Anthony Head, the British actor best known as librarian Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as former Richmond FC owner Rupert Mannion in Ted Lasso, has died at the age of 72.
In a statement, his daughters Emily and Daisy Head said he "passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family."
"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," part of the statement read.
Head first found fame in the UK in the 1980s as one half of the "Gold Blend couple" in the long-running Nescafe Gold Blend television adverts alongside Sharon Maughan.
The adverts, which aired from 1987 to 1993, turned a slow-burning coffee romance into a cultural touchstone and made his distinctive baritone voice instantly recognisable.
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He achieved international recognition as Giles, the Watcher and school librarian in Joss Whedon’s cult US supernatural drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which ran from 1997 to 2003.
More recently, he appeared in Apple TV+’s football comedy Ted Lasso as the antagonist Rupert Mannion.
His career spanned decades and genres as he played the Prime Minister in Little Britain, Uther Pendragon in BBC’s Merlin, and also appeared in Doctor Who, Spooks, Silent Witness, Motherland, Manchild and My Family.
In July 2018 he joined the cast of BBC Radio 4’s The Archers as Robin Fairbrother.
Beyond screen and radio, Head was a trained singer who performed in the West End and recorded music, including vocals for the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
His long-time partner, animal welfare campaigner Sarah Fisher, died in December 2025 aged 61.
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