Who is Jesse Katsopolis in Full House?

Show

Full House

Played by

John Stamos

First episode

“Our Very First Show”Season 1, Episode 1, aired September 22, 1987

Role

Main cast

Network

ABC

Occupation

Musician, radio host, and club owner

Show run

1987 to 1995

Also known as

Uncle Jesse, Jesse Cochran, Hermes Katsopolis

Jesse Katsopolis is the cool uncle of Full House, a would-be rock star with great hair who moves into the Tanner house after his sister Pam dies. Played by John Stamos, he arrives as a carefree bachelor and grows into one of the most devoted family men on the show.

On Full House, Jesse Katsopolis's story runs through Danny Tanner (Brother-in-law), Joey Gladstone (Radio Partner), Michelle Tanner (Niece), D.J. Tanner (Niece), and Stephanie Tanner (Niece).

Who is Jesse Katsopolis?

Jesse is the younger brother of Danny's late wife, Pam, and uncle to D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle. When Danny asks for help raising the girls, Jesse gives up his own place and moves in, bringing his guitar, his motorcycle attitude, and a deep love of Elvis Presley into a house run by the tidiest man in San Francisco.

He spends the series chasing a music career with his band Jesse and the Rippers and later co-hosting a radio show with Joey. In the first season his last name was Cochran; from season two it becomes Katsopolis, and the show leans into his Greek family, including his beloved grandfather Papouli.

Personality and comedy

Jesse's comedy is the rocker forced to be responsible. He fusses over his hair, checks himself in every mirror, and has a line ready for every pretty woman, but he melts the moment Michelle needs him. The image of the tough guy changing diapers and singing lullabies was a big part of the show's appeal.

He is also stubborn and a little vain, which sets up many of his storylines: dropping out of high school and later going back for his diploma, sulking when he is replaced as a band's lead singer, or refusing to admit that fatherhood scares him. His signature exclamation, "Have mercy!", became one of the show's best-known lines.

Key storylines

Jesse's biggest arc is his romance with Rebecca Donaldson, Danny's co-host on Wake Up, San Francisco. He proposes to her at the start of season four, and their two-part wedding has him nearly miss the ceremony after a skydiving stunt leaves him stuck in a tree and then briefly in jail. The couple moves into the Tanners' attic, and by the end of that season Becky is pregnant.

Their twin sons, Nicky and Alex, are born in season five, and Jesse's storylines shift to the comedy of being a nervous new dad. Later he inherits the Smash Club, the music venue of his youth, and reopens it. In season seven, Papouli's visit and death give Jesse one of the show's most emotional episodes.

Behind the scenes and legacy

John Stamos played Jesse for all eight seasons, and the role made him one of the biggest TV heartthrobs of the era. When the character's surname changed from Cochran to Katsopolis, Jesse gained Greek roots like Stamos himself.

Stamos returned as Jesse in the Netflix sequel Fuller House, where he also served as a producer. There, Jesse and Becky adopt a daughter, and Jesse moves back to San Francisco and buys back the Smash Club with Joey.

Jesse Katsopolis: frequently asked questions

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