John Stamos Discovers His Greek Roots in Fascinating Documentary

Hollywood star John Stamos opened up about his Greek roots recently in a documentary in which he traces his ancestry for the first time.

In the touching documentary series “Who Do You Think You Are?” Stamos discovers his great-grandparents and an explosive feud that shattered his grandfather’s childhood.

“When my dad died, and he was in a coma for like six months, I remember sitting with him and holding his hand, asking him a lot of questions that he couldn’t answer. I felt like I knew more about my Greek side, certainly, but it seems more elusive to me now.”

So he decided to visit Greece and find out more about his roots with the help of historian Katerina Lagos.

John Stamos’ ancestors shuttered by a fatal feud

Cruising through Athens in a taxi Stamos says: “What’s weird is I look around, I look at faces, and I see my dad,  I see my grandfather.  It feels familiar.  It’s just the energy. We’re such proud Greeks in my family. Why did we leave from here?” he wonders.

Stamos’ grandfather, John (Ioannis) Stamos, came to the US from the Arcadian village of Kakouri, near the capital of Arcadia, Tripoli, and changed his last name from Stamatopoulos to Stamos when he arrived.

Stamos headed to the registry office of Tripoli to find out more. His grandfather was born in 1904 in Kakouri which at the time had almost 1,500 residents. His records show that he attended the local school and was described as an orphan.

His father, the great-grandfather of Stamos, named Vassilios was murdered in 1905 by a man called Ioannis Koliopoulos, or else named Judas, suggesting that Koliopoulos knew his great-grandfather.

“This is fascinating. I mean, a man was murdered in the streets. I mean, visualize that town square or wherever it happened,” Stamos says.

“Maybe they were having some sort of standoff, you know. Maybe they were arguing about their wives or whatever it may be. And then, bam, got my great-grandfather shot.

“And maybe my great-grandmother was there. At the time, Greece was known for its violence. Because back then, Greek men took very, very seriously their reputation, their honor,” he adds.

The trial for the murder took place at the criminal court of Tripoli on 16 November 1915, ten years after the killing as the perpetrator disappeared. He was eventually sentenced to life in prison in absentia.

“It’s fascinating to find out why and what happened to the guy that did it, and then what happened to my great-grandmother, why she had to sell her farm. It’s the gods. The gods are crying for my Greek tragic story,” Stamos says.

John Stamos opens up about his love for Greece in memoir

Stamos recently opened up about his love for Greece and his roots in the Peloponnese in his memoir, If You Would Have Told Me.

Speaking about the newly released book to Travel + Leisure magazine (T+L), the former teen idol, who became best known for his role on the long-running sitcom Full House in 1987, reminisced about travel in his homeland.

Stamos said travel has always been a big part of his life, especially to his family’s home country of Greece.

On a recent trip to Greece, he felt like every older man he encountered reminded him of his dad, Bill Stamos Sr., who passed away in 1998.

“My dad loved it,” he told T+L. “He found this little tavern, and I haven’t been back, but he was back in the kitchen cooking with the guys and [helping to pick] the fish. He just loved being around that kind of environment. Those kinds of places always remind me of him and I just see him in a lot of that over there.”

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