“Full House” and “The Godfather – Part II” actor turned 83

John Aprea, the respected character actor who played Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather – Part II and the father of John Stamos’ Jesse Katsopolis in Full househas died. He was 83 years old.

Will Levine, Aprea’s manager, confirmed to Weekly entertainment that the actor died of natural causes on August 5, “surrounded by his loved ones.”

Levine also posted a tribute to Aprea on Facebook. “Sad to announce the passing of our long-time client and friend John Aprea… A wonderfully talented actor loved by all,” he wrote.

Aprea leaves behind his wife Betsy Garci, his daughter Nicole from a previous marriage to actress Cherie Latimer, and stepchildren Marika Parker and Valentino Garci.

Aprea was born to Italian immigrants in Englewood, New Jersey, on March 4, 1941. The teenager briefly attended the University of Pennsylvania before leaving college to pursue his long-held interest in acting. He worked a variety of odd jobs—as a bouncer, truck driver, bartender, and more—before making his film debut as a hitman in Bullittthe 1968 action film in which Steve McQueen also starred.

Aprea next appeared in films such as The Grasshopper And The dark side of tomorrowwhile she also made small appearances in TV shows such as The girl And The FBI

In these early years of his career, Aprea crossed paths with Francis Ford Coppola and auditioned for the role of lead character Michael Corleone in The Godfather. The role went to Al Pacino, who played the role in the 1972 film and its sequels, but Aprea landed a gig in The Godfather – Part II as a younger version of Tessio, the gangster originally portrayed by Abe Vigoda.

It is considered one of the best films of all time. The Godfather – Part II was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and was the first sequel to win Best Picture. The six Oscars it won included Coppola for Best Director, Robert De Niro for Best Supporting Actor, and Coppola and Mario Puzo for Best Adapted Screenplay. In a 2020 interview with The Digital Journal, Aprea noted what a “monumental” role Tessio was for him.

“The Godfather: Part II just stays with you,” he said. “It’s a part of you. It’s one of the best movies ever made.”

He added: “Every time the film comes on TV I say to myself, ‘I’m never watching it again.’ But before I know it, I’ve seen every minute of it.”

In 1975, Aprea played the patriarch of an Italian-American family in NBC’s short-lived sitcom. The Montefuscos. The The series, created by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff, lasted only nine episodes.

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Aprea made several other TV appearances during his ten-year career, including two on the NBC soap opera Another world as the criminal Lucas Castigliano and the shipowner Alexander Nikos.

He also appeared as Nick Katsopolis, the exterminator father of Stamos’ Full house character he would later reprise for the 2017 Netflix reboot. Aprea also appeared in Falcon Crest, The Sopranos, Days of Our Lives, the telenovela American heiress, and the acclaimed NBC miniseries The Gangster Chronicles.

On the big screen, Aprea celebrated further successes in films such as Heat in the cage, Candidate of Fear, The Stepford WivesDavid Fincher’s The game, and more. The veteran film and television actor continued to appear later in his career, including a recent recurring role on the Peacock streaming drama. The Bay.