RIP Anthony Head: Our 10 favorite moments of Buffy's Giles
Head's true genius—and that of his character, Giles—lay in quietly filling in the gaps in every scene
Signal weather
Rising
Momentum is building quickly, so this card is a good early entry point into the topic.
On Friday, news broke of the passing of actor Anthony Head at 72, best known for his portrayal of Watcher/father figure Rupert Giles on the supernatural drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Fans and former costars alike flooded social media with outpourings of appreciation for his talent and grief at his death. Head certainly had a thriving career after Buffy: he played Uther Pendragon ins the series Merlin; the Prime Minister in Little Britain; a sinister headmaster in the Doctor Who episode "School Reunion"; and of course, the wealthy, entitled Rupert Mannion in Ted Lasso. But Giles remains his definitive role; there was even talk of a spinoff series, Ripper, although it was never made. There are actually very few Giles-centric episodes, which belies the central importance of the character in the series. He definitely had some of the best, most cleverly cutting lines. But Head's true genius—and that of his character—lay in quietly filling in the gaps in every scene, working with his fellow castmates to weave a complete tapestry. Remove him, and it diminishes everything. Read full article Comments
Stay on the signal
Follow RIP Anthony Head: Our 10 favorite moments of Buffy's Giles
Follow this story beyond a single article: new follow-ups, adjacent sources, and the evolving storyline.
Story map
Understand this topic fast
A quick entry into the story: why it matters now, who is involved, and where to go next for context.
Why it matters now
Topic constellation
Open the live map for this story
See which entities, story threads, sources, and follow-up articles shape this story right now.
Click nodes to continue
Entity pages
Story timeline
Continue with this story
A short sequence of events and follow-up stories to understand the arc quickly.
How reliable this looks
Signal and trust for Ars Technica
This source works at a rapid pace: 100% of recent stories land in the hot window, and 0% carry visible search signal.
Reliability
92
Freshness
100
Sources in storyline
1
Related articles
More stories that share tags, source, or category context.
School shooting survivor sues AI gun detection firm after system failed to spot weapon
How accurate does an AI system need to be?
Signal weather
Momentum is building quickly, so this card is a good early entry point into the topic.
Why now
Fresh coverage with immediate momentum.
Some ancient microbes frozen with Ötzi the Iceman are still growing
What’s the difference between a person, an artifact, and an ecosystem?
Signal weather
Momentum is building quickly, so this card is a good early entry point into the topic.
Why now
Fresh coverage with immediate momentum.
Baby botulism outbreak: FDA still doesn't know cause—or how to prevent it
In the end, the three companies involved all point the finger at each other.
Signal weather
Momentum is building quickly, so this card is a good early entry point into the topic.
Why now
Fresh coverage with immediate momentum.
How a USB-connected speaker can infect a PC without ever being touched
Seller of the Sound Blaster Katana V2X doesn't consider the behavior a vulnerability.
Signal weather
Momentum is building quickly, so this card is a good early entry point into the topic.
Why now
Fresh coverage with immediate momentum.
More from Ars Technica
Fresh reporting and follow-up coverage from the same newsroom.
School shooting survivor sues AI gun detection firm after system failed to spot weapon
How accurate does an AI system need to be?
Signal weather
Momentum is building quickly, so this card is a good early entry point into the topic.
Why now
Fresh coverage with immediate momentum.
Scientists ejected from diabetes conference for distributing journal reprints
Those ousted included ADA journal editor-in-chief Steven Kahn and former ADA president Desmond Schatz
Signal weather
Momentum is building quickly, so this card is a good early entry point into the topic.
Why now
Fresh coverage with immediate momentum.
Some ancient microbes frozen with Ötzi the Iceman are still growing
What’s the difference between a person, an artifact, and an ecosystem?
Signal weather
Momentum is building quickly, so this card is a good early entry point into the topic.
Why now
Fresh coverage with immediate momentum.
Baby botulism outbreak: FDA still doesn't know cause—or how to prevent it
In the end, the three companies involved all point the finger at each other.
Signal weather
Momentum is building quickly, so this card is a good early entry point into the topic.
Why now
Fresh coverage with immediate momentum.