The watcher, a single person who is destined to find the Slayer and lead her on her path, an job Rupert Giles doesn't take lightly. He came from a long line of watchers, his father, his grandfather, and so on, as far back as he can remember. Although at a first glance Giles would seem like your average librarian, totally immersed in his work and seemingly without a life outside of his library, he has proved himself to be much more than that. He has read nearly every single book ever written on the subject of vampires and lore, written in 4 or 5 different languages, and uses them to teach and guide Buffy. He has shown that he is wiser than is imaginable and very understanding.

If you've only seen one or two episodes you might not have caught, to the full extent, what it means to be Giles. As well as training Buffy for the ever present threat of the vampire king ("the master"), he must also show the kind of understanding that no one else can give her. As the slayer, she is unable to tell her parents of her problems (which is understandable, considering what they are) so Giles has to play a "father" almost and give her someone she can vent her feelings to. I think another site (maybe the official page) put it best when they described his teaching, saying "...his guidance is tempered with kindness".

He even manages to add a bit of humour to many situations using his lack of knowledge of the "social world" and what goes on with present day teens.

Anthony Stewart Head is definately not a new face in the world of show business. Originally from England, he has made a name for himself all throughout the Britain, as well as North America. One of his most well known roles was as the lead in the ongoing saga of the "Taster's Choice instant coffee" commercials. But, even before that he had become a well recognized face in the media world, starring in the British production of "The Rocky Horror Show"(definately a change from Giles), "Julius Ceasar", "Chess", "Godspell", and "The Heiress".

But his talent is not only left to the stage and commercials, no way, this actor has also left his mark in the television and film scenes, long before Buffy. His movie credits include "Lady Chatterley's Lover", "Devil's Hill", and "A Prayer for the Dying". He was also a regular on "VR.5", a well known sci-fi show, as well as guest appearances in "Highlander" and "NYPD Blue". He has also starred in quite a few BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) productions and British television shows.

Return to Main Page

Return to Characters Page

Some pictures are copyright © 1997 The WB Television Network and UltimateTV and are from the Official Buffy the Vampire Slayer Site