Who did John Aprea play on Full House? Character explored as veteran star dies aged 83

John Aprea, who gained recognition for his performance as Nick Katsopolis in Full House, unexpectedly passed away on August 5, 2024, at the age of 83. The news was revealed to People magazine by John's manager Will Levine, stating that he died from natural causes at his residence in Los Angeles.

Social media platforms were flooded with tributes as soon as the news of John Aprea's death went viral. Most of his friends recalled the flawless roles he did on screen throughout his career, and they even posted glimpses of the same in the form of photos.

Actor Paul Carafotes also expressed his grief through Instagram and addressed the time he spent with John while working together on the show, Knots Landing. He wrote:

"We had lots of laughs. We met on the set of CBS television show Knots Landing, 1987 Over 40 years ago. Many will miss this man! Rest old friend. I'll see you on the other side PC."

Aprea was a part of different films over the years such as The Godfather II and Savage Beach. He additionally portrayed important roles in TV shows like Matt Houston, Another World, and Days of Our Lives.

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John Aprea played a recurring role for a year in Full House

As mentioned, John Aprea was popular for his appearances in several successful projects. However, a few of them turned out to be iconic characters and one of them was Nick Katsopolis in Full House. Nick was initially featured in the second season of the series and returned in the fourth season.

Nick was the father of Jesse Katsopolis and Pamela Tanner and he became a bug exterminator at a young age. He later tied the knot with his wife Irene and although he had a strict nature, he had a lot of love for his children.

In one of the episodes, he is spotted saying that he would severely punish Jesse, and he expresses frustration towards Jesse when he resigns from the extermination business. He also says that he did not establish the business to sell it to an unknown person.

Despite that he appears angry, he still mourns the death of Pamela and he eventually controls his anger when Irene brings in Michelle. He even instructs Jesse in a few episodes on how to punish the twins if they misbehave.

Nick later argues on whether Danny should allow D.J. to have a drum set and Danny believes that Jesse got the "buy-off" behavior. Jesse later reveals that Nick brought him off with a Batman comic book to settle the issue.

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John Aprea's career started a long time back in the '60s

The Englewood, New Jersey native originally spent his childhood in Italy. Following his graduation from Dwight Morrow High School, Aprea arrived in Hollywood during the 60s to establish himself in the world of films and TV shows.

John Aprea's first film as an actor was Bullitt and he appeared in some projects such as The Dark Side of Tomorrow, Caged Heat, That Girl, Mannix, and more. He then grabbed a major role in The Godfather Part II after meeting Francis Ford Coppola at a bar in Los Angeles before the release of the first part. However, he was not selected at the time.

Aprea also had a successful career on television where he portrayed minor roles in the beginning. He was slowly cast in shows such as The A-Team, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Days of Our Lives, and NYPD Blue. He was last seen as Jack Madison in the Peacock crime drama series, The Bay alongside a film titled Cold.

John Aprea is survived by his wife Betsey Graci, daughter Nicole, and stepchildren Marika and Valentino. John and Betsey were married for around eight years, since 2016.