Ted Lasso Honors Anthony Head With Moving “In Memory” Tribute in Season 4 Episode 9

“Ted Lasso” has finally paid its respects to one of its own. The September 30 episode of the Apple TV comedy ends with a simple, quiet title card reading “In Memory of Anthony Head” — the Ted Lasso Anthony Head tribute fans have been waiting for since the actor died in June at age 72.

Head played Rupert Mannion, the former owner of AFC Richmond and the ex-husband of Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham). He was the show’s original villain, and he made him impossible to forget.

The tribute closes out the ninth episode of season 4, “Mae Rides the Bus” — the penultimate episode of the season. As Kingfishr’s “Oh Love” plays, the card honors an actor whose character never appears in the new season but whose presence hangs over all of it.

Why the Ted Lasso Anthony Head Tribute Waited Until Episode 9

When season 4 premiered, many viewers wondered why the show didn’t honor Head right away. As it turns out, there was a good reason to wait. Although Head filmed no new scenes for the season — production wrapped in January, several months before his death — Rupert Mannion’s story wasn’t actually finished.

In episodes 8 and 9, a shadowy subplot revealed that someone had been quietly buying up Richmond ownership shares at inflated prices. Rupert was the obvious suspect, and in Rebecca’s mind he remained a prime suspect. But episode 9 cleared him for good: a secret phone call exposed Zelda Southport (Tracey Ullman) as the real schemer. With Rupert off the hook and his off-screen arc closed, the producers felt episode 9 was the right place for the tribute.

Annette Badland, who plays pub owner Mae, told Deadline it was “a great honor to be in the episode that is dedicated to him.” She added simply, “We will miss him, I respect him.” Badland also revealed that few people knew Head had been ill — she had assumed he would return for the new season.

The Villain Fans Loved to Hate

Head first played Rupert as a recurring character in the show’s first two seasons before becoming a series regular for season 3. Rupert was Rebecca’s cheating ex-husband who lost the club to her in their divorce, then bought West Ham United and poached Nate Shelley away from Richmond. He could easily have been a cartoon villain. Instead, Head played him with enough charm that viewers understood exactly why Rebecca once fell for him.

Few tributes captured him better than Brett Goldstein’s. The Roy Kent actor called Head “a brilliant actor who played the worst person in the world, which was an incredible skill because he was the best person.”

Remembering Anthony Head: From Giles to Rupert

For millions of fans, Head will always be Rupert Giles, the tweedy librarian and father figure who guided Sarah Michelle Gellar’s heroine across all seven seasons of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997–2003). But his range stretched far wider than that. He played a prime minister in “Little Britain,” King Uther Pendragon in “Merlin,” and Geoffrey Howe in the Oscar-winning “The Iron Lady.” He started in musical theater — including a celebrated turn as Frank-N-Furter in a West End revival of “The Rocky Horror Show” — and British audiences first knew him as the romantic lead of the famous Nescafé Gold Blend coffee ads of the 1980s.

Head died at home in June at 72 from complications of pneumonia, surrounded by his family. His daughters, actresses Emily and Daisy Head, announced his death to the Press Association on June 5. “It has been, and forever will be, an honour and a privilege to be his daughters, and to have witnessed firsthand the impact both he and his work have had on so many,” they said. His “Ted Lasso” co-star Jeremy Swift wrote simply: “Goodbye Tony, we adored you. Rest in Peace my friend.”

SlashFilm explained why the producers held the tribute back until Rupert’s arc had closed, and the Associated Press reported his death in June at 72.

What the Tribute Means for the Season 4 Finale

“Mae Rides the Bus” was already an emotional episode — it also bid farewell to Mae Green, the beloved owner of the Crown & Anchor pub, a goodbye we covered in a separate piece. With the Anthony Head tribute closing it out, the season’s penultimate chapter carried double the weight.

So what’s next? The season 4 finale arrives on Apple TV next week, and a confrontation between Rebecca and Zelda now looks unavoidable. It will also mark the end of an era for “Ted Lasso” — and, thanks to this quiet final card, a fitting goodbye to one of the best actors the show ever had. Head joins the stars we lost in 2026, but Rupert Mannion will keep living on every rewatch.

For more on Head’s life and career, see his Legacy.com obituary.