John Aprea, the man best known for his role as Sal Tessio in “The Godfather Part II,” has sadly passed away at the age of 83. Reports in recent days reveal how Aprea “died of natural causes” on Monday, August 5th. A statement from manager Will Levine did not reveal whether Tessio was suffering from a specific illness.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Levine said that he was “saddened” by Aprea’s death, adding that he was an “incredibly talented actor and loved by his friends.”
“One of the classiest guys I know,” he added.
Born in 1941 in New Hersey, Aprea was a first-generation Italian-American who initially pursued a career in business. By 1968, Aprea had made his film debut in Steve McQueen’s “Bullitt” cult classic.
In 1974, Aprea took on the role of Salvatore Tessio in the second installment of The Godfather series, which opened up new doors for the actor in acting. Aprea met Francis Ford Coppola while tending a bar in Los Angeles. He was eventually given an audition to try out for the famous role of Michael Corleone, but was cast instead as Tessio in the second installment of the movie after Al Pacino was offered the role for which he applied. Aprea quickly became well known for his portrayal of other New York and Italian mobsters in a range of television shows and films. Between 1989 and 1998, Aprea appeared in more than 400 episodes of the soap opera “Another World.”
Aprea is survived by his wife Betsy Graci, who was married to Aprea for 25 years. Aprea is also survived by his daughter Nicole from a previous marriage, as well as two stepchildren, Valentino Graci and Marika Parker.
