Anthony Head, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Ted Lasso’ actor, dies at 72

British actor Anthony Head, known to generations of American TV viewers through polar opposite characters named Rupert on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Ted Lasso,” has died, his family said Friday.

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He was 72.

Head “passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family,” according to a statement from the actor’s daughters to the Press Association news agency.

U.S. television watchers best know him as the father-like mentor Rupert Giles of the supernatural show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan.

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Only Gellar, Hannigan and Nicholas Brendon appeared in more “Buffy” episodes than Head between 1997 and 2003.

In recent years, Head turned heel as the philandering soccer owner club Rupert Mannion in the critically acclaimed comedy “Ted Lasso.” He played the foil to protagonists Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham from 2020 to 2023.

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