Anthony Head Movies
Anthony Head (often credited by his full name, Anthony Stewart Head) became most widely recognized in the U.S. for his role on the WB prime-time drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. However, on his British home-front, he is perhaps more well known for his recurring role in the dramatic Taster's Choice commercials. Wherever he is, his abundant credits both on television and on-stage have earned him notice as a talented performer.Head was born February 20, 1954, in Camden, London, England. The son of an actress mother, and documentary-filmmaker father, show business was in his blood. At an early age, his interest in the field his parents had pursued was already apparent, and would also be reflected in his brother Murray Head's acting career. Anthony Head started acting in school plays at the age of six, and was writing his own within just a few years. After high school, he attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, where he studied until 1976. He began a long-term relationship with Sarah Fisher, ten years his junior, in 1982. The couple had two daughters, Emily Rose (1989) and Daisy May (1991).
In addition to decades of theatrical experience in Britain, Head has earned recognition to mass audiences with his roles on television. His first TV role came in 1978 with the British series Enemy at the Door, a World War II drama (which would perhaps go on to inspire the name of the 2001 film Enemy at the Gates). That same year he appeared on a miniseries called Lillie. After a lengthy focus on his career in theater and smaller television appearances, Head returned to starring dramatic TV roles with Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1997. On the program, he portrayed Rupert Giles, the mentor to Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who followed her in disguise as the school librarian, in order to be on guard against evil powers. The character provoked a spin-off to the original series that features Rupert "Ripper" Giles as a "watcher," who returns to England after watching Buffy. Entitled Ripper, the program began its run in 2002. Also that year, Head played the role of James on the TV series Manchild. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide
A man struggling to escape the political unrest of Northern Ireland finds that his violent past still follows him in this drama. Martin Fallon (Mickey Rourke) is a terrorist with the Irish Republican Army who, while attempting to blow up a British military transport, accidentally bombs a bus full of schoolchildren. The incident haunts Fallon, who decides to quit the IRA and escape to London. Fallon wants to relocate to America, but he lacks a passport, and his criminal past would prevent him from getting one. Jack Meehan (Alan Bates), a British gangster who knows about Fallon's past, offers him a deal -- he can get Fallon the papers and the cash to go to America, but in return he must kill a man. A priest, Father De Costa (Bob Hoskins), witnesses Fallon committing the murder, and Fallon wants to find a way to keep De Costa quiet without putting more blood on his hands. The original director of A Prayer for the Dying, Franc Roddam, left the production midway through shooting due to disputes with the producers, and star Mickey Rourke later attempted to disassociate himself from the film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rourke, Bob Hoskins, (more)
The once-notorious D. H. Lawrence novel Lady Chatterly's Lover seemed like kid stuff by the time this 1981 adaptation hit the screens. To pep up Lawrence's tale of an aristocratic woman who conducts an affair with her earthy gamekeeper, soft-core porn specialist Just Jaeckin attempted to convert the material into Emmanuelle Goes to England. To this end, Jaeckin utilized the undraped talents of his Emmanuelle star Sylvia Kristel, who behaves more like a saloon hall gal than the mistress of an 18th-century manor. Lady Sylvia--er, Lady Chatterly--can't get no satisfaction from her paralyzed spouse, so she dallies with low-born Nicholas Clay. As in most other Just Jaeckin films, the production values and photography are exquisite, the dialogue and acting less so. An earlier, more sedate version of Lady Chatterly's Lover was filmed in France in 1959, with Danielle Darrieux and Erno Crisa in the leads. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Kristel, Shane Briant, (more)
Duncan (Adrian Paul), Tessa (Alexandra Van Der Noot), and Richie (Stan Kirsch) are the guests of Tessa's old friend Allan Rothwood (Anthony Head). The visit turns unpleasant when Col. Belian (Peter Guinness), the head of a small private army, accuses Allan's son, Mark (Jason Riddington), of raping Belian's stepdaughter, Lori (Marion Cotillard). Further complicating matters, at least so far as Duncan is concerned, is the revelation that Belian is an Immortal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrian Paul, Alexandra Van Der Noot, (more)
