Fleet Sparrow

Like many, Anthony Stewart Head - ASH, as we often referred to him in our reviews at the time - first came to my fannish attention as Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer . There were two more roles that immediately come to my mind when thinking of him - not that I haven't seen him in more, but these are the ones that are staying with me - the villain, Mr. Finch, in the Doctor Who episode School Reunion, and Uther Pendragon in the BBC series Merlin. You could call Uther the anti-Giles in some ways: the father and mentor figure who while loving his children (and being willing to die for them) messes them up in a very Philip Larkin way, absolutely unwilling (most of the time) to accept responsibility for his own deeds and looking for scapegoats instead . And yet charismatic enough to evoke loyalty in many people, and vulnerable enough that one usually pitied Uther even when despising him. Merlin was a show primarily aimed at a young audience, but ASH never gave anything but a three dimensional, complicated performance.

As for Giles. He once said, joking or otherwise, that he originally started out with the persona Hugh Grant embodied in 1990s rom-coms as a basis, and you can see that especially in the early episodes, but it quickly became so much more. Not least because having this particular actor to write for meant that Giles got fleshed out in terms of backstory ("Ripper", and of course ASH's trained voice as a singer was used in later seasons) and participation in the overall narrative beyond delivering exposition. He had both expert comic timing (see also the episodes in which Giles gets to be his teenage self, or ends up transformed into a demon), and a wonderful ability for character drama even without using his voice - I'm m thinking of Giles' expression when it turns out Buffy kept the fact Angel is among the (un)living again from him. Or, to put it as unspoilery as possible, his final scene with Ben in season 6. His mentor scenes with Buffy (and on occasion some of the other Scoobies) could be incredibly tender - the s2 scene in Innocence in which Giles comforts Buffy in the car is one of the most memorable among many memorable Buffy and Giles scenes - and the wry, deadpan wit the writers gave him starting a few episodes in was more than a match for Scooby quippiness. For all this, he was never presented as perfect; in the big s3 episode which will end up with Giles choosing Buffy over the Council, he first starts out by following instructions that include drugging and manipulating a girl who trusts him. Speaking of s3, he could have done more for Faith before her fall, to put it mildly, and I'm with Joyce in her cold fury once she figures out Giles' role in her daughter's life and the fact he not just supported but encouraged Buffy keeping the whole Slayer saga from her. Giles being so very human meant that he didn't always get it right any more than the other characters. But he still was the mentor all of them wanted to have. And most of fandom, too, I dare say.

72 years isn't "young" anymore but in this day and age, it's no longer old, and too soon to die. But any time would have been too soon for this actor who gave me so much fannish joy for many years. Thank you, ASH. Thank you so much!