George Santopietro

Biography

George Santopietro owned a very popular Italian restaurant in Bel-Air, California in a hidden Hollywood strip mall near Mulholland Drive called 'Santopietro's'. It was frequented by Hollywood celebrities in the 80s, as was every other shop and restaurant in the small complex. It was Hollywood's secret hangout during those years. He then opened another restaurant in the complex called Sushi-Ko. This became an extremely popular sushi restaurant with an exclusive clientele, and remained so for almost a decade. In 1985, friends Tracy Vaccaro, and Jessie Eastland aka Robert Demeo dragged their friend Vanna White with them to meet George for a dinner date in Studio City. Five years later George and Vanna were married. George had the unique distinction to own a home on Mulholland Drive next door to Warren Beatty, and Jack Nicholson, so the Hollywood marriage and lifestyle fit right into his already 'In Crowd" status. Friend and neighbor Warren Beatty arranged for George to appear as the Plumber in the 1985 movie Prizzi's Honor (1985) , and then two years later there was one more acting job for George in the TV show: The New Mike Hammer (1984). George and Vanna divorced on May 15th, 2002. They have two children together.