Anthony Head, the British actor best known for playing Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Prime Minister in Little Britain, has died aged 72.
His death was announced by his daughters, actors Emily and Daisy Head, in a statement released on Friday.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our extraordinary father, Anthony Head,” they said.
“He passed away peacefully due to complications from pneumonia, surrounded by his family. It has been, and forever will be, an honour and a privilege to be his daughters, and to have witnessed firsthand the impact he and his work have had on so many.
“We know how dearly he will be missed by friends, colleagues, and fans of the shows he appeared in. He loved his job very much and always considered himself incredibly lucky to have worked alongside such exceptionally talented people in such wonderful productions across a career that spanned several decades.
“Our grief is far greater than the hole he has left behind, but we know his legacy will live on through the shows he was a part of and the audiences who love them. How lucky we are to know that we can continue to watch him doing what he loved, even when he is no longer with us.
“We kindly ask that our privacy is respected at this difficult time,” they concluded.
Head’s death comes just months after the passing of his long-term partner, Sarah Fisher, the mother of his children. Fisher, an animal welfare advocate, died in December 2025.
Head began his acting career in musical theatre, appearing in a production of Godspell in the late 1970s. In the early 1990s, he starred as Frank N Furter in a London revival of The Rocky Horror Show.
However, it was his role as Rupert Giles in the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer that made him a household name.
He went on to become a sought-after guest actor, appearing in series including Spooks, Murder Investigation Team, Monarch of the Glen, and My Family. He also made a memorable appearance in Doctor Who and had a recurring role in Little Britain as the Prime Minister forced to contend with an aide who harboured an unsatiable crush. More recently, Head appeared in Motherland, Ted Lasso, Feel Good, and Bridgerton.
Anthony Head had a big effect on poet Jay Hulme’s life
Anthony Head had a profound impact on the life of poet Jay Hulme, who has spoken publicly about the kindness the actor showed him during a pivotal moment in his life.
In 2015, Head was widely praised after it emerged that he had reached out to a young fan who was struggling after coming out as transgender. Hulme had previously taken photographs with Head at a fan convention before his transition, and the continued circulation of those images, along with the use of his former name, had become distressing.
After learning of the situation, Head and his long-term partner, Sarah Fisher, invited the teenager to spend a day with them at their farm.
“Back in January 2015, when I came out as trans, Anthony Head and his wonderful wife Sarah reached out and invited me to come to their farm for the day,” Hulme wrote on Twitter in 2019.
“They spent the day with me, took me to the fanciest restaurant I’d ever been to in my life, introduced me to their horses, took lovely photos, printed and signed them, and even gave me tips for an essay I was writing on Shakespeare for school.
“Most importantly, however, they gave me what I had been lacking in my life up until that point – affirmation, compassion, and belief in my abilities,” he said.
Hulme has since gone on to become a highly successful performance poet and author. He remained in contact with Head, who later wrote the introduction to Hulme’s first book.
Following Head’s death, Hulme reflected on the lasting impact of their meeting, saying the actor had taken him under his wing and shown him the kind of person he could become.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say that I’m the person I am today because of the kindness he showed me,” Hulme wrote on social media.
“We all have the ability to make the world a better place, each in our own way. I think it’s fair to say that Anthony Head knew this, recognised it, and did far more than most to live up to the opportunities his fame afforded him, putting good into the world whenever and wherever he could,” he added.
