John Aprea, the esteemed character actor who portrayed Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather Part II and the father of John Stamos’ Jesse Katsopolis in Full House, has died. He was 83.

Will Levine, Aprea’s manager, confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that the actor died of natural causes on Aug. 5 “surrounded by his loved ones.”

Levine also posted a tribute to Aprea on Facebook. “Sad to report the passing of longtime client and friend, John Aprea… Wonderfully talented journeyman actor loved by all,” he wrote.

Aprea is survived by wife Betsy Garci, his daughter Nicole from a previous marriage to actress Cherie Latimer, and stepchildren Marika Parker and Valentino Garci.

Born March 4, 1941 to Italian immigrants in Englewood, N.J., teenage Aprea briefly attended a Pennsylvania university before departing college and pursuing his long held interest in acting. He worked several odd jobs — as a doorman, truck driver, bartender, and more — before making his film debut as Killer in Bullitt, the 1968 action pic that also starred Steve McQueen. 

Aprea would next appear in such films as The Grasshopper and The Dark Side of Tomorrow, while also landing small gigs in TV shows  like That Girl and The F.B.I.

It was during those early years of his career that Aprea crossed paths with Francis Ford Coppola and auditioned for the role of lead character, Michael Corleone in The Godfather. The role went to Al Pacino, who played the part in the 1972 film and its sequels, but Aprea landed a gig in The Godfather Part II as a younger version of Tessio, the mobster originally portrayed by Abe Vigoda. 

Widely considered one of the greatest films of all time, The Godfather Part II was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, and became the first sequel to win Best Picture. Its six Oscar wins also included Best Director for Coppola, Best Supporting Actor for Robert De Niro and Best Adapted Screenplay for Coppola and Mario Puzo. In a 2020 interview with The Digital Journal, Aprea noted what a “monumental” role Tessio was for him.

“The Godfather: Part II just stays with you,” he said. “It’s a part of who you are. It is one of the best films ever made.”

He added, “Each time it comes on television, I tell myself ‘I’m not going to see it again’ but before I know it, I’ve watched every minute of it.”

In 1975, Aprea starred as the patriarch of a multi-generational Italian American family on NBC’s short-lived sitcom, The Montefuscos. The series, created by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff, lasted just nine episodes. 

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly‘s free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Aprea would accrue several more TV credits across his decade-spanning career, including two stints on the NBC soap opera Another World as criminal Lucas Castigliano and shipping magnate, Alexander Nikos. 

He also recurred as Nick Katsopolis, the exterminator father of Stamos’ Full House character, which he would later reprise for the 2017 Netflix reboot. Aprea also appeared in Falcon Crest, The Sopranos, Days of Our Lives, the telenovela American Heiress, and the acclaimed NBC miniseries The Gangster Chronicles. 

On the big screen, Aprea found further success in films including Caged Heat, The Manchurian Candidate, The Stepford Wives, David Fincher’s The Game, and more. The seasoned film and TV actor continued performing late in his career, including a recent recurring role in the Peacock streaming drama, The Bay.