British actor Anthony Head, beloved by fans for his roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso, has died at the age of 72.
His daughters, actors Emily and Daisy Head, confirmed the heartbreaking news, saying their father died “peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family.”
The loss comes just months after the death of his wife, animal welfare campaigner Sarah Fisher, who died in December 2025 at age 61.
“It has been, and forever will be, an honour and a privilege to be his daughters, and to have witnessed firsthand the impact both he and his work have had on so many,” Emily and Daisy said in a statement to the Press Association.
They said their father loved his work and always felt lucky to spend decades acting alongside talented people in major productions.
“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,” they continued. “How lucky we are to know we are able to watch him doing what he loved, even when he is no longer with us.”
Head was born in Camden, London, into a creative family. His father, Seafield Head, was a documentary filmmaker, while his mother, Helen Shingler, was an actor. Acting became part of his life early.
He once recalled appearing in a childhood production of The Emperor’s New Clothes when he was just 6 years old.
“I remember thinking: ‘This is the business, this is what I want to do,’” he told Metro in 2013.
Before becoming a household name in America, Head gained fame in the U.K. in the 1980s through Nescafé Gold Blend coffee commercials opposite Sharon Maughan. The ads made him widely known as the “Gold Blend Man.”
He later took the stage as Frank N Furter in the West End revival of The Rocky Horror Show at London’s Piccadilly Theatre.
But his biggest breakthrough came in 1997, when he was cast as Rupert Giles, the wise librarian and Watcher in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Head starred opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Seth Green, Michelle Trachtenberg and Nicholas Brendon.
He appeared as a regular cast member through the first six seasons before stepping back, though he continued to return as a guest star until the hit series ended.
Head went on to build a long and varied career, appearing in shows including Little Britain, Silent Witness, My Family, The Inbetweeners and Monarch of the Glen.
He also appeared in the film The Iron Lady opposite Meryl Streep, playing Geoffrey Howe, Margaret Thatcher’s long-serving cabinet member and deputy.
Head once said he was in awe of Streep while working with her.
“I had no idea what to expect,” he said, recalling that she would laugh and joke on set before instantly transforming once cameras rolled.
In more recent years, Head appeared in Netflix’s Bridgerton as Lord Sheffield, the grandfather of Kate and Edwina Sharma. He also won over a new generation of viewers with his role as Rupert Mannion, the former owner of AFC Richmond, in Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso.
His death comes after another devastating loss for the family. His wife, Sarah Fisher, died in December 2025. Fisher was known for her work in animal welfare and served as an ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and a patron of Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary.
Head had previously described Sarah as “the most influential person in my life.”
The couple met at the National Theatre, and Head later credited her with encouraging him to try his luck in America after his Nescafé fame made it difficult for people in Britain to see him in other roles.
Sarah stayed in the U.K. with their daughters while Head filmed Buffy the Vampire Slayer in Los Angeles. Despite the distance, he said the family remained close, with Emily and Daisy visiting the set and forming friendships with the cast.
“I’d always say, ‘I can leave Buffy if you want me to, if this is too difficult,’” he once recalled. “But they both said no, it’s too cool a show.”
Head is survived by his daughters, Emily and Daisy.