The Godfather Part II star John Aprea dies

The Godfather Part II actor John Aprea has died at the age of 83.

Aprea, who portrayed the young Salvatore Tessio in the Francis Ford Coppola's classic mafia sequel, died on 5 August 2024 of natural causes in Los Angeles, his manager, Will Levine, announced to The Hollywood Reporter.

The star auditioned for the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather, losing out to Al Pacino, but did land a role in the sequel as a younger version of Tessio, the Corleone family caporegime played by Abe Vigoda in the first film.

Another notable role came as the father of John Stamos' character, Jesse Katsopolis, in Full House. He appeared in one episode of its sequel series, Fuller House, in 2017.

Other notable roles included parts in Jonathan Demme's Caged Heat (1974), Crazy Mama (1975) and The Manchurian Candidate (2004).

He also the brother of Ray Sharkey's up-and-coming music promoter in Taylor Hackford's The Idolmaker (1980) and starred as a mpbster in Mario Van Peebles' New Jack City (1991). He also appeared alongside Steve McQueen in Bullitt (1968).

Another stand out TV role came as real-life mob boss Albert Anastasia in the critically acclaimed 1981 NBC miniseries The Gangster Chronicles.

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