Sarah Michelle Gellar has shared a heartfelt tribute to her Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star Anthony Head, who has died aged 72.
Sharing a picture of herself alongside Head and his two daughters, Daisy and Emily, Gellar began with a quote from the series: “‘Tell Giles I figured it out and I’m ok’… Well I don’t have it figured out and I’m not ok.
“But I know I’m the lucky one because I knew you. Thank you to Daisy and Emily who not only shared their dad with me, but with the world.”
The British actor, who was known for playing the socially awkward British librarian Rupert Giles and watcher to Gellar’s Buffy in the series, died due to complications related to pneumonia, his daughters said in a statement.
In the series, Head’s character was assigned by the ancient British council to oversee the actions of the Slayer, but as the series developed, he became more of a surrogate father and mentor to Buffy.
In her post, Gellar also shared quotes from a famous scene from season two, episode seven, where Buffy asks Giles about life’s hardships.
“Does it ever get easy….life?” her character asks. “Lie to me.”
“Yes, it’s terribly simple,” Head’s character replies. “The good guys are always stalwart and true. The bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats. And we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies and… everybody lives happily ever after.”
Announcing his death, Head’s daughters said Friday: “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.”
“We know how dearly he will be missed by friends, colleagues, and fans of the shows he was in – he loved his job very much, and he always considered himself incredibly lucky, to have been able to work alongside such exceptionally talented people, in such wonderful productions, across a career that spanned several decades.”
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While Buffy marked his breakthrough role in America, Head went on to star in shows including Little Britain, Silent Witness, My Family, The Inbetweeners, Monarch of the Glen and as King Uther Pendragon in the BBC’s popular Merlin series, also appearing in films such as The Iron Lady opposite Meryl Streep.
More recently, he is known for his recurring role in the Emmy-winning comedy drama Ted Lasso as former football club owner Rupert Mannion, joining as a series regular for season three.