John Stamos

Early life

John Stamos was born on August 19, 1963, in Cypress, California, to William "Bill" Stamos, a second-generation Greek-American restaurateur originating from the village of Kakouri in Arcadia and Loretta (née Phillips). His original family surname is Stamatopoulos ().

In his youth, Stamos worked for his father's restaurants, and as a teenager, had a job flipping burgers in the Orange County area. He attended John F. Kennedy High School and played in the marching band there. At 15, he attended his first Beach Boys concert; a huge fan, he would later tour with the band. His parents were supportive of his aspiration to be an actor, and although he planned to enroll at Cypress College for the 1981 term, he skipped his first semester to focus on launching a career as an actor—with his father's blessing. After just three weeks, he landed his first role on General Hospital.

Acting career

1982–1986: Early career

Stamos began his acting career with the role of Blackie Parrish on the soap opera General Hospital in late January 1982, for which he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the 10th Daytime Emmy Awards in 1983. That April, he went on to the lead role in the short-lived CBS sitcom Dreams, in which he played Gino Minnelli, an aspiring musician in a band of the same name. Later, he was a series regular on the sitcom You Again? (1986) with Jack Klugman. In 1986, Stamos starred in his first film Never Too Young to Die, an action spy film also starring Kiss bassist Gene Simmons. Though intended to be a "young James Bond" film (and even starred former Bond actor George Lazenby as Drew Stargrove, the father of Stamos' character Lance Stargrove), the movie was a critical and commercial flop.

1987–1995: ''Full House''

In the late 1980s, ABC's Full House gradually became a hit, and the show solidified Stamos's career. He asked that his character's last name be changed from Cochran to Katsopolis to highlight his Greek heritage, according to show creator and executive producer Jeff Franklin. He played one of the show's protagonists, Jesse, who lives with his brother-in-law, Danny Tanner (Bob Saget), whose deceased wife Pam Tanner (Christine Houser) was Jesse's older sister. Danny's best friend, Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier), also lives in the house with them. The three help each other raise Danny's three young daughters D.J. (Candace Cameron), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and Michelle Tanner (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen). Jesse is known to be the "bad boy" at first until he falls in love with and marries Rebecca Donaldson (Lori Loughlin) and has twin boys, Nicky and Alex Katsopolis (Blake and Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit). 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, Andrea Barber, and Candace Cameron Bure.

1996–2009: Later career

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 on Friends, appearing in the season nine episode, "The One with the Donor", playing Zack, a man who went to Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) and Monica Gellar (Courteney Cox)'s apartment for dinner, not knowing he was actually being interviewed to be a sperm 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 Grandy, 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 2003 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 2007 parody film Farce of the Penguins. In 2005, Stamos guest-starred in two episodes in season 12 of ER as paramedic-turned-intern Tony Gates. In 2006, at the start of ER thirteenth season, he joined the cast as a series regular. In February 2008, Stamos appeared in the television adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun. In August 2008, he was the roastmaster for the Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget.

2010–present: ''Grandfathered'', ''Fuller House,'' and other ventures

On June 8, 2010, it was announced that Stamos would portray Carl Howell, a new love interest for Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), in season two of the 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 Harper (Charlie Sheen)'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 played Connor McClane, the head of a sports and entertainment management company that is interested in hiring Dani Santino (Callie Thorne). Stamos was to play the lead role in ABC's soap opera Members Only, but the network decided not to air the show.

In April 2015, Stamos announced on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that the streaming service Netflix would be picking up Full House for a 13-episode sequel, titled Fuller House, to start airing on February 26, 2016. In September, he began leading the cast of the Fox sitcom Grandfathered, also starring Josh Peck, Christina Milian, and Paget Brewster. In 2016, Stamos appeared in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, and joined the Fox black comedy series Scream Queens in its second season, as series regular Dr. Brock Holt.

In 2018, Stamos starred in Lifetime's television adaptation of You as Dr. Nicky, which premiered on September 9, 2018. On June 24, 2019, it was confirmed that Stamos would reprise his role as Dr. Nicky in the second season, by which point the series had been announced to move to Netflix. The second season was released on December 26, 2019.

In 2021, Stamos hosted a series of episodes on the podcast The Grand Scheme entitled Snatching Sinatra, in which he interviewed personal friend Barry Keenan about his 1963 kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr. The following year, Keenan notified Stamos shortly before committing suicide due to health issues at age 82. Stamos then announced Keenan's death to the world on Instagram.

In 2022, Stamos recurred in Spidey and His Amazing Friends where he voiced Iron Man.

In 2025, Stamos recurred in Iron Man and His Awesome Friends as Howard Stark. In 2025, Stamos was cast in the second season of Apple TV's Palm Royale.

Music and theatre

Stamos started learning drums when he was four, then began to take up playing the guitar, and started his own band called Destiny. The band played 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. He appeared on Broadway as The Emcee in Cabaret, as Guido Contini in Nine and as J. Pierrepont Finch in 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.

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, and 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. Stamos reprised his role as Jesse Katsopolis for a "Jesse and the Rippers" reunion on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on July 19, 2013. 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.

In 2014, Stamos directed the music video "Let Yourself be Loved" for the Nashville-based band Diamond Carter, featuring the band's front-man Tyler Tuohy alongside actress Nicky Whelan. Stamos was also noted as a co-writer for the song, along with Michael Gigante, and the video was released on Yahoo Music on May 21, 2014.

The Beach Boys

Stamos has occasionally performed in concert with the Beach Boys, dating back to 1985, typically playing drums and various other percussion instruments. In 1988, he appeared in their video for "Kokomo", in which he played conga drums and steel drums. In 1990, he played drums for them on the title track of the comedy Problem Child and also appeared in the song's music video.

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. However, three of The Beach Boys members are briefly shown singing harmonies with Stamos: Carl Wilson, Bruce Johnston, and Mike Love.

Other performances include:

• July 4, 1985, Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, in a large outdoor performance that featured guests like Jimmy Page, Joan Jett, Mr. T, Christopher Cross and the Oak Ridge Boys.
• March 30, 2010, on a season 8 episode of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, playing drums, congas, and guitar, also touring with them that spring, including an appearance at Fort Myers, Florida
• June 2011 at a benefit concert for the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network
• Several appearances on their 50th Reunion Tour (April – September 2012)
• May 26, 2013, performed during a post-game concert at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio
• July 4, 2017, performed during the A Capitol Fourth concert in Washington, D.C.
• July 4, 2018, hosted the A Capitol Fourth special on PBS and performed with The Beach Boys in front of the White House in Washington, D.C.
• March 24, 2022, emceed the 80-year MD Anderson benefit concert and performed with The Beach Boys at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas

In June 2010, Stamos performed bongos on a cover of "California Dreamin'" that appeared on co-founding Beach Boy Al Jardine's solo album A Postcard from California. Glen Campbell also provided guest vocals on the song.

Personal life

Stamos is a big fan of Elvis Presley and has often referenced or paid homage to him in the show Full House. Stamos began dating model and actress Rebecca Romijn in 1994 after they met at a Victoria's Secret fashion show in which she was modeling. Stamos and Romijn became engaged on Christmas Eve 1997, and they married on September 19, 1998, at the Beverly Hills Hotel. They announced their separation in April 2004. Stamos filed for divorce in August 2004, and it became final on March 1, 2005.

Since 2005, Stamos has been the national spokesperson for the Project Cuddle child-oriented charity.

On October 23, 2017, Stamos announced his engagement to model and actress Caitlin McHugh after a year of dating. In December 2017, the couple announced they were expecting their first child, due in the spring of 2018. Stamos and McHugh married in February 2018. The couple's son was born in April 2018.

On May 19, 2018, Stamos and McHugh announced their new jewelry line, "St. Amos Jewelry", with 100% of the proceeds going to the Childhelp foundation.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

Book

References

References

1. "John Stamos Biography: Drummer, Film Actor, Television Actor, Singer (1963–)". [[Biography.com]] ([[FYI (TV network).
2. [https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/john-stamos-79775 "John Stamos"] {{Webarchive. link. (November 8, 2022 [[Internet Broadway Database]])
3. (2021-01-07). "The Greek Roots Of John Stamos".
4. Kokkinidis, Tasos. (2024-10-30). "John Stamos Discovers His Greek Roots in Fascinating Documentary".
5. [https://www.pbs.org/a-capitol-fourth/watch-2017-show/ A Capitol Fourth 2017 show] {{Webarchive. link. (September 2, 2020 . PBS.org (July 4, 2017). Retrieved July 6, 2017. The statement appears in Stamos's closing remarks, a partial transcript of which is also on [https://www.instagram.com/p/BWLq_olALgR/ Stamos's Instagram page] {{Webarchive). link. (September 8, 2017 .)
6. [https://www.biography.com/people/john-stamos-10073503/ Actor John Stamos played Blackie on the soap opera General Hospital and Uncle Jesse on the sitcom Full House. He also recorded and toured with The Beach Boys.] {{Webarchive. link. (August 5, 2017 . biography.com (access date September 1, 2017))
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8. (November 27, 2001). "ABC Cans 'Thieves'". Zap2it.
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29. (April 29, 2022). "Alice! Mickey! Pooh! Spidey! Disney Junior Announces Slate of New Original Series and Shorts, Along With Returning Franchises, Debuting Across Disney+ and Disney Junior Platforms Through 2024 at First-Ever Disney Junior Fun Fest". [[Disney Branded Television]].
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31. (December 2, 2025). "Watch John Stamos Come In Smooth as Dr. Dusty Magic in 'Palm Royale' Sneak Peek: EXCLUSIVE".
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34. [http://chicago.broadwayworld.com/article/Stamos_Olivo_Lansbury_and_More_Named_As_The_Live_Theater_Winners_of_the_20092010_Golden_Icon_Awards_20100122 Stamos, Olivo, Lansbury and More Named As The Live Theater Winners of the 2009–2010 Golden Icon Awards] {{webarchive. link. (July 24, 2012 Broadway World, January 22, 2010)
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63. (February 24, 2021). "Disney+ Announces Premiere Dates for New Series". [[Disney+]].
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