Within two years after the world losing iconic comedian and lead actor Bob Saget, another member of the beloved cast of “Full House” passed away. According to a statement from his manager, John Aprea, who portrayed Uncle Nick opposite John Stamos’s character Jesse Katsopolis, died on August 5th at the age of 83. Will Levine, who collaborated with Aprea for the majority of his twenty-year career, was quoted in The Daily Caller as saying that the actor passed away in Los Angeles from natural causes.
Apart from portraying exterminator Nick Katsopolis on the ABC series from 1987 to 1995, Aprea’s breakthrough performance was in the 1972 film “The Godfather,” which he landed thanks to a fortuitous meeting with director Francis Ford Coppola while serving drinks in Los Angeles. Although Al Pacino ultimately won the starring role of Michael Corleone, he was lucky enough to get the role of mobster Tessio in the follow-up. He is also known by the names “The Montefuscos,” “The Idolmaker,” and “Matt Houston.” In addition, he starred in the television series Mannix, The Rookies, NYPD Blue, The Stepford Wives, The Game, and American Anthem.
Aprea also had appearances in “Caged Heat,” “Crazy Mama,” “The Manchurian Candidate” (2004), and “The Idolmaker” in 1980 during the second half of his career. In the 2017 Netflix version of “Full House,” he returned to the character of Katsopolis. Additionally, his exceptional performance in “The Godfather” secured him other mafia parts in “New Jack City” and the critically praised “The Gangster Chronicles,” in which he portrayed mobster Albert Anastasia. According to the Hollywood Reporter, he guest starred in episodes of “The F.B.I.,” “Wonder Woman,” “Silk Stalkings,” “The Sopranos,” and “Cold Case” in addition to playing the criminal Lucas Castigliano in “Another World.”
John Aprea, Actor in ‘The Godfather Part II’ and ‘Full House,’ Dies at 83 https://t.co/UMxRMYW9dR
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 18, 2024
The Italian immigrants who raised their child in Englewood, New Jersey, hosted Sunday dinners for family members in New York City and the surrounding areas.
The child was born in 1941. The family was instilled with a familiarity with the Neapolitan language of the former country by Aprea’s emigrant parents, who came from the Campagna region of Italy. Wallflower by nature, Aprea pursued acting after high school with almost little formal training or experience.
Later in life, he recalls being approached by directors who wanted him to act in low-budget productions for “a few thousand dollars,” but he turned them down. Aprea, who was working as a janitor, bartender, and bouncer at a nearby club, supported himself by enrolling in theater school with his sister’s help.
Marika Parker and Valentino Garci, Aprea’s stepchildren from his previous marriage to actress Cherie Latimer, and his third wife, Betsy Garci, also survive him.
