Anthony Head, the actor who portrayed Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and had an unlikely role in video game series Destroy All Humans, has died

British actor Anthony Head, known widely for his portrayal of Giles in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has died from complications due to pneumonia, aged 72 years old.

His daughters Emily and Daisy said their father was surrounded by family when he passed. “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our extraordinary father,” they wrote in a shared statement.

“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.” His daughters said they knew how dearly he will be missed by friends, colleagues and fans of the shows he was in, and that he “loved his job very much” and “always considered himself incredibly lucky”.

Head was born in Camden, London, in 1954, and went on to train at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He had notable acting roles in Merlin, Motherland and Little Britain, but it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer many people remember him for, or, more recently, for his role in Ted Lasso as charming villain Rupert Mannion.

As well as TV, film and theatre, Head did lend his talent to video games, reprising his role of Giles in the early 2000s Buffy the Vampire video games, and playing Reginald Ponsonby-Smythe in Destroy All Humans! 2.