John Aprea, ‘Godfather Part II’ and ‘Full House’ Actor, Dies at 83
variety.comMeredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com John Aprea, whose acting career landed him roles on “Godfather Part II” and “Full House,” died on Monday of natural causes in Los Angeles.
He was 83. His death was confirmed by Will Levine, Aprea’s manager. Born in 1941 to Italian immigrants in Englewood, N.J., Aprea spent part of his early years in Italy before his family resettled back in the States.
In the early 1960s, he set out to pursue his passion, acting, enrolling in Joshua Shelley’s acting classes (who also taught Mia Farrow and Jon Voight) in New York.
Eventually, he would land a role in the 1968 Steve McQueen classic film Bullitt, playing Killer. After his splashy debut, Aprea found acting work on sets for the 1970s TV series “Mannix,” the 1970s film “The Grasshopper,” and Jonathan Demme’s 1974 feature, “Caged Heat.” John’s career took off when he was cast as the young Tessio in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather Part II.” Before taking on the role, he reportedly reached out to Abe Vigoda, who played the older version of the character in the first film, for advice.
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