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John Stamos John Phillip Stamos is an American actor,
singer and musician best known for his work in television, especially in his starring
role as Jesse Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House. Since the ending of that show
in 1995, Stamos has appeared in numerous television films and series. Since 2005 he has been the
national spokesperson for Project Cuddle. From 2006 to 2009, Stamos had a starring role
on the NBC medical drama ER as Dr. Tony Gates. In September 2009, he began playing the role
of Albert in the Broadway revival of Bye Bye Birdie. In September 2010 Stamos began a multi-episode
arc as Dr. Carl Howell on the second season of the Fox series Glee. In 2013, he assumed
a major role in the third season of the USA Network television series Necessary Roughness,
which stars Callie Thorne. Early life
Stamos was born in Cypress, California. He attended John F. Kennedy High School. He is
the oldest child and only son of Loretta (née Phillips), a former swimsuit model who was
raised in England and is of Irish and English ancestry, and Bill Stamos, a restaurateur
of Greek descent. Stamos has two younger sisters, Jannen and Alaina, who are both teachers.
His family's last name was originally Stamatopoulos (Greek: Σταματόπουλος) but his
paternal grandparents shortened the name to Stamos after they moved to the United States
from Greece. ('-poulos' is a common Greek suffix in surnames, meaning "son of"; 'Stamat-'
is the root, which is derived from the name Stamat-ios --greater than Stamat-is, with
the -o- in between being an addition for easier pronunciation).
Early career Stamos began his acting career with the role
of Blackie Parrish on the soap opera General Hospital, for which he was nominated for a
Daytime Emmy Award in 1984. His stint on the show got him noticed by daytime viewers. Stamos
decided to move on in 1984, when he auditioned for and got the lead role in a short-lived
CBS sitcom called Dreams, in which he played an aspiring musician in a band of the same
name. Later, he played a role in the sitcom You
Again? (1986) with Jack Klugman. Full House
In the late 1980s, ABC's Full House gradually became a hit, and the show solidified Stamos's
career. In the first season, his character's full name was credited as Jesse Cochran. During
the second season he then changed his character's last name to Katsopolis to highlight his Greek
heritage, according to Jeff Franklin. He played one of the show's protagonists, Jesse, who
lives with his brother in-law, whose deceased wife was Jesse's older sister. Danny's best
friend, Joey, also lives in the house with them. The three help each other raise three
young girls. Jesse is known to be the "bad boy" at first, until he falls in love with
and marries Rebecca Donaldson and has twin boys, Nicky and Alex. In 1995, after eight
seasons, the series came to an end. Stamos has since maintained close relationships with
co-stars Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, Lori Loughlin, Jodie Sweetin, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen,
and Candace Cameron Bure. As of 2014, the show airs in syndication on TBS and Nick at
Nite. Post-Full House
Since the show's end, Stamos has appeared in numerous made-for-television films, stage
productions, television series and commercials. He had starring roles in the television series
Thieves (2001), and Jake in Progress (2005). Both shows ran for several episodes before
cancellation. In 2003, Stamos guest-starred in Friends, appearing in the episode The One
with the Donor, playing a man who went to Chandler and Monica's apartment for dinner,
not knowing he was actually being interviewed to be a *** donor.
Stamos was a guest star in a first-season episode of MTV's, The Andy Milonakis Show
(2005), playing himself. He took part in only one skit, which featured him in a tree, having
rabies, and being put down by another character. In the A&E television movie Wedding Wars (2006),
he starred as Shel, a gay wedding planner. He stated that his performance reflected his
support for same-sex marriages. He has made several voice acting appearances
such as in the MTV animated series Clone High in the episode, "Changes: The Big Prom: The
Sex Romp: The Season Finale", where he played himself, and as the What's Global Warming
Penguin in Bob Saget's parody film Farce of the Penguins.
In 2006, Stamos guest starred in two episodes in season 12 of ER as paramedic-turned-intern
Tony Gates. In 2006, at the start of ER's thirteenth season, he joined the cast of ER
as a series regular. Executive producer John Wells said that he wanted him earlier the
season before but Stamos was contracted with Jake in Progress. Shortly after that show
was canceled, Stamos was brought aboard as a series regular.
In February 2008, Stamos appeared in the television adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun. In August
2008, Stamos was the roast master for Comedy Central Roast Of Bob Saget.
On June 8, 2010, it was announced that Stamos would portray Carl Howell, a new love interest
for Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), in the second season on the popular television show Glee.
In 2011, Stamos guest starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. and was featured in
a CollegeHumor video with Bob Saget. Stamos also guest-starred as himself on Two and a
Half Men as Charlie's old friend, who was interested in buying the house until he found
out that the place was Charlie's. Since 2011, Stamos has appeared in a series
of commercials for Dannon's Greek yogurt brand Oikos; including his first Super Bowl commercial
which was aired during Super Bowl 2012. In February 2012, it was reported that Stamos
would take on one of the lead roles on the new Fox drama Little Brother. The series was
created by Everybody Loves Raymond writer Mike Royce, and centers around a man who finds
out that he has a long-lost half brother. In March 2013, Stamos signed on in a recurring
role on the USA Network drama Necessary Roughness, during season three. He will be playing Connor
McClane, the head of a sports and entertainment management company that is interested in hiring
Dani. Music and theatre
Stamos started learning drums when he was four, and started his own band called Destiny.
They had paying concerts at some amusement parks and parties.
Independently Stamos performed on an independently released
1994 album entitled Shades of Blue along with Lanny Cordola, Gary Griffin, Sandra Stephens,
Tony Guerrero, and David Enos. Shades of Blue was re-released digitally through iTunes and
other channels in 2010 after being long out-of-print. Stamos appeared on Broadway as the emcee in
Cabaret, and also in Nine and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.
Stamos performed the Billy Joel song "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" on the 2006 charity
album Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars. He also performed the role of Emcee
in the Broadway production of Cabaret. Stamos performed on a Marianas Trench song,
recorded on the album Masterpiece Theatre. On March 30, 2009, he announced that he would
participate in the Broadway revival of Bye Bye Birdie. Stamos won the 2009–10 Golden
Icon Award for best actor in a musical for his performance in that production.
Stamos was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 16, 2009. The star
is located at 7021 Hollywood Blvd. Stamos performed with John Fogerty on April
24, 2010 during one of the Tampa Bay Rays Post-Game Concerts. Stamos rotated between
the tambourine, drums, & bass guitar throughout the concert.
In August 2011, Stamos performed in Hairspray at the Hollywood Bowl as Corny Collins, alongside
an all-star cast. On July 10, 2012, Stamos began performances
on Broadway in Gore Vidal's The Best Man as Senator Joseph Cantwell.
On July 19, 2013, Stamos reprised his role as Jesse Katsopolis for a "Jesse and the Rippers"
reunion on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Played straight by host Fallon (who introduced the
band as being from San Francisco and having a number one song in Japan), Stamos performed
a medley of songs featured on Full House including Forever and the series' theme song Everywhere
You Look. Bob Saget and Lori Loughlin also made cameos.
The Beach Boys Stamos, who plays the drums, keyboards, guitar,
bass and various percussion instruments, has occasionally performed with The Beach Boys,
dating back to 1985. In 1988, he appeared in their video for "Kokomo", in which he played
both the conga drums and the steel drums. In 1990, he played drums for them on the title
track of the comedy Problem Child. In 1992, he sang lead vocals on a new version
of "Forever" for their album Summer in Paradise. The song was originally written and sung by
Beach Boy Dennis Wilson and released in 1970. The song was also featured twice on Full House.
The first was a recording sung at his character's wedding, while the second was a recording
sung for his character's twin sons. The 1992 music video, titled "Forever by Jesse and
the Rippers", featured Stamos predominantly. Three of The Beach Boys members are however
briefly shown singing harmonies with Stamos: Carl Wilson, Bruce Johnston, and Mike Love.
Since the 1990s, Stamos has regularly performed with The Beach Boys during their summer tours,
playing drums and guitar, and singing some of their hit songs such as "Forever".
On the March 30, 2010 episode of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, Stamos appeared with them
again, playing drums, congas, and guitar. Stamos toured with The Beach Boys in the spring
of 2010, including an appearance at Fort Myers, Florida.
In June 2011, Stamos performed with The Beach Boys at a benefit concert for the Terri Schiavo
Life & Hope Network. On January 13, 2012, Stamos announced that
he will also be performing with the Beach Boys for their 50th Anniversary Tour. However
he only ended up appearing at several shows on the tour.
On May 26, 2013, Stamos performed with The Beach Boys during a postgame concert at Great
American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio. Personal life
In 1994, he met Rebecca Romijn at a Victoria's Secret fashion show, where she was modeling.
Two months later, the pair began dating. On September 19, 1998, the couple married. They
separated in April 2004, and divorced on March 1, 2005.
Stamos has a lifetime pass to Disneyland. In 2000, he purchased a sign at the entrance
of Disneyland on eBay for $30,700. Awards and nominations
Wins 1982: Soapy Awards for Most Exciting New Actor
(General Hospital) 1984: Young Artist Awards for Best Young Actor
in a Daytime Series (General Hospital) 2007: TV Land Awards for Favorite Elvis Impersonation–
(Full House) Nominations
1983: Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (General Hospital)
1983: Young Artist Awards for Best Young Actor in a Daytime Series (General Hospital)
1985: Young Artist Awards for Best Young Actor in a Television Comedy Series (Dreams)
2000: Emmy Awards for Outstanding Miniseries (The Beach Boys: An American Family)
2004: TV Land Awards for Quintessential Non-Traditional Family (Full House)
2010: PRISM Awards for Best Performance in a Drama Episode (ER)