Ted Lasso: Who Is Rupert Mannion - And Why Does He Look So Familiar?

"Ted Lasso" may preach themes such as giving people second chances or being your best self, but there is one character that does not apply to. From his first appearance, Rupert Mannion was an unequivocal villain. Following a messy divorce from Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), Rupert does everything he can to humiliate and wound her, making him one of the show's most unlikable characters. Rupert only gets worse while Rebecca embarks on her journey to self-discovery and reflection. He continues his serial cheating ways and tries to drag anyone around him to his petty level, serving as the exception to Ted's (Jason Sudeikis) belief that people can be their best selves.

For an actor to carry such a thankless role, he has to be one with vast experience in the entertainment industry. "Ted Lasso" struck gold in casting Anthony Head, who has spent the past three decades appearing in iconic films and television series. The prolific performer has portrayed enough beloved characters in his career that playing a reprehensible villain didn't tarnish his legacy. It only added to an already impressive career.

While Anthony Head had been in the industry good a decade before "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" changed television forever, his turn as Rupert Giles will live on as one of his most cherished roles. Airing from 1997 to 2003, the cult classic melded humor and horror to tell human stories in a fantastical world. Buffy Summers' (Sarah Michelle Gellar) great calling of fighting the forces of darkness became a metaphor for inner demons in real life. But as her Watcher, Giles was a significant part of the "Buffy" mythos. Without the support of her biological father, Giles becomes more than just an authority figure training her as The Chosen One. He becomes the father she deserves and does everything he can to protect her.

"[Fans still bring it up] quite a lot, actually," Head commented to the New York Post. "It does span the generations. I still don't understand how it never came away with any Emmys, or any of those awards. People [tell me] how much it meant to them at the time they were growing up, how it resonated, and bless them. They quite often say Giles was the father figure that was missing in their lives for various reasons. I think that's part of it's longevity. It hit home. It's quite remarkable." Head may appear in properties just as important as "Buffy," but he will always be a generation's occult-reading, English father figure.

Uther Pendragon may be a footnote in the legend of King Arthur, but Anthony Head brings nuance and dimension to this mythological character. BBC One's "Merlin" was a fresh, family-oriented take on the well-known tale, but that didn't stop the series from delving into darker themes. While the titular wizard hones his craft, Uther uses tyranny to rule Camelot. With a personal vendetta against magic, he outlaws the practice and executes those who practice it. But while it may be easy to be a one-note villain, Head finds sympathy in the ruling king.

"I see him as somebody who's basically doing the best he can with a very limited toolbox," Head told NiceGirlsTV.com at Comic-Con. "It's the dark ages and there weren't that many family-friendly kings around. They made really drastic decisions, but he took the land. He didn't inherit it. He's a warrior." Head acknowledges that Uther does have a penchant for burning people at the stake, but that doesn't stop him from having depth. Despite his failings, he has hints of humanity, loving Arthur (Bradley James) and Morgana (Katie McGrath) in his own way. And even though he ultimately fails his daughter, he is a father at the end of the day. Casting an experienced actor such as Head allowed for these characteristics to shine through.

The feature film interpretations of "Ghost Rider" may not be winning any awards, but that isn't for lack of trying. The two films fronted by Nicolas Cage delve into what makes comic book movies such a raucous riot, even if Marvel won't give "Ghost Rider" another movie. The second film, "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," in particular, pulls out all the stops by casting iconic actors such as Idris Elba, Ciarán Hinds, and Anthony Head. Johnny Blaze's (Cage) quest for redemption continues after a group of monks fails to protect a young boy who happens to be the son of the devil. Benedict (Head) is the leader of this conclave tasked with hiding Danny (Fergus Riordan) from Roarke (Hinds).

Underestimating the devil's forces, Benedict dies, and mercenary Moreau (Elba) takes on his charge. What follows is a fun-filled romp that can only be accomplished in the early days of Marvel films. Moreau teams up with Johnny Blaze as they go on to literally battle the devil. Not one of these actors phones in their performances, and it all starts with Head's short-lived character. Though Benedict doesn't make it past the opening credits, he still sells the high stakes of the rest of the film, and Head's experience in campy genre fare only helps a film that is purely escapist.

As with the first "Percy Jackson" film, the 2013 follow-up is full of familiar characters taken from Greek mythology. Percy (Logan Lerman) continues his training as a demigod alongside Athena's daughter, Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), and his satyr friend, Grover (Brandon T. Jackson). The guiding authority of Camp Half-Blood also returns, but this time with a slightly different look. After Pierce Brosnan portrayed the centaur, Chiron, in "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," Anthony Head replaced him in the sequel. Present to give sage wisdom to Percy and advise him of a potentially devastating prophecy, the actor told TV Guide that Chiron was also there to fill a void in Percy's life.

"He's the grounding that Percy's never had. He's the mentor, he's the wisdom. And at the same time, he doesn't take himself too seriously. There's a nice kind of whimsical humor about him, which undercuts too much seriousness. But at the same time, Percy's never really had a father," Head explained. Though Percy has a literal father in the form of Poseidon, there has been no one to fill the role of a supportive man in his life. Chiron does his best to fill that gap, something that Head has been quite familiar with in his career. Fans never got a third "Percy Jackson" movie, but Head was an appreciated addition to series nonetheless.

In a long career, Anthony Head has been well-versed in finding a variety of roles. "It's something that I've worked quite hard at over the years, not to be pigeonholed, for someone to say, 'Oh that's him, that's what he does,'" Head told the New York Post. And with Netflix's "The Stranger," he reaches his goal. In the mystery series adapted from the Harlan Coben book of the same name, not everything is as it seems. 

Richard Armitage stars as Adam, a husband and father who thinks he has everything together until a stranger (Hannah John-Kamen) blows it up. After the nameless character tells Adam that his wife faked her pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage, Adam goes down a rabbit hole of questions, some surrounding his father, Ed (Head). Their relationship is tense at best, mostly because Ed is not a quality person. Head told the New York Post that he enjoyed the twists and turns of the story. And this is not a character you will have seen him play before — at least not until the ultimate "Ted Lasso" villain, Rupert Mannion.

"I don't think you've seen him quite this sort of frosty, almost, before. He's not nice," Coben corroborated when speaking to Digital Spy. "Giles, I'm sorry Giles. We love turning people against type." 

When Anthony Head is not starring as characters we all know and love, he also lends his talent to more minor roles in episodic television. It's rare for an English actor to have not appeared in the long-running sci-fi show "Doctor Who," and Head's startling role was in Season 2. In Episode 5, "School Reunion," it's obvious Headmaster Mr. Finch (Head) is up to no good as soon as he appears onscreen. With slicked-back hair and ominous lines of dialogue, he is the big villain of the episode. Masquerading as a human, Finch is an alien that on occasion consumes people while he is training children to take over the world. Never one to phone in a performance, Head fits perfectly into the schlocky universe.

On the other side of the favorite English spectrum, he also appears in Shonda Rhimes' period romance, "Bridgerton." In yet another villain turn, Head transforms into Lord Sheffield in Season 2. Kate (Simone Ashley) and Edwina's (Charithra Chandran) grandfather still resents their mother for running off to India with a man of little means and insists that their granddaughter find a suitable match. Caring only for status and not really getting to know their family, the Sheffields represent the truly dark side of the era. An actor who can spin a yarn in anything he appears in, Head has also had brief roles in "Tom Clancy's: Jack Ryan" and SyFy's "Dominion."