Jesse Katsopolis
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| Jesse Katsopolis | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Our Very First Show |
| Last appearance | Michelle Rides Again Part Two |
| Cause/reason | End of series |
| Portrayed by | John Stamos |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 24-32 |
| Occupation | Exterminator, Musician, Advertising Executive, Radio DJ, Night Club Owner |
| Family | Nick Katsopolis (Father) Irene Katsopolis (Mother) Pam Katsopolis-Tanner (Sister) Danny Tanner (Brother-In-Law) D.J. Tanner (Niece) Stephanie Tanner (Niece) Michelle Tanner (Niece) Gina Katsopolis (Grandmother) Papouli Katsopolis (Grandfather) Hermes Katsopolis (Great grandfather) Spiro Katsopolis (Great great grandfather) |
| Spouse(s) | Rebecca Donaldson-Katsopolis (Wife) |
| Children | Nicky Katsopolis (Son) Alex Katsopolis (Son) |
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Hermes "Jesse" Cochran/Katsopolis (born April 14, 1963) is a fictional character on the sitcom Full House, portrayed by John Stamos.
[edit] Biography
The son of Nick and Irene Katsopolis, his first name was originally "Hermes," after his great-grandfather, but when he was teased so much in kindergarten, he begged his parents to change his name, so he adopted the name "Jesse," for Elvis Presley's late twin.
An Elvis-obsessed rocker, hair-obsessed, motorcycle aficionado, Jesse moved in with his brother-in-law, Danny Tanner, to help him raise his kids (Donna Jo ("D.J."), Stephanie, and Michelle) after the death of Danny's wife and Jesse's older sister, Pamela. He expected to only stay a couple of weeks but he ended up staying, along with Joey Gladstone, for the whole series, without paying rent.
During the first season, his name was Jesse Cochran; however, John Stamos requested the character's last name be changed to Katsopolis to honor his own Greek heritage. No explanation was given within the story for the name change.
It is revealed that Jesse was very protective of his sister, as he beat up Danny when he found out he had eloped with his sister. Pam was described as being a great influence in his life, and despite his early rebel attitude, she managed to keep him in check.
Jesse was involved in rock and roll throughout the series. For most of the series, Jesse fronted a band called Jesse and the Rippers in which he sang lead vocals and played guitar. They would eventually get a record deal from their hit single Forever (which was a cover of a Beach Boys song, and even had the Beach Boys themselves as background vocals in the music video), and tour around the country in local clubs during the summer. However, he was kicked out after a fight with his fellow band members concerning his lack of commitment. Though he was no longer a member, his founder status continued to earn him royalties of literally hundreds of dollars through the end of the series. After Jesse and the Rippers, he formed another band called Hot Daddy and the Monkey Puppets. Jesse was still the lead singer, but in this band he played drums instead of guitar.
Aside from his music career, Jesse held various jobs to earn some money on the side. His first job was exterminator for his father's business. After this career, he went into the advertising business with Joey Gladstone, and soon became an ad executive. Jesse and Joey later started a career in radio, and were known as The Rush Hour Renegades. Jesse would then inherit and re-open The Smash Club, which was a nightclub that he attended frequently while growing up, (He mentions that he saw The Doors, The Grateful Dead, The Mamas & The Papas, Sonny and Cher, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin perform there.) and where his band played regularly.
It is worth noting that at one time, he was an ad executive, radio show host, night club owner/manager, and rock star in Hot Daddy and the Monkey Puppets simultaneously.
Jesse accomplished all of his career aspirations despite being a high school drop-out. Jesse dropped out of high school by asking to go to the bathroom and never returning. After realizing that he was the only adult in the house without a high school diploma, he went to night school and graduated as a valedictorian. He gave his speech on a broken-down subway train to an angry mob during a black-out, which prevented him from reaching his graduation ceremony. His parents did not attend.
Jesse's famous catch phrase throughout the series is "Have mercy!"; as well as "Watch the hair!", because of his obsession with his hair. He also picks up the phone saying "Talk to me!". He frequently makes references to Elvis, his favorite musician. Jesse is also known for his famous recipe of fried chicken.
In addition to "Have mercy!", Jesse's trademark sayings throughout the series include "per se" and, usually when talking to Michelle, "capisce", which is Italian for "understand" and means "got it?". He also frequently calls Danny and especially Joey by their full first names, Daniel and Joseph.
[edit] Parallels with the Fonz
Jesse’s character is much like The Fonz on Happy Days in his transformation from rebel to upstanding citizen and family man. Indeed, we learn in the episode Dr. Dare Rides Again that he performed daring motorcycle stunts in his late teens and early 20s, including riding on the ledge at the top of a six-story building. He also had numerous affairs with various women during his high school years, and even the first few months of living in the Tanner household.
Although compared to The Fonz, the audience sees a much more rapid transformation in Jesse. In addition to helping Danny pull his family together and becoming a father figure to his nieces, he also met the love of his life, Rebecca, in the second season. They dated for about a year, and got married soon afterwards. Not long after they married, Rebecca gave birth to twin sons, Nicky and Alex. Despite being married and having children of his own, Jesse continued to live in the Tanner household with his wife and children, as he turned the attic into a mini-apartment.
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