Anthony played Rupert Giles. Anthony was born on February 20, 1954. His father was Seafield Head, a documentary filmmaker who created Verity Films, a British production company. His mother was Helen Shingler, who was an actress. She played Madame Maigret in Maigret. Tony’s brother Murray Head, is also an actor with a large list of credits to his name. Anthony went on to study acting himself.
Anthony started on stage and eventually landed the part of Frank N. Furter in a stage version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Tony also had a starring role as Jesus in a stage production of Godspell. His talent as a singer was used a few times in Buffy: in Restless, Doomed and Once More, With Feeling. He has also released his own album called ‘Music for Elevators’.
Tony was in a series of famous commercials for coffee company Gold Blend (Taster’s Choice in the U.S), in which he and his female neighbour flirted over coffee. Tony is one of the stars of the British series Manchild, where he famously appeared naked, except for a cooking apron. He has also appeared in Monarch of the Glen.
In his pre-Buffy days, Anthony auditioned for the role of the eighth Doctor in the long-running (and newly ressurected) British sci-fi epic Doctor Who. The role eventually went to Paul McGann, but in 2003 Tony was voted by Radio Times and SFX readers as the person they’d most like to play the Doctor. Anthony also has a recurring role as the Prime Minster in the BBC’s comedy show Little Britain starring Matt Lucas and David Williams.
There is hope that a Buffy spin-off for the character of Giles titled Ripper will be made sometime in the future. Tony previously played a Ripper-like thug called Rupert in the 1987 movie A Prayer for the Dying.
Tony lives in England with his partner Sarah Fisher. They have two children, Emily and Daisy.
Played: Rupert Giles Date of birth: 20 February, 1954
Appeared in: Every episode until season six, then
Bargaining (Part 1),
Flooded,
Life Serial,
All the Way,
Once More, With Feeling,
Tabula Rasa,
Two To Go,
Grave,
Lessons,
Beneath You,
Sleeper,
Bring on the Night,
Showtime,
The Killer in Me,
First Date,
Lies My Parents Told Me,
Dirty Girls,
Empty Places,
Touched,
End of Days,
Chosen
August 2nd, 2005 at 3:43 am
His vocal skills where also used in the episode Passion: The vocals at the end of the episode as you see Giles go home and the cementary are his.
August 2nd, 2005 at 7:51 am
He’s a great singer. He’s also got an album out. I don’t think i will buy it though. I just wish that Joss would decide on making “Ripper”. I wanna see more Buffy-lore.
August 14th, 2005 at 3:14 am
I agree, I want to see Ripper made so badly!!! About the album: I got it off eBay for like, 10 bucks and it is pretty good, I’d recommend it.
December 22nd, 2005 at 11:51 pm
He’s also a very approachable geezer. I was mooching about a fantastic little antique-y emporium in a village in Somerset, and I went round a corner and there he was. Sadly, all the years of BBC training (in which we are programmed to ignore superstar rock gods and let them get on with their lives) went out of the window, and I did my best to give him a very manly “love your work on Buffy. Thanks.” Of course, it came out as “Burfle nurfle nurfel sooo coool!” I subsequently asked about Ripper; his response was that he was in the country to film some Buffy related material, but it wasn’t to do with Ripper - in regards of which, talks were ongoing.
I’m guessing he was filming the “Ummagumma Album Cover” sequences with Aly to do with Willow’s rehab.
Presumably at this remove there’ll be no Ripper.
December 23rd, 2005 at 12:15 am
I still think you kept your cool. I would have run up to him, as a 36 year old woman, and been hopping up and down and smiling with a really big, dumb grin!
December 23rd, 2005 at 12:56 am
Truly, it was touch and go - in retrospect I could have had done with a Willow-esque someone to “gay me up”, to quote Xander. As it went, I didn’t even ask for an autograph - I had nothing on me except a first edition Vonnegut I’d just bought - and I’m always chary of “hey, take my picture with this famous dude”. It invades their non-star day, and also (in my case at least) makes the fan look even more like Jabba the Hutt than usual.
He absolutely does rule, though. Such a subtle actor - less is indeed more.
December 23rd, 2005 at 3:31 am
If I met him…actually, I would probably freeze up, say nothing, and regret it later. But, in my head (no pun intended), I would be all cool and ask for an autograph!
December 23rd, 2005 at 3:38 am
Me too, except I’d probably trip myself or worse, trip him!
December 26th, 2005 at 10:08 pm
it is my now my life hope to meet a member of the scoobies, not matter who!! I would however not know what to say and possibly pass out as i get star struck. the most famous people i have ever met are the Chuckle Brothers (british readers may know who they are lol) well, that was random sorry…!
December 27th, 2005 at 1:27 pm
I love him in Little Britain too (british comedy show). He was so hilarious in that.
April 24th, 2006 at 4:19 pm
I sat behind Anthony Stewart Head in the theatre in Bath once (that’s the place Bath, not an actual bath… well you know what I mean…) That was kinda surreal and strange. Unfortunately I had to leave the theatre because I got food poisoning and needed to rush off to the toilets to be sick… not so nice. Still, probably quite good on the embarrassment stakes.