John Aprea, ‘The Godfather Part II’ and ‘Full House’ Actor Dies at 83: Reports

(NEXSTAR) — John Aprea, who starred in “The Godfather Part II” and “Full House,” has died at the age of 83, multiple sources said.

Aprea died of natural causes on August 5 at his Los Angeles home surrounded by loved ones, his manager Will Levine confirmed to CBS News, TMZ and PEOPLE on Sunday.

The veteran actor was born on March 4, 1941, in Englewood, New Jersey, to Italian immigrant parents, PEOPLE reports.

According to IMBD, Aprea began his Hollywood acting career with a small role in the 1968 crime thriller Bullitt. He would later appear in “The Grasshopper” (1970) and “Caged Heat” (1974) before landing one of his most notable roles as the young Salvatore Tessio in “The Godfather Part II,” which also debuted in 1974.

LOS ANGELES – DECEMBER 20: The film “The Godfather: Part II”, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel ‘The Godfather’ by Mario Puzo. Seen here, John Aprea as a young Salvatore ‘Sal’ Tessio. First released in theaters on December 20, 1974. Screencap. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 16: Actor John Aprea attends the Women’s Guild Cedars-Sinai Medial Center event at Ralph Lauren on September 16, 2010 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Donato Sardella/WireImage)

Aprea met “The Godfather” director Francis Ford Coppola while working as a bartender in Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He originally auditioned for the role of mob boss Michael Corleone in the first installment of the film trilogy, but the role went to none other than Al Pacino.

However, all was not lost, as Aprea played the lead role in the sequel.

He also played a mob leader in the 1981 NBC miniseries “The Gangster Chronicles” and a mob boss in the 2000 film “Brother.”

On a lighter note, Aprea played the father of John Stamos’ character in seven episodes of “Full House” and also starred in the sci-fi comedy “Space Junk” (2019).