searches in the UK within hours. The search terms included "anthony head death", "anthony head cause of death" and "anthony head illness". Reports referenced his partner Sarah Fisher. No official cause of death had been confirmed in public statements as of the time of publication. ## His connection to Ted Lasso Head appeared in Ted Lasso, the Apple TV+ comedy-drama series, playing the fictional AFC Richmond chairman. The series ran from 2020 and attracted a global audience.
