John Stamos

John Phillip Stamos (born on August 19, 1963) is an Emmy-nominated American actor. He is probably best known for his role as the character of Jesse Katsopolis, a rocker and motorcycle afficionado, on the TV show Full House, which ran from 1987-1995.

Stamos was born in Cypress, California, to William John Stamos (a restaurant owner of Greek descent) and Loretta Phillips (an Irish immigrant); his paternal grandfather, Hermes Stamatopoulos, shortened the surname to “Stamos” upon emigrating from Greece to the USA.

John has two sisters, Janeen and Alaina (both of whom are school teachers). He was raised in the Disciples of Christ church, which he still attends.

Stamos began his acting career with a role on the television show General Hospital as Blackie Parrish. Then General Hospital casting director Gary Price noted that Stamos did not read for any particular parts. Later he joined Full House as Adam Cochran, but he then changed the first name to Jesse before taping the premiere. During the second season he then changed his character’s last name to Katsopolis to highlight his Greek heritage, which Stamos is very proud of. Stamos also played the role of Jesse’s cousin Stavros in episode 18 of season 7.

After the eighth season of Full House, ABC decided to drop the show from their lineup. The ninth season was to be shown on the WB Network. Because of this, Stamos announced his departure from the show.