In the early Noughties, British actor Anthony Head was living in Los Angeles, thousands of miles away from his family, filming for the supernatural teen drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was the role that defined his career – as the socially awkward British librarian Rupert Giles – but the pain of being apart from his family was excruciating.
Head, who has died aged 72 due to complications related to pneumonia, said in a 2016 interview that being away from his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters, Emily and Daisy, was something he couldn’t put into words. “Even now, I feel emotional about it. It was a real test,” he told The Guardian. “I’d try to go home to them every three or four weeks. The production team would work dates around me, and every time I got the chance to have six days clear, I’d get on a plane.”
