John Aprea, Actor in ‘Godfather, Part II’ and ‘Full House,’ Dies at 83

John Aprea, an actor who played villains in the “Godfather” trilogy and other films, and later appeared briefly as the stern but loving father of a popular character on the sitcom “Full House,” has died. He was 83.

Mr. Aprea died on August 5 at his home in Los Angeles, according to his manager Will Levine. No cause was given.

In “The Godfather, Part II” (1974), the second installment of the iconic Mafia family masterpiece, Mr. Aprea played a younger version of Salvatore “Sal” Tessio, a serious gangster who betrays his boss Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) in the first film.

Mr. Aprea had lost out to Al Pacino for the role of Michael Corleone in “The Godfather” (1972). But his role as Tessio helped launch his career.

“That was the honor, I think, that turned everything around,” he said in a 2019 interview with actor Clint Culp.

In several episodes of the popular ABC sitcom “Full House,” which ran from 1987 to 1995, he played Nick Katsopolis, a pest control technician and the father of John Stamos’ character Jesse Katsopolis, better known as “Uncle Jesse.”

John Aprea was born on March 4, 1941 in Englewood, NJ. He moved with his family to Italy, where his parents were from, for a few years before they all moved back to New Jersey.

Mr. Aprea moved to New York in the 1960s to pursue acting before heading to Hollywood in 1968. His first break was playing a murderer in the 1968 crime thriller “Bullitt” with Steve McQueen.

He was originally cast to be a lookalike of another actor in the film, Mr. Aprea said in the 2019 interview. But the crew found a stronger double. Mr. Aprea was called in for his scene just after filming wrapped, he said.

Mr. Aprea’s other film credits include “The Stepford Wives,” a 1975 thriller set in Connecticut; “The Idolmaker,” a 1980 film based on the life of rock promoter and producer Bob Marcucci; “New Jack City,” a 1991 crime drama about urban violence; and “The Manchurian Candidate,” a 2004 remake of the 1962 political thriller.

Mr. Aprea also reprised his role on “Full House” for the Netflix series reboot, “Fuller House,” which ran from 2016 to 2020. And he has appeared in popular shows such as “NYPD Blue,” “CSI” and “The Sopranos.”

Mr. Aprea is survived by his wife, Betsy Graci, and his daughter Nicole from a previous marriage to actress Ninon Aprea.

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