Anthony Head in 2005

Anthony Stewart Head (1954–2026) was an English film, television, voice, stage and radio actor.[1] He was best known for his roles as Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), the Prime Minister in Little Britain (2003–2006), Uther Pendragon in Merlin (2008–2012), and Rupert Mannion in Ted Lasso (2020–2023).

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1981 Lady Chatterley's Lover Anton
1987 A Prayer for the Dying Rupert
1988 La Collina del diavolo Michael Toyle
1992 Woof Again! Why Me? B. J. Bentley Direct-to-video release
2001 Junfans Attic James
2003 I'll Be There Sam Gervasi
2004 Fat Slags Victor
2005 Framing Frankie Dennis Folley
Imagine Me & You Ned
2006 Scoop Detective
Little Britain Live Prime Minister Direct-to-video release
2007 Sparkle Tony
The Magic Door George Direct-to-video release
Amelia and Michael Michael Short
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Gentleman in Street Uncredited role
Cameo appearance
2008 Repo! The Genetic Opera Nathan Wallace/Repo Man
2011 The Great Ghost Rescue Prime Minister
The Inbetweeners Movie Will's Father
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Benedict
The Iron Lady Geoffrey Howe [1]
2013 Underdogs Adult Flash Voice[2]
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Chiron
Convenience Barry
2014 Flying Home Mr. Montgomery
2016 Despite the Falling Snow Old Misha
A Street Cat Named Bob Jack Bowen
2018 Batman: Gotham by Gaslight Alfred Pennyworth Voice, direct-to-video[2]
2021 School's Out Forever Headmaster
Let the Wrong One In Henry
2024 Upgraded Julian Marx Final role

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1978 Enemy at the Door Clive Martel 2 episodes
Lillie William Le Breton ITV miniseries
Accident Simon Lovell Episode: "The Figures Man"
1979 Jackanory Playhouse Spare Episode: "The Christmas Cuckoo"
The Mallens Weir 2 episodes
Secret Army Hanslick Episode: "A Safe Place"
1980 Love in a Cold Climate Tony Kroesig 3 episodes
1981 Crown Court Timothy Preston-Berry Episode: "Hen Party"
Bergerac Bill Episode: "See You in Moscow"
BBC2 Playhouse Chief Hook Episode: "The Grudge Fight"
1984, 1988 The Comic Strip Presents... Ricki
Recording Studio Engineer		 2 episodes
1985 C.A.T.S. Eyes James Sinden Episode: "Goodbye, Jenny Wren"
Howards' Way Phil Norton 5 episodes
1987 Boon Richard Rathbone Episode: "Day of the Yoke"
1988 Pulaski Dudley Fielding Episode: "The Price of Fame"
Rockliffe's Babies Chris Patterson Episode: "A Trip to the Zoo"
1989 Hard Cases DC 'Spider' Webb Season 2, episode 6
1991 Woof! Bentley 2 episodes
1993 The Detectives Simon Episode: "Acting Constables"
Highlander: The Series Allan Rothwood Episode: "Nowhere to Run"
1994 Royce Pitlock Showtime television film
1995 VR.5 Oliver Sampson 10 episodes
The Ghostbusters of East Finchley Terry 2 episodes
NYPD Blue Nigel Gibson Episode: "Cold Heaters"
1996 Roger Roger Jimmy Price Television film
1997 Jonathan Creek Adam Klaus Episode: "The Wrestler's Tomb"
1997–2003 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Rupert Giles 121 episodes
Main role (seasons 1–5); recurring role (seasons 6–7)[1]
1999 Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place Dr Staretski Episode: "Two Guys, a Girl and a Mother's Day"
2000 Best Actress Colin Truemans E! television film
2001 Silent Witness Henry Hutton Episode: "Two Below Zero"[1]
2002 Spooks Peter Salter Episode: "Traitor's Gate"
Fillmore! Professor Third Voice, 2 episodes[2]
2002–2003 Manchild James 15 episodes[1]
2003 And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself William Benton HBO television film
Reversals Andrew Barton ITV television film
2003, 2005 My Family Richard Harper / Himself 2 episodes
2003–2006 Little Britain Michael Stevens 23 episodes
2004 True Horror with Anthony Head Presenter 5 episodes
New Tricks Sir Tim Episode: "Painting on Loan"
Monarch of the Glen Chester Grant 4 episodes
2005 Murder Investigation Team Stewart Masters Season 2, episode 2
Rose and Maloney David Terry Episode: "Annie Johnson"
2006 Hotel Babylon Mr. Machin Season 1, episode 2
Doctor Who Mr. Finch Episode: "School Reunion"[1]
Children's Party at the Palace Captain Hook BBC television special
Him and Us Max Flash Unsold television pilot
2007 Comic Relief 2007: The Big One Various Television special
Persuasion Sir Walter Elliot Television film[1]
Totally Doctor Who Baltazar Voice role in The Infinite Quest
Sensitive Skin Tom Paine 2 episodes
Sold Mr. Colubrine 6 episodes
2007–2008 Heroes Unmasked Narrator Series 1 & 2
2007–2009 Doctor Who Confidential Narrator 30 episodes
2008 Freezing Lindsay Posner Season 1, episode 2
The Invisibles Maurice Riley BBC One series
2008–2012 Merlin Uther Pendragon 43 episodes
2009 Free Agents Stephen Caudwell Channel 4 TV series
2011–2012 Free Agents Stephen Caudwell NBC TV series (US remake of the Channel 4 series of the same name)
2013 Dancing on the Edge Donaldson BBC Two series
NTSF:SD:SUV:: Corningham Episode: "U-KO'ed"
2013–2014 Warehouse 13 Paracelsus 4 episodes
2013–2015 You, Me & Them Ed Walker UKTV Gold series
2014–2015 Dominion David Whele Main cast
2015 Galavant Galavant's Father[3] Episode: "My Cousin Izzy"
2015–2016 Yonderland Nigel Maddox 3 episodes
2016 Drunk History Admiral Horatio Nelson, Alexander Graham Bell 2 episodes
Guilt James Lahue 5 episodes
2017 Still Star-Crossed Lord Silvestro Capulet Series regular
Shadowhunters Angel Raziel Voice, episode: "Beside Still Water"
2018 Girlfriends John 5 episodes
The Split Oscar Defoe 6 episodes
Vanity Fair Lord Steyne 3 episodes
2019 Jack Ryan Rupert Thorne 2 episodes
2019–2022 Motherland Bill 4 episodes[1]
2020 The Stranger Ed Price 8 episodes
The Big Night In Michael Stevens TV special
Robot Chicken Rupert Giles / Albus Dumbledore Voice, episode: "Endgame"
2020–2023 Ted Lasso Rupert Mannion Recurring role (season 1); guest (season 2); regular (season 3)
2021 Back Charismatic Mike Season 2, episode 2
Feel Good George Senior 2 episodes
Adventure Time: Distant Lands Wizard Con Voice, episode: "Wizard City"
The Canterville Ghost Sir Simon de Canterville 4 episodes
2022 Bridgerton Lord Sheffield Episode: "An Unthinkable Fate"

Audio

Year Title Role Notes
2007–2012 Bleak Expectations Gently Benevolent & Jeremy Sourquill BBC Radio
2010 Ghost Stories by Walter de la Mare The Reader Episode 4 of 5: "A Recluse"
2011–2014 Cabin Pressure Herc Shipwright 7 episodes, BBC Radio
2012 Clayton Grange Saunders BBC Radio
2013 Neverwhere Mr. Croup BBC Radio
2016 Robin of Sherwood: The Knights Of The Apocalypse Guichard de Montbalm
2018 The Archers Robin Fairbrother BBC Radio[1]
2023 Slayers: A Buffyverse Story Rupert Giles Audible original

Stage

Year Title Role Director Venue Notes Ref.
1977 Henry V Duke of Clarence Fred Proud Ludlow Castle
1980 Julius Caesar Artemidorus Peter Gill Riverside Studios
Fear of the Dark Robert Slade Walter Donohue Royal Court Theatre Press night
1981 Godspell Light of the World Stuart Mungall Young Vic
1982 The Prince of Homburg Captain Golz John Burgess Royal National Theatre
1982–1984 Danton's Death Sans-culottes / Young Gentleman / La Flotte Peter Gill
1983 A Patriot for Me Lt Stefan Kovacs / Kupfer's Second / Deputy Ronald Eyre Chichester Festival Theatre
Theatre Royal Haymarket
1985–1986 Yonadab Absalom Peter Hall Royal National Theatre
1988–1989 Chess Freddie Trumper Trevor Nunn Prince Edward Theatre World premiere
1989–1990 Lady Windermere's Fan Lord Darlington Anthony Ward Bristol Old Vic
1990–1991 The Rocky Horror Show Dr. Frank-N-Furter Robin Lefevre Piccadilly Theatre [4]
1992 The Heiress Morris Townsend John David N/a Tour [5]
1992–1993 Rope Rupert Cadell Keith Baxter Minerva Theatre, Chichester [6]
1994 N/a Tour [7]
2003–2004 Peter Pan Captain Hook Steven Dexter Savoy Theatre [8]
2004 The Pirates of Penzance The Pirate King [8]
2005–2006 Otherwise Engaged Jeff Golding Simon Curtis N/a Tour [9]
2006 The Rocky Horror Tribute Show Dr. Frank-N-Furter Royal Court Theatre Charity show [10]
2010 Six Degrees of Separation Flan Kittredge David Grindley The Old Vic [11]
2015 Rocky Horror Show Live Fourth Narrator Christopher Luscombe Playhouse Theatre [12]
Ticking Edward (Simon's father) Paul Andrew Williams Trafalgar Studios World premiere [13]
2017 Love In Idleness Sir John Fletcher Trevor Nunn Menier Chocolate Factory [14]
2018 The Muppets Take the O2 Himself Andrew Williams The O2 Arena [15]

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2002 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Rupert Giles [16]
2003 Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds [17]
2006 Destroy All Humans! 2 Reginald Ponsonby-Smythe [2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Buffy and Ted Lasso star Anthony Head dies at 72". BBC News. 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d "Anthony Head (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 14 October 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  3. ^ "Disney General Entertainment Press – Disney General Entertainment Press". Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  4. ^ David Hutchison (11 October 2015). "Anthony Head: 'We're the only artists in the world who don't practise'". The Stage. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  5. ^ "The Heiress Paul Ferris". www.paulferris.org. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  6. ^ Paul Taylor (13 April 1994). "THEATRE / Murder most horrid: Paul Taylor finds chilling parallels in Keith Baxter's production of Patrick Hamilton's Rope at Wyndham's". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  7. ^ Bayley, Clare (25 April 1994). "Production Notes / Anthony Head in Rope: Keith Baxter, the director of". The Independent. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  8. ^ a b Inverne, James (17 December 2003). "Anthony Head Swaps Buffy for Pirates in London Peter Pan, Dec. 17". Playbill. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  9. ^ Michael Billington (1 November 2005). "Otherwise Engaged". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  10. ^ Gans, Andrew (1 October 2008). "The Rocky Horror Tribute Show, with Anthony Head and Michael Ball, Due on DVD Oct. 14". Playbill. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  11. ^ Dominic Cavendish (23 December 2009). "Six Degrees of Separation at the Old Vic". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  12. ^ Bacle, Ariana (6 October 2015). "New 'Rocky Horror Show' gets BBC America premiere date". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  13. ^ Paul Taylor (15 October 2015). "Ticking, Trafalgar Studios, theatre review: Let's just get this execution on the road". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  14. ^ Sarah Crompton (20 March 2017). "Review: Love in Idleness (Menier Chocolate Factory)". WhatsOnStage.com. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  15. ^ Bruce Dessau (6 July 2018). "News: David Tennant, Kylie Minogue, Adam Hills Join The Muppets". Beyond The Joke. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  16. ^ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Behind the Voice Actors.
  17. ^ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds". Behind the Voice Actors.