{"id":212870,"date":"2026-06-06T10:34:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T10:34:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/anthony-head-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-and-ted-lasso-actor-dies-at-72-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T10:34:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T10:34:50","slug":"anthony-head-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-and-ted-lasso-actor-dies-at-72-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/anthony-head-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-and-ted-lasso-actor-dies-at-72-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Anthony Head, \u2018Buffy the Vampire Slayer\u2019 and \u2018Ted Lasso\u2019 actor, dies at 72 – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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British actor Anthony Head,<\/a> known to generations of American TV viewers through polar opposite characters named Rupert on \u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer\u201d and \u201cTed Lasso,\u201d has died<\/a>, his family said Friday.
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He was 72.
Head \u201cpassed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family,\u201d according to a statement from the actor\u2019s daughters, Emily and Daisy Head.
U.S. television watchers best know him as the father-like mentor Rupert Giles of the supernatural action dramedy \u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer,\u201d alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan.
Only Gellar, Hannigan and Nicholas Brendon appeared in more \u201cBuffy\u201d episodes than Head between 1997 and 2003.
Gellar, who played Buffy, mourned the death of Head in an Instagram post, using a quote from the show: \u201c\u2018Tell Giles I figured it out and I\u2019m ok\u2019 Well I don\u2019t have it figured out and I\u2019m not ok. But I know I\u2019m the lucky one because I knew you.\u201d
\u201cThank you to Daisy and Emily who not only shared their dad with me, but with the world,\u201d Gellar wrote.
\u201cAnthony was a pillar in the Buffy universe and his kindness and sense of humor brought great energy to the set,\u201d \u201cBuffy\u201d castmate David Boreanaz, who went on to star in the spinoff \u201cAngel,\u201d said in a statement to NBC News. \u201cPrayers go out to his family.\u201d
In recent years, Head turned heel as the philandering soccer club owner Rupert Mannion in the Emmy-winning comedy \u201cTed Lasso.\u201d He played the foil to protagonists Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham from 2020 to 2023.
\u201cTed Lasso\u201d writer and castmate Brett Goldstein, who plays Roy Kent, said the on-screen jerk Head played couldn\u2019t have been further from the actor in real life.
\u201cAnthony Head was a brilliant actor who played the worst person in the world which was an incredible skill because he was the best person,\u201d Goldstein wrote on Instagram<\/a>.
\u201cInfinitely charming and kind and fun and a joy. He will be sorely missed. Love to his family.\u201d
Before coming to America, Head had a long and successful career in the United Kingdom with a background in both drama and comedy.
He appeared on \u201cLittle Britain,\u201d a sketch show skewering U.K. culture that ran from 2003 and 2006, to frequently parody his dramatic persona.
\u201cI am very sad indeed to learn of the passing of Tony Head,\u201d \u201cLittle Britain\u201d creator Matt Lucas said in a statement, <\/a>posted on X.
\u201cWhen we were casting Little Britain, we were looking for a \u2018Tony Head-type\u2019, because we never imagined for a moment that the man himself would be interested, but he was. Lucky us. He was unfailingly brilliant, and always so kind and warm. My heart goes out to Daisy and Emily.\u201d <\/strong>
Perhaps less known among his American TV fans, Head might be one of the the U.K\u2019s most famous pitchmen.
From 1987 to 1993, he appeared in a highly stylized series of TV ads for Nescaf\u00e9 Gold Blend instant coffee.
He and Sharon Maughan, \u201cthe Gold Blend couple,\u201d played neighbors who flirted over instant coffee. Their spots ended in romantic cliffhangers and became a British cultural sensation.
Anthony Stewart Head was born on Feb. 20, 1954, the son of documentary filmmaker Seafield Head<\/a> and actor Helen Shingler,<\/a> whose brother is \u201cOne Night in Bangkok\u201d<\/a> singer Murray Head.
With acting clearly in his blood, Head trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before launching into his long stage and screen career.
Head\u2019s heartbroken loved ones said they\u2019re grateful the actor\u2019s work will always be remembered.
\u201cOur 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,\u201d according to the statement from his daughters.
\u201cHow lucky we are to know we are able to watch him doing what he loved, even when he is no longer with us.\u201d
Samantha Cookinham is an NBC News assignment editor.
Senior Breaking News Reporter
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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news AlertsThere are no new alerts at this timeBritish actor Anthony Head, known to generations of American TV viewers through polar opposite characters named Rupert on \u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer\u201d and \u201cTed Lasso,\u201d has died, his family said Friday.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.He was 72.Head […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":212871,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-212870","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-us","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212870\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}