“Ted Lasso” closed its penultimate Season 4 episode Tuesday with a title card reading “In Memory of Anthony Head,” honoring the actor who played the series’ villain, Rupert Mannion.
Head, a veteran British actor, died in June at 72. His daughters said he died peacefully, surrounded by family, of complications from pneumonia. Outlets differ on the exact date, giving either June 1 or June 5.
The card ran after Episode 9, “Mae Rides the Bus,” which also killed off Mae Green, the Crown & Anchor pub owner played by Annette Badland. Mae collapses in the stands at an away match for the Lady Greyhounds against Bristol City, doing what she loved. The same episode reveals Keeley’s pregnancy.
Deadline reports the producers chose Episode 9 deliberately. Rupert’s two-episode Season 4 storyline concluded across Episodes 8 and 9, a fight for control of AFC Richmond that ended with a twist: he was not the mystery buyer of the club’s shares. A tribute at the end of Episode 8 would have given away that twist, so the card waited a week.
Head appeared in the first two seasons as a recurring player and joined the main cast in Season 3. He portrayed Rupert as a narcissistic billionaire and the ex-husband of club owner Rebecca Welton, a role critics praised widely. His final acting credits were that 2023 season and the 2024 Prime Video film “Upgraded.” He also became known to a generation of viewers as Rupert Giles on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
Cast members remembered him after his death. Brett Goldstein, who plays Roy Kent, described Head as “a brilliant actor who played the worst person in the world,” calling that a remarkable skill because the man himself was the best. Jeremy Swift, who plays Leslie Higgins, wrote a simple farewell that said the cast adored him.
Badland, speaking to Deadline about her own character’s exit, said she was honored to appear in the episode dedicated to Head. One review argues Episode 9 also cements Zelda Southport as the season’s main antagonist, the role Rupert filled in the first three seasons.
