John Aprea, who played Jesse’s (John Stamos) father on the family sitcom Full House and reached a career zenith in the 1974 film The Godfather Part II, died on August 5 of natural causes in Los Angeles. He was 83.
Born March 4, 1941 in Englewood, New Jersey, John Aprea made his debut in the Steve McQueen film Bullit in 1968. At the same time, he bowed on television with guest roles in the Marlo Thomas sitcom That Girl and the Mike Connors crime solver Mannix, while peppering his resume with film appearances in The Grasshopper and The Dark Side of Tomorrow, both in 1970, among other titles.
While tending bar in Los Angeles, Aprea met Francis Ford Coppla and landed an audition for the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather. The part, of course, went to Al Pacino, but Aprea was cast as young Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather Part II in 1974.
In 1975, Aprea landed his first regularly scheduled TV role in the sitcom The Montefuscos, which came and went after just nine episodes. After a roster of more guest TV appearnces, his next ongoing role was in the limited TV drama The Gangster Chronicles in 1981.
Also in the 1980s, Aprea co-starred on the detective drama Matt Houston and had recurring roles in primetime in the dramas Falcon Crest and Knots Landing and in daytime in Another World and Days of Our Lives. Additionally, he had guest roles on TV series such as Melrose Place, The Hat Squad, Saved the Bell: The New Class, Renegade, Silk Stalkings and The Sopranos.
In 1988, Aprea made his first of seven appearances on Full House and he reprised his role as Nick Katsopolis in the sequel Fuller House in 2017. From 2020 to 2023, he had a recurring role on the web drama The Bay.
Survivors include his third wife, Betsy; his daughter, Nicole, from a previous marriage to actress Ninon Aprea; and stepchildren Marika and Valentino.
Read the full article here