Anthony Head, best known for his role as Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has died.

The British actor Anthony Head, a familiar face from the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso, has died at the age of 72. His daughters, Emily and Daisy Head, announced his passing in a statement to the BBC. The actor died peacefully, surrounded by his family, after complications related to pneumonia.

Born in London in 1954, Anthony Head kicked off his stage career, notably starring in the musical Godspell in the late 1970s. Before being recognized for his big-screen TV roles, he rose to become a household name in the UK thanks to a string of commercials aired between 1987 and 1993.

His international fame arrived with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the series aired from 1997 to 2003. In it he portrays Rupert Giles, the librarian and mentor to Buffy Summers, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. This role left a lasting mark on his career and cemented him among the most recognizable TV figures of the 1990s.

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Anthony Head went on to build a prolific career on British and international television. He appeared in Little Britain, Manchild, and Merlin, where he portrays the king Uther Pendragon. More recently, he played Rupert Mannion, former owner of AFC Richmond, in the series Ted Lasso. He has also worked in film, including Scoop, The Iron Lady, and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.

Anthony Head, the younger brother of singer Murray Head, has also dabbled in music, first as a backing singer and later with his own albums, including Music for Elevators and Staring at the Sun. His career, spanning theatre, television, film and music, has established him as a regular presence in British and American productions.

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