Actor John Aprea, who played young Salvatore Tessio in iconic mob flick The Godfather Part II, died on Aug. 5 of natural causes, according to his manager, Will Levine, who broke the news to Deadline Sunday. He was 83.
The actor passed away in Los Angeles, “surrounded by family,” Levine added.
The New Jersey native started in show business with the 1968 Steve McQueen film Bullitt, and would go on to star in 99 movies and TV shows throughout his career.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, he came upon his role in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather series after he met the director while working as a bartender.
He first auditioned for the role of mobster Michael Corleone—the part later made famous by Al Pacino—in the trilogy’s first installment, which was released in 1972. He later got his break by landing a spot in the sequel, released in 1974.
John Aprea in the movie “The Godfather: Part II,” directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
CBS via Getty ImagesUpon getting the role, Aprea called actor Abe Vigoda, who played Tessio in the original, to discuss the part.
“I don’t know what I did. Just have a good time, kid,” Vigoda reportedly told Aprea.
Aprea’s second star turn came on the hit 1980s and ’90s family sitcom Full House, where he played Jesse Katsopolis’s (John Stamos) father, Nick Katsopolis. He would later return to the series’ Netflix reboot, Fuller House, in 2017.
His other credits include parts in films like The Stepford Wives, The Game, and The Manchurian Candidate.
Actor John Aprea attends a charity event in 2010.
Donato Sardella/WireImageOn the small screen, Aprea did considerable work on the soap operas Falcon Crest, Another World, and Days of Our Lives.
His final role before his death was in a drama called The Bay, where he played Jack Madison.
