Actor John Aprea has died aged 83. The star of Godfather Part II and Full House was confirmed dead on Monday by his manager Will Levine, succumbing to natural causes in Los Angeles. Born into an Italian migrant family in New Jersey in 1941, the actor spent part of his youth in Italy before returning to the States to pursue acting in the 1960s.
His first major role was in Steve McQueen’s 1968 film Bullitt — playing Killer. After several film credits in the early 70s, Aprea was cast in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part II as the young and charismatic Salvatore Tessio, which catapulted his career to new heights. He then starred as the lead in the comedy series The Montefusos, and was later cast as Nick Katsopolis on Full House as the father of John Stamos’ character.
Aprea enjoyed minor roles in NYPD Blue, CSI and The Sopranos in his later years. He is survived by his wife Betsy, daughter Nicole, and stepchildren Marika and Valentino..