Dazzling Facts About John Stamos

August 22, 2018 | Carl Wyndham

Dazzling Facts About John Stamos


“People look at me and go, 'You must have it made. You have girls. You have a great life.' It's not true. I mean you pull the curtain away, and you see I'm just as insecure and neurotic and scared and vulnerable as anybody, you know.”—John Stamos.

Most of us know John Stamos as the bad-boy with the heart of gold Uncle Jesse from the beloved sitcom Full House. Stamos has made a name for himself on television but there’s a lot more to the actor than just his roles on the small screen. He’s an accomplished musician and touring member of The Beach Boys. He’s also had several stints on Broadway to show off his acting and musical chops. What else is there to know about the handsome actor? Here’s 45 facts to get you started.


John Stamos Facts

45. Keep Your Enemies Close

In the irreverent animated series Clone High, Principal Scudworth frequently lists John Stamos as his worst enemy. Stamos appears in the episode “Changes: The Big Prom: The Sex Romp: The Season Finale” as himself.

Jennifer Lawrence factsGetty Images

44. A Helping Hand

In 1994, Stamos’ mother Loretta started the Vanguard Cancer Foundation, which supports the Nagourney Cancer Institute. Loretta Stamos started the foundation after the institute gave care to her brother, Jake Phillips.

John Stamos FactsShutterstock

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43. A Kind of Blue

Although he’s performed a number of times with The Beach Boys, Stamos has also released his own independent album. In 1994, he released Shades of Blue, which also featured Lanny Cordola, Gary Griffin, Sandra Stephens, Tony Guerrero, and David Enos.

John Stamos FactsFlickr, brett jordan

42. Diamonds in the Rough

Stamos and his wife Caitlin began their own jewelry line in May 2018. The line is called “St. Amos Jewelry” and all of the proceeds go to the non-profit organization Child Help.

John Stamos FactsShutterstock

41. Big Break

Stamos got his first major gig playing the role of Blackie Parris in the ABC soap opera General Hospital. He received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work.

John Stamos FactsGeneral Hospital, ABC

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40. Flipping Burgers

Since his father owned a restaurant, Stamos naturally got his first job in the food industry. He flipped burgers while he was a teenager growing up in Orange County.

John Stamos FactsShutterstock

39. In the Band

Alongside his acting career, Stamos has nurtured his career as a musician. He was first introduced to public performance while in high school. During his time at the John F. Kennedy High School in Orange County, California, Stamos played in the marching band.

John Stamos FactsWikimedia Commons

38. Wouldn’t It Be Nice?

On Full House, Uncle Jesse loves the band The Beach Boys. In real life, Stamos has toured with the famous American rock band, playing a variety of roles on and off, since 1985.

The Beach Boys FactsWikipedia

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37. And On Drums…

In 1988, Stamos appeared in the music video for The Beach Boys song “Kokomo.” The actor can be seen in the background of several shots playing congas and steel drums. The song reached the number one spot in the United States, Japan, and Australia.

John Stamos FactsWikimedia Commons

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36. Bye the Way

In 2009, Stamos joined the cast of the Broadway revival of the musical Bye Bye Birdie. For his work in the production, Stamos won the 2009 Golden Icon Award for best actor in a musical.

John Stamos FactsGetty Images

35. On Broadway

Although he became a household name for his work on television series like Full House, Stamos has also done a lot of work on Broadway. He has appeared as The Emcee in a production of Cabaret and has performed in productions of Nine, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Bye Bye Birdie.

John Stamos FactsFlickr, Margaret Napier

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34. Walk All Over Me

On November 16, 2009, Stamos received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The big achievement came for his work on Broadway and television. His star can be found at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.

John Stamos FactsShutterstock

33. I Quit!

When it was announced that Full House was going to move from ABC to WB for its ninth season, Stamos was the first to announce that he would leave the show. Soon after, the rest of the cast followed suit and the showrunners decided to make the eighth season the last of the series.

Full House FactsGetty Images

32. Eyes on the Prize

In the 2000 version of X-Men, Stamos was initially considered for the role of Cyclops. The role of the mutant with the powerful gaze ultimately went to James Marsden. The film also starred Stamos’ then-wife Rebecca Romijn as Mystique.

John Stamos FactsGetty Images

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31. Small Town Associates

Stamos was born and raised in the small town of Cypress, California. Stamos' co-star on Full House, Jodie Sweetin, who played Stephanie Tanner, was also born in Cypress. The town also boasts a little-known golfer by the name of Tiger Woods.

John Stamos FactsWikimedia Commons

30. Shocking Friends

Stamos is friends with notorious radio shock-jock Howard Stern. When the radio personality got hitched to Beth Stern, Stamos participated in the wedding. Stamos, of course, played drums for the wedding band.

Dana Plato FactsGetty Images

29. Choose the Right Name

Stamos became a household name by playing the ultracool (for an ABC sitcom) Uncle Jesse in Full House. Showrunners originally had the character named Uncle Adam. Stamos didn’t care much for that name so he was the one to suggest Uncle Jesse. It turned out pretty well!

John Stamos FactsGetty Images

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28. The Air You Breathe

Stamos was raised with a strong sense of family and tradition, which is something that he continues to pride to this day. He even still wears the same cologne as his father, Aramis. Underneath all the cool-guy aesthetics, Uncle Jesse always was a family man at heart!

John Stamos FactsShutterstock

27. What’s In a Word?

In an interview with Us Magazine, Stamos revealed his love for language and wordplay, especially when they have a musical quality. “I like onomatopoeia,” Stamos said, “words that sound like what they mean, like tweet and roar.”

John Stamos FactsWikimedia Commons

26. Your Biggest Fan

The very first celebrity that Stamos remembers meeting as Henry Winkler. Winkler, who played the Fonz on Happy Days, might be said to be a kind of model for the Uncle Jesse character in Full House: rock and roll personalities trying to fit into a family values environment.

Happy Days factsWikipedia

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25. A Long Time Ago

Even though he was sometimes unhappy with the show at the time of shooting, Stamos has grown fond of Full House over the years for what it is: a family-friendly sitcom with good morals. Still, he hasn’t watched a full episode of the show in over two decades.

Full House FactsFull House, Warner Bros. Television

24. Keep Fit and Have Fun

Stamos is surprisingly domestic in some of his weekly activities around the house. In interviews, he has revealed that he likes to do Pilates three to four times a week and that he also greatly enjoys gardening.

Ursula Andress FactsPxHere

23. Dude, Where’s My Car?

Stamos has revealed that until he started making it big on his second year with the soap opera General Hospital, he drove the same car from when he was 16. That car was his father’s El Camino and he still has the ride.

John Stamos FactsWikimedia Commons

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22. Long Live the King

Uncle Jesse’s favorite musician on Full House is none other than the King himself, Elvis Presley. In real life, Stamos is the narrator on the Elvis Presley tour at Graceland. He, unfortunately, has never seen Presley’s bedroom, which is off limits, he says.

Elvis Presley FactsFlickr

20. Double Duty

Stamos jumped at the chance when a reboot of Full House was finally greenlit by Netflix. He reprised his role as Uncle Jesse for Fuller House, but he also works behind the scenes as one of the series producers.

Full House FactsGetty Images

19. Shaky Start

The start date for production of the Full House reboot Fuller House had to be delayed after Stamos was admitted to a rehabilitation center. He had been charged with Driving While Impaired just before filming was meant to begin.

Full House FactsGetty Images

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18. Old Rivalries

John Stamos and Jerry O’Connell both appear in the show Scream Queens and both have been married to actor Rebecca Romijn. Stamos plays Brock Holt in the series and was married to Romijn from 1998 to 2005. O’Connell plays Dr. Mike and is currently married to Romijn.

John Stamos FactsShutterstock

17. I Like Your Attitude

When auditioning for the role of Sara in the short-lived television series Grandfathered, Paget Brewster said she treated Stamos like a child. It was for this very reason that Stamos felt she was right for the part and she landed the gig.

John Stamos FactsShutterstock

16. With Friends Like These

Bob Saget and Dave Coulier, who respectively played Danny Tanner and Joey Gladstone on Full House, both made a guest appearance on Stamos’ series Grandfathered. All three also appeared in the reboot Fuller House at various points.

Full House FactsGetty Images

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15. Allusions!

At one point in the series Grandfathered, Stamos’ character remembers his old dog “Little Blackie” from childhood. “Blackie” was actually the name of Stamos’ character on General Hospital, which was the actor’s first big break in the industry.

John Stamos FactsGetty Images

14. Anyone Here a Doctor?

After his long stint as Uncle Jesse, Stamos’ next big-time television role came on the long-running hit, ER. From 2006 to 2009, he played Dr. Tony Gates in the series that also once featured George Clooney, amongst a host of other big-name celebrities.

John Stamos FactsER , NBC

13. Charitable Work

Since 2005, John Stamos has been the national spokesperson for the charity known as Project Cuddle. The non-profit organization tackles issues of infant abandonment and seeks to provide young women with safe and legal alternatives, especially through prenatal care and adoptive families.

John Stamos FactsGetty Images

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12. Dream Big

After his stint on General Hospital, Stamos felt he needed to move on to a different genre of television. In April of 1984, he left the soap opera after he landed the lead role in the CBS sitcom Dreams about an aspiring musician. The series was short-lived, but it helped Stamos land roles in various sitcoms over the next few years before Full House hit the scene.

John Stamos FactsDreams, CBS

11. Cover Me

On the 2006 charity album Unexpected Dreams: Songs From the Stars, Stamos performed a cover of the Billy Joel song “Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel).” Stamos appears on the album alongside other big name actors including Scarlett Johansson, Ewan McGregor, John C. Reilly, and Teri Hatcher.

John Stamos FactsShutterstock

10. You Can Call Me…

Not only did Stamos change the name of his Full House character from Uncle Adam to Uncle Jesse, he also changed the last name as well. In season one, Stamos is credited as Jesse Cochran but according to showrunner Jeff Franklin, Stamos wanted to highlight his Greek heritage so he changed the name to Katsopolis.

Full House FactsFull House, Warner Bros. Television

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9. I’ve Got a Secret

Stamos began dating model and actor Rebecca Romijn in 1994 after the two met at a Victoria’s Secret fashion show in which Romijn was performing. The pair were married in 1998 and divorced in 2005.

John Stamos FactsShutterstock

8. Drumming With the Stars

His on-again-off-again stint touring with The Beach Boys was on-again on March 23, 2010, when he appeared live with the band on an episode of the ABC series Dancing With the Stars. On the show, he played drums, congas, and guitar.

John Stamos FactsGetty Images

7. Forever Is a Long Time

Originally written and sung by Dennis Wilson in 1970, Stamos recorded a new version of the song “Forever” for The Beach Boys in 1992. Stamos’ version can be heard on the Beach Boys 1992 album Summer in Paradise.

Drug Cartels FactsShutterstock

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6. Life Imitates Art Imitating Life?

Stamos’ version of “Forever” was called “Forever by Jesse and the Rippers” in the accompanying music video. Three other Beach Boys members are featured in the video, but the title is a play on the fictional band in Full House called Jesse and the Rippers. They too have a song called “Forever,” which was performed on the series twice.

Full House FactsGetty Images

5. On the West Lawn

In 2017 and 2018, Stamos hosted the annual A Capitol Fourth concert on the West Lawn of the White House. The yearly free concert is part of Independence Day celebrations. In 2018, Stamos also performed in the show alongside The Beach Boys.

John Stamos FactsGetty Images

4. Know You By Name

For an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, Stamos traveled to his ancestral home of Greece and discovered that both he and his grandfather were named after the man who murdered his great-grandfather, Vasilios Stamatopoulos.

John Stamos FactsPxHere

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3. Careful What You Wish For

He was known for his charm as Uncle Jesse, but one day on set Stamos became unhinged around the Olsen babies. According to reports, Stamos was angry that the girls were crying and furiously demanded that they be fired and replaced with a new set of twins. Stamos ended up not likely the replacements, referring to them as “unattractive redheaded kids,” and eventually Mary-Kate and Ashley were brought back.

Full House FactsFull House, Warner Bros. Television

2. Not So Family Friendly

Although it was a family show, Stamos, Bog Saget and Dave Coulier still had a raunchy sense of humor while on the Full House set. Saget has revealed some of their outrageous antics behind the scenes, such as drawing penises all over scripts, making dirty jokes, or loudly passing gas during takes. On numerous occasions the producers and the parents of the child actors had to take the three men into a conference room and tell them to grow up.

Full House FactsFull House, Warner Bros. Television

1. Trouble in Paradise

*Stamos has kept a relatively low profile recently, making it all the more shocking when his issues with substance abuse were revealed in 2015. His problems came to a head in an incident he called “horrific,”* where he was arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs. He later said he hated himself afterwards, and he ended up checking into a 30-day rehab program.

Mistaken Identity FactsShutterstock

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 141516


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