Remembering Anthony Head: 10 favorite Giles moments

News broke on Friday that actor Anthony Head has passed away at the age of 72. He is best known for playing Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Fans and former costars have flooded social media with tributes. Head has had a successful career after Buffy. He played Uther Pendragon in Merlin, the Prime Minister in Little Britain, a headmaster in Doctor Who, and Rupert Mannion in Ted Lasso. But Giles remains his definitive role. There was even talk of a spinoff series called Ripper, but it was never made. The article lists ten favorite Giles moments. One moment comes from the episode Lie To Me. A boy named Ford transfers to Sunnydale High. He knows Buffy is the Slayer. He has joined a secret club that romanticizes vampires. Ford has a brain tumor. He wants to live, so he makes a deal with Spike: he will deliver Buffy to Spike if Spike turns him into a vampire. When Buffy confronts him, she learns about his illness. She stakes him in the cemetery. Afterward, she asks Giles, "Does it get any easier?" Giles does not answer. Buffy asks him to lie. Giles says, "Yes, it is simple. 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." Buffy responds, "Liar." Another moment is from The Dark Age. Giles has a past. His friends call him Ripper. He and his friends conjured a demon called Eyghon for fun. Now Eyghon wants revenge. Giles does not tell Buffy at first. But he is forced to when Eyghon possesses Jenny Calendar, a teacher and Giles' love interest. They defeat Eyghon, but Jenny decides to end her romance with Giles. The article says this is a recurring theme: bad decisions can have consequences. Another moment is from Passion. Angel loses his soul and becomes Angelus. He kills Jenny. Giles is devastated.