Looking Back At John Stamos' Career As He Celebrates His 58th Birthday

Aug 19, 2021 by apost team

John Stamos has been a household name since the early 1980s when he rose to fame in the role of Blackie Parrish on "General Hospital." More TV work eventually led him to his most iconic role as Uncle Jesse on "Full House," and this only cemented his status as a handsome hunk of his time. The last few decades have seen the actor continue to work in television and even reprise his role in the reboot, "Fuller House."

But beyond his acting work, John has also had quite the journey in love. After dating and marrying model Rebecca Romijn in the mid-'90s, the couple ended up divorcing 10 years later. In the following years, John wasn't linked to anyone romantically, so it was all the more heartbreaking when he began to voice his desire to have children. It's funny to think that although his character on "Full House," Uncle Jesse, was the rather irresponsible one, John was nothing like that in real life. It seemed that the heartthrob was then just waiting to find the right woman to settle down with.

Then finally he met model and actress Caitlin McHugh and their story is an absolutely adorable one. After meeting while working together, the couple's romance didn't begin immediately. But eventually, things fell into place.  After proposing at McHugh's favorite place in the world — Disneyland — the couple announced they were expecting their first child together in 2017. Their son Billy was born in April 2018, and ever since, John has been a doting dad, frequently posting to his social media channels.

Today marks John's 58th birthday, so in honor of the actor's birth, let's take a look at his wonderful life and career.

Born in California on Aug. 19, 1963 to a second-generation Greek-American restaurateur, John Stamos' last name is actually a shortened form of his birth name, Stamatopoulos. He decided he wanted to be an actor early on, and after only three weeks he lucked out and got his first role as Blackie Parrish on "General Hospital." What an entry into Hollywood!

John made his name on the show and was even nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 1984. But it wasn't until the late '80s when he appeared in "Full House" that John truly made his mark on Hollywood. He played Jesse Katsopolis, having asked the producers to give his character a Greek name to honor his heritage. The show would propel Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, young girls at the time, into the stratosphere while also cementing the careers of a number of other actors, including John's close friend Bob Saget.

After the show ended in 1995, John would play a varied number of roles often grounded in comedy, even appearing in episodes of "Friends," "Glee" and "Two and a Half Men." He even went back to the medical world, appearing in "ER" as Dr. Tony Gates from 2005 to 2009.

But fans of "Full House" couldn't believe it when Netflix announced in 2015 that they would be reviving the show, to be called "Fuller House," for a 2016 release.

The 58-year-old actor also played the lead role on the 2021 sports dramedy "Big Shot" as a basketball coach at a private girl’s school. Reviews of the show have mostly been positive, with Entertainment Weekly critic Kristen Baldwin writing that Stamos is “capable of delivering dry wit and sweet sentiment in equal measure.”

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But despite his success as an actor, it seems that the role John wished to play all his life was as a father. Even while playing Uncle Jesse, it was clear that John had the dad gene in him. In fact, his co-stars on "Full House," Candace Cameron Bure, Andrea Barber and Jodie Sweetin, told People that John was the "baby whisperer" of the cast. It turns out, there were always children in the future for John, as he once joked to US Weekly that he wanted children so badly that his "ovaries were rattling." He later told ET:

"It's just taken me a lot longer than I anticipated. It would be a tragedy if I didn't have children and I finally found the right woman — the perfect woman.”

Well, thankfully he found the perfect woman in his then-future wife, Caitlin McHugh. After starting to date in 2015, the couple became engaged in 2017 and announced they were expecting just two months later. In April 2018, their son, Billy Stamos, was born. An honestly, John appears to be the happiest he's ever been since then.

For his 57th birthday last year, John posted two gorgeous photos to his Instagram — one of his wife and son on the beach, and another of him and Billy smiling widely at the camera. In the caption, he detailed how they surprised him with a beach picnic on his special day! 

Clearly loving being a dad, we're sure that John's wife and son have yet another special family moment planned for his 58th birthday today. Wishing him all the best!

Happy birthday to John Stamos! Did you know about his lifelong desire for a family? Send the actor your birthday wishes and pass this on so others can honor him too!