biography jean reno

Jean Reno, born as Juan Moreno y Herrera-Jiménez, is a French actor. He has worked in French, Spanish, Japanese, English and Italian productions till date. He first garnered attention after playing a solo assassin in the popular drama film “Leon: The Professional”. His other big screen projects attracted worldwide attention as well. The films which brought Reno recognition include “The Visitors”, “Crimson Rivers”, “Wasabi,” “The Da Vinci Code,” “Ruby & Quentin”, “The Pink Panther”, “Godzilla” and “Ronin”. He was born in the city of Casablanca to Spanish parents who had moved to North Africa so as to escape Francoist Spain. They later settled in France. At the age of 17, Reno went on to study acting in Cours Simon School of Drama and then served in the French Army for four years. As soon as he finished his service, he decided to pursue acting, which had been a childhood passion. He eventually adopted the French version of his birth name, changing his first 

Jean Reno was born on 30 July 1948 in Casablanca, Morocco. Both his parents were Spanish natives who had moved to North Africa to escape Francoist Spain and to find employment. He has one younger sister, María Teresa. His mother worked as a tailor while his father was a linotypist.

When he was 17, Reno’s mother died and he moved to France where he attended Cours Simon School of Drama. He then joined the French military service which was obligatory after his family gained French citizenship.

Jean Reno started his career on stage, appearing in the plays ‘Prends bien garde aux zeppelins’, ‘Ecce Homo’, ‘Celimare le bien-aimé’ and ‘Société Un’ in the late 1970s.

He made his film debut in 1978, appearing in the French experimental mystery flick ‘The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting’. Then in 1982, he did the flick ‘La Passante du Sans-Souci’ or ‘The Passerby,’ based on Joseph Kessel’s 1936 novel of the same name.

In 1983, the actor had his first prominent role in Luc Besson’s ‘Le Dernier Combat’, a post-apocalyptic French movie which contains only two words of dialogue. It was Besson’s first feature film as a director. The actor featured in the comedy films ‘Le téléphone sonne toujours deux fois’ and ‘Subway’ in 1985.

In 1988, he played Enzo Molinari in ‘Le Grand Bleu’ or ‘The Big Blue’ (in English), a film that tells the story of friendship as well as sporting rivalry between two leading champion free divers of the 20th century. Reno’s performance in the flick was appreciated and it earned him a César Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

He had another commercial success with director Luc Besson in 1990 when he appeared in the French action thriller film ‘Nikita’. The movie stars Anne Parillaud in the titular role of a teenager who robs a pharmacy and kills a police official. She spends her life in jail where her captors fake her death give her two options: to become an assassin or get killed.

The actor played Father Victorio Gaetano in ‘L'Homme au masque d'or’ and Captain Philippe Boulier in ‘L'Opération Corned-Beef’, both of which were released in 1991. That year, he also acted on stage, in the play ‘Montserrat’.

In 1992, he lent his voice to the character of Porco Rosso for the French version of the Japanese animated film ‘Porco Rosso’. He next had a role in Jean-Marie Poiré’s French fantasy comedy ‘Les Visiteurs’. The movie became the #1 box office hit in France in 1993. As of 2018, it was the fifth highest grossing French movie ever.

Jean Reno did the voice-over for Mufasa for the French version of ‘The Lion King’ in 1994. The same year, he was cast in the lead role of Leone Montana in the French thriller ‘Léon: The Professional’. His performance earned him a César Award nomination for Best Actor.

He starred as Inspector Jean-Paul Cardon in ‘French Kiss’ (1995), a romantic comedy film about a lady who flies to France to confront her straying partner and lands into trouble when the attractive crook seated next to her uses her to export a stolen diamond necklace illegally.

name from Juan to Jean and shortening the surname to Reno. The actor has been married thrice and has fathered six children.