Buffy's Mentor

Background:

"I think Giles' journey has been fascinating. I think that's what made it such a joy to play. The character was never static; you never knew what his deal was. And you still don't know what his deal is. The conflicts I was given to play are not soapy, they're not silly things or huge story arcs." Anthony Head (on his character on the TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'')

British actor Anthony Head (often credited by his full name, Anthony Stewart Head) first came to the attention of American audiences as the intriguing romantic lead in a series of Taster's Choice coffee commercials. He later garnered more recognition while playing Rupert Giles, Buffy's mentor who has extensive knowledge of demonology and supernatural lore, in the WB/UPN cult supernatural drama series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997-2003).

Head was a regular cast member on the sci-fi television series ''VR.5'' (1995; as Oliver Sampson), the BBC Two comedy/drama series "Manchild" (2002-2003; as James) and BBC’s popular character-based sketch show "Little Britain" (2003-2006; as the Prime Minister). He currently stars as Mr. Colubrine in the British comedy drama television series "Sold," which was first broadcasted on ITV on November 15, 2007.

On the big screen, the handsome actor who made his film debut with "Lady Chatterley's Lover" (1981), recently appeared in "Imagine Me & You" (2005) and "Scoop" (2006). He will next be seen in the upcoming films ''Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,'' ''Macbeth,'' and ''Repo! The Genetic Opera!''

As for his stage work, the 6' 1" brown-haired, hazel-eyed player who got his first show business break playing Jesus in a West End production of "Godspell," has appeared in a number of theater productions, including "The Rocky Horror Show" and Peter Shaffer's "Yonadab" at the Royal National Theatre.

Anthony Stewart

Childhood and Family:

Born in Camden, London, England, on February 20, 1954, Anthony Stewart Head was raised in Hampton, which is near London. His mother is actress Helen Shingler, best known for her role of Madame Maigret in the original BBC television series "Maigret" (1960) and his father is Seafield Head, a documentary filmmaker/producer and the founder of the British production company known as Verity Films. His older brother is Murray Head (born in 1946), who is also an accomplished actor and musician. Murray once co-starred with Glenda Jackson and Peter Finch in John Schlesinger's triangular drama "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" (1971). Both Anthony and Murray have played the part of Freddy Trumper in the musical ''Chess'' at the Prince Edward Theatre, in London.

Originally planning a career in music, Anthony attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA), in London, England, where he studied until 1976. While performing in ''Danton's Death'' at the National Theatre in England, 28-year-old Anthony met Sarah Fisher (born in 1964), who was 18 years old at the time. They have been living together since 1982 and have two daughters, Emily Rose (born in 1989) and Daisy May (born in 1991). Sarah was a theatre administrator, but is now an animal trainer.

On his first meeting with Sarah, Anthony recalled, "I was doing a play called 'Danton's Death' and for the last entrance I had to come on as a soldier taking traitors to the guillotine. I'd wait in a corridor at the back with my musket and one day this beautiful lady walked past carrying a pint of beer for some guy front of house. I got there earlier and earlier in the hope I'd see her again. Eventually, we'd sit and chat before I'd have to go on for a beheading."

Besides acting and singing, Anthony's other skills include horseback riding, swimming, scuba diving, piano, guitar and stage fighting. He currently divides his time between homes in Los Angeles and Somerset, which is in the south-west of England.

"We've always loved this area and as soon as we walked into this house we knew it was ours. Somerset has a wonderful wildness about it. It hasn't been tamed. This is farming country and there's a realness here. I love it. After filming and working away, my home acts as a real retreat for me. There's something very leveling and calming about coming back here." Anthony Head

Taster's Choice

Career:

Son to an actress mother and a documentary filmmaker father, Anthony Head made his earliest stage appearances in "The Jackdaw of Rheims" at age six and as the Emperor in ''The Emperor's New Clothes" at seven. In junior high school, he participated in house drama competitions and won three years running. He also wrote plays while in school. After graduating from high school, he spent a year working as an assistant editor for his father's company.

After completing his studies in 1976, Head began his professional acting career on stage. Following his debut as Jesus in London's West End production of "Godspell," Head began receiving roles in television on both BBC and ITV, including a featured role in the biographical miniseries about famed beauty/actress Lillie Langtrey, "Lillie" (BBC; 1973; starring Francesca Annis), which later aired on PBS in the United States. He was also seen as a member of the island resistance in the war drama series ''Enemy at the Door'' (ITV, 1978-1980).

In the early 1980s, Head starred alongside Judi Dench in the British miniseries inspired by Nancy Mitford's novel first published in 1949, "Love in a Cold Climate" (1980), which aired in the U.S.A. on PBS, and made his feature acting debut, billed as Anthony Head, in director Just Jaeckin's film adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's controversial novel written in 1928, "Lady Chatterley's Lover" (1981; starring Sylvia Kristel). In the late 1980s, he gained fame thanks to a popular series of coffee commercials for Nescafé Gold Blend (re-edited to include brand name Taster's Choice in the U.S.), which he starred alongside Sharon Maughan.

Head subsequently decided to test the water in the U.S. and made a move to Los Angeles. After struggling for a while, he received a role in Showtime’s action movie "Royce" (1994), starring James Belushi, and followed it up by joining the cast of FOX’s short-lived sci-fi series "VR.5" (1995), as Oliver Sampson. Unfortunately, the show only aired 10 of the 13 episodes during its original airing, while the remaining 3 episodes were aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on a later date in 1997. Meanwhile, he returned to England to appear in BBC's TV series "Ghostbusters of East Finchley" (1995).

In 1997, Head scored his most prominent role in America, that of Rupert Giles, in the WB/UPN cult supernatural drama series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, ''Buffy The Vampire Slayer.'' He later reduced his participation from regular to recurring status during the 2001-2002 seasons. He was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television in 2001 and was named #5 on the “Top Ten Sexiest Men of the Buffy/Angel Universe” in a fan poll by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanzine in 2004.

Head later commented on his character by saying, "There is a warmth and generosity about Giles. If I met him in person, I think that is what I would be attracted to. In terms of what I enjoy about playing him, the social ineptitude, and the intellect is great fun too as I don't have one!"

After ''Buffy,'' Head went back to England to star as James, a successful fifty-something man coping with sexual impotency, in "Manchild," a British television comedy/drama series that ran for two seasons on BBC Two between February 2002 and April 2003, and to portray the Prime Minister in "Little Britain" (2003-2006), a popular character-based sketch show first appearing on BBC radio and then television. He also returned to stage by appearing at the Savoy Theatre London as Captain Hook in ''Peter Pan'' and as The Pirate King in ''The Pirates of Penzance.” He was also seen as Jeff Golding in Simon Gray's play "Otherwise Engaged" (September 2005) in England.

When asked if he prefers doing stage work or TV work, Head explained, "It isn't a question of preferences. They're so different and there are so many different excitements in both of them that you can't compare. I've been very lucky to flip about between one and the other, and musicals as well. They're another thing again, not like doing a straight play. When I've wanted to sing somebody's said, 'Would you like to do ‘Rocky Horror’ for six weeks?' It's like: 'Whoa! Yeah!' Then I think, 'I've done some theatre, I want to do a bit of film,' and suddenly something crops up. The more you put into life, the more you learn from life."

Meanwhile, Head was spotted as a guest in multiple episodes of BBC One’s drama/comedy series "Monarch of the Glen" and narrated the two-part documentary "Regeneration" for BBC Radio 2 in 2005. A big fan of ''Doctor Who,'' Head also narrated the BBC Radio 2 documentary "Project: Who?" He later guest starred in the long-running and award-winning show in the episode "School Reunion" in April 2006.

During this time, moviegoers could also catch him co-starring with Piper Perabo and Lena Headey in the British comedy-romance film written and directed by Ol Parker, "Imagine Me & You" (2005), and playing a detective in the romantic mystery written and directed by Woody Allen, "Scoop" (2006; starring Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson). He will soon be seen alongside Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's film adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler musical, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

Head has completed a British film version of the William Shakespeare classic, "Macbeth” and will soon wrap up a rock musical movie directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, "Repo! The Genetic Opera!" an adaptation of a play written and composed by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich in which Head will portray Nathan Wallace/Repo Man. He currently stars as Mr. Colubrine, the owner of the Colubrines Estate Agents, in the British comedy drama television series "Sold," which was first broadcasted on ITV on November 15, 2007.

Besides acting, Head is also a good singer. In 1983, he was in a band called ''Two Way,'' with whom he released a 45 single with three songs, produced by Richard Dodd and Ron Roker.

Awards:
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