Anthony Head Played King Arthur's Dad In One Of The Best Fantasy Shows You've Never Seen

"Ted Lasso" star Anthony Head, who passed away at the age of 72 on June 5, 2026, has left behind a legacy that spans multiple generations and genres. While many fans might think of him as the serious-minded Rupert Giles — a major part of the cast of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" – a whole generation of kids and tweens became familiar with Head's work thanks to the hit BBC fantasy series "Merlin." 

In it, Head plays the eternally tough-minded and somewhat tyrannical Uther Pendragon, father of boy king Arthur (Bradley James), who he is very tough on. Uther has banned the usage of magic in Camelot, though it continues to be practiced by some who live there, even under pain of execution.

Arthur is aided in his quest to become the best king he can by teenage sorcerer Merlin (Colin Morgan), who has arrived in Uther's court to train as an apprentice to the court's physician, Gaius (Richard Wilson). When a man is executed by Uther's regime for practicing magic, his sorceress mother vows revenge. The teens realize they'll need to employ magic to battle back the threat to Camelot, breaking Uther's edicts and promising to change everything.

"Merlin" proved quite the success for the BBC, lasting for five seasons. The show continued to mine narrative tension from Merlin's usage of magic and the existence of magical creatures inside and outside the kingdom. Uther's anti-magic edicts continue to keep Merlin from revealing the truth about his nature as a magical person, with this balance becoming harder and harder for the teenage sorcerer to manage as time goes on.

Uther is eventually left brokenhearted by the betrayal of Morgana Pendragon (Katie McGrath), Arthur's half-sister, who becomes the show's villainess in Season 3. Uther dies during Season 4, and while Anthony Head appears one more time as a ghostly version of Uther, he's barely a presence by Season 5. 

That last batch of episodes sees a tumultuous war roil Camelot. It ends with Arthur's death, the rise of Guinevere (Angel Coulby) to Camelot's throne, and centuries of waiting for Merlin, who keeps hoping his king will be resurrected. "Merlin" fans still think the series finale ruined the whole show, but you can judge for yourself by trying the show out on Tubi.