About Anthony Head

Actor Anthony Head arrives at the UK Premiere of Stormbreaker in London. (Photo: Dave Hogan / Getty Images)

Anthony Head (often credited by his full name, Anthony Stewart Head) became most widely recognized in the U.S. for his role on the WB prime-time drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. However, on his British home-front, he is perhaps more well known for his recurring role in the dramatic Taster's Choice commercials. Wherever he is, his abundant credits both on television and on-stage have earned him notice as a talented performer.

Head was born February 20, 1954, in Camden, London, England. The son of an actress mother, and documentary-filmmaker father, show business was in his blood. At an early age, his interest in the field his parents had pursued was already apparent, and would also be reflected in his brother Murray Head's acting career. Anthony Head started acting in school plays at the age of six, and was writing his own within just a few years. After high school, he attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, where he studied until 1976. He began a long-term relationship with Sarah Fisher, ten years his junior, in 1982. The couple had two daughters, Emily Rose (1989) and Daisy May (1991).

In addition to decades of theatrical experience in Britain, Head has earned recognition to mass audiences with his roles on television. His first TV role came in 1978 with the British series Enemy at the Door, a World War II drama (which would perhaps go on to inspire the name of the 2001 film Enemy at the Gates). That same year he appeared on a miniseries called Lillie. After a lengthy focus on his career in theater and smaller television appearances, Head returned to starring dramatic TV roles with Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1997. On the program, he portrayed Rupert Giles, the mentor to Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who followed her in disguise as the school librarian, in order to be on guard against evil powers. The character provoked a spin-off to the original series that features Rupert "Ripper" Giles as a "watcher," who returns to England after watching Buffy. Entitled Ripper, the program began its run in 2002. Also that year, Head played the role of James on the TV series Manchild. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide