Jean Reno

{{Short description|French actor (born 1948)}}

{{family name hatnote|Moreno|Herrera-Jiménez|lang=Spanish}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Jean Reno

| image = Jean Reno Cannes 2016.jpg

| caption = Reno at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival

| birth_name = Juan Moreno y Herrera-Jiménez

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|07|30|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Casablanca, Morocco

| citizenship = {{hlist|France|Spain}}

| occupation = Actor

| years_active = 1977–present

| spouse = {{unbulleted list|{{marriage|Geneviève Reno|1977|1995|end=div}}|{{marriage|Nathalie Dyszkiewicz|1996|2001|end=div}}|{{marriage|Zofia Borucka|2006}}}}

| children = 6

| signature = Jean Reno signature1.png

}}

Juan Moreno y Herrera-Jiménez (born 30 July 1948), commonly known as Jean Reno ({{IPA|fr|ʒɑ̃ ʁeno|lang}}), is a French-Spanish actor. He established himself as a leading man of French cinema through his collaborations with director Luc Besson, and has worked in numerous international productions. He is a three-time César Award nominee - Best Actor for Les Visiteurs (1993) and Léon: The Professional (1994), and Best Supporting Actor for The Big Blue (1988).

Reno's other notable films include Le Dernier Combat (1983), La Femme Nikita (1990), Mission: Impossible (1996), Ronin (1998), Godzilla (1998), Crimson Rivers (2000), Wasabi (2001), The Pink Panther (2006), The Da Vinci Code (2006), Flushed Away (2006), Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014), The Promise (2016), and Da 5 Bloods (2020).

Early life

Reno was born Juan Moreno y Herrera-Jiménez, on 30 July 1948 in Casablanca, French Morocco.{{cite web |url=http://www.film.it/cinema/schedapersonaggio.php?id=31338 |title=Jean Reno - scheda attore |work=Film.it |access-date=30 April 2010 |language=it |archive-date=1 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001081306/http://www.film.it/cinema/schedapersonaggio.php?id=31338 |url-status=dead }} His parents were Spanish, natives of Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia. They had moved to North Africa to find work and escape Francoist Spain. {{citation needed|date=September 2018}} Reno has a younger sister named María Teresa ("Maite"); the children were raised Catholic. Their father was a linotypist.{{cite news |last=Jamieson |first=Teddy |title=Jean Reno on 22 Bullets |newspaper=Herald Scotland |date=30 August 2010 |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/film-tv-features/jean-reno-on-22-bullets-1.1051548 |access-date=30 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905011446/http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/film-tv-features/jean-reno-on-22-bullets-1.1051548 |archive-date=5 September 2010 |publisher=Herald & Times Group |url-status=live }} Their mother died when he was a teenager.{{cite web |url=http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4728002-1.html |title=Jean Reno cracks the 'Code' |work=AllBusiness.com |date=10 May 2006 |access-date=30 April 2010 |first=Angela |last=Dawson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810160114/http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4728002-1.html |archive-date=10 August 2011 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.}}

At the age of 17, Reno and his family moved to France, where he studied acting at the Cours Simon School of Drama in Paris.{{cite web |url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800022061/bio |title=Jean Reno Biography |work=Yahoo! Movies |publisher=Yahoo |access-date=30 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522145346/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800022061/bio |archive-date=22 May 2011}} Reno also served in the French Army, as his military service became mandatory once his family had gained French citizenship.

Reno learned Spanish from his parents, Arabic and French growing up in Morocco, and Italian from studying it as a special interest and acting in Italian films.{{cite web |year=2022 |title=Jean Reno tra "A Private Affair" e l'amore per l'Italia |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnQ1dOl40v8 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229230723/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnQ1dOl40v8 |archive-date=29 December 2023 |access-date=29 December 2023 |publisher=YouTube: Il Messaggero}}

Career

File:Juliette Binoche and Jean Reno.jpg at Cannes Film Festival in 2002]]

After he started to get acting jobs in France, Juan adopted the French version of his name, Jean, and shortened his surname to Reno. Due to his large frame ({{convert|1.88|m|abbr=on|disp=or}}), Reno was called on to play "heavies" in his early career. He later appeared in romantic comedies and action films. He began his film career in France, appearing in many films by director Luc Besson, including his early Le Dernier Combat (1983). The two have continued to work together, collaborating in films produced, written, or directed by Besson. Of their joint work, those that have achieved the most critical and commercial success include: La Femme Nikita (1990), and the English-language films The Big Blue (1988) and Léon: The Professional (1994).

Reno did the voice-over for Mufasa in the French-language version of The Lion King, a role originally performed in English by James Earl Jones. Reno has starred in such high-profile American films as French Kiss (1995) with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline, Mission: Impossible (1996) with Tom Cruise, Ronin (1998) with Robert De Niro, and Godzilla (1998) with Matthew Broderick. Reno turned down the role of Agent Smith in The Matrix. He also acted in French productions: Les Visiteurs (1993) (which was remade in English as Just Visiting in 2001); The Crimson Rivers (2000), and Jet Lag (Décalage Horaire) by Danièle Thompson (2002), which was also a box-office success in France.

In 2006, Reno had a prominent role in The Pink Panther 2006 remake and its sequel The Pink Panther 2, playing Gilbert Ponton, opposite Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau. He portrayed Captain Bezu Fache in the Ron Howard film The Da Vinci Code. Among his most successful films are Les Visiteurs and L'Enquète corse.

In other media, Reno was involved in the production of the third installment in the popular Capcom series Onimusha (Onimusha 3: Demon Siege), lending his likeness to the protagonist Jacques Blanc, as well as providing the voice for the character's French dialogue. In advertising work, Reno has appeared in American television commercials for UPS and portrayed Doraemon in a series of Toyota ads in Japan, as part of the "ReBorn" campaign.{{cite news |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-11-18/film-star-jean-reno-live-action-doraemon-ad-streamed |title=Film star Jean Reno's live-action Doraemon ad streamed |work=Anime News Network |date=18 November 2011 |access-date=9 December 2018 |first=Egan |last=Loo |archive-date=7 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207215053/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-11-18/film-star-jean-reno-live-action-doraemon-ad-streamed |url-status=live }} He also starred as Jo in the 2013 English-language TV series Jo.

In 2024, Reno released his first novel, Emma.{{Cite web |title=Emma |url=https://xoeditions.com/livres/emma/ |access-date=2024-12-30 |website=xoeditions.com |language=fr}}

Personal life

File: Zofia Borucka Jean Reno Shankbone 2010 NYC.jpg]]

Reno married his first wife, Geneviève, in 1977; they divorced in 1988. Reno married his second wife, Polish model Nathalie Dyszkiewicz, in 1995. They divorced in 2001. On 29 July 2006, Reno married for the third time, to a British model and actress of Polish descent, Zofia Borucka, at the Les Baux-de-Provence city hall.{{cite journal |journal=People.com |date=July 30, 2006 |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1220491,00.html |title=Da Vinci Code Actor Jean Reno Weds |access-date=June 17, 2016 |publisher=Time Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827213045/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1220491,00.html |archive-date=27 August 2016}} The presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy served as his best man (Reno endorsed Sarkozy for the 2007 French presidential election).{{cite journal |url=http://www.adweek.com/aw/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003593198 |journal=Ad Week |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128130534/http://www.adweek.com/aw/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003593198 |archive-date=November 28, 2007 |title=What the French Taught Us |date=4 June 2007 |first=Wendy |last=Melillo |access-date=9 December 2018 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.}}{{cite web |url=http://www.linternaute.com/sortir/cinema/diaporama/07/les-stars-qui-soutiennent-des-candidats/12.shtml |title=Les Acteurs qui soutiennent des candidates: Jean Reno - Nicolas Sarkozy |work=Linternaute |year=2007 |access-date=30 April 2010 |language=fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101004190526/http://www.linternaute.com/sortir/cinema/diaporama/07/les-stars-qui-soutiennent-des-candidats/12.shtml |archive-date=4 October 2010 |url-status=live }} Reno has six children, two from each marriage.{{cite web | url=https://www.purepeople.com/article/jean-reno-papa-de-sandra-michael-tom-serena-cielo-et-dean-qui-sont-ses-6-enfants_a417950/1 | title=Jean Reno papa de Sandra, Michael, Tom, Serena, Cielo et Dean : Qui sont ses 6 enfants ? | date=30 December 2020 }}

Reno maintains three homes in Paris, Malaysia, and Los Angeles.{{cite web|url=https://www.uselessdaily.com/movies/jean-reno-trivia-26-interesting-facts-about-the-french-actor/#.XggZMRdKjIE|title=Jean Reno Trivia: 26 amazing facts about the French actor! (List)|website=www.uselessdaily.com|date=26 March 2017 |access-date=2019-12-28|archive-date=30 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930171309/https://www.uselessdaily.com/movies/jean-reno-trivia-26-interesting-facts-about-the-french-actor/#.XggZMRdKjIE|url-status=live}} He is a dual citizen of France and Spain.{{Cite web |date=2016-06-07 |title=Jean Reno ne croit pas à l'intégration des musulmans en France |url=https://www.parismatch.com/People/Jean-Reno-ne-croit-pas-a-l-integration-des-musulmans-en-France-988645 |access-date=2024-12-30 |website=parismatch.com |language=fr}} In a 2016 interview, Reno stated "his roots are above all Spanish, Andalusian."

Stage credits

{{div col}}

  • Prends bien garde aux zeppelins (1977)
  • Ecce Homo (1978)
  • Celimare le bien-aimé (1978)
  • Je romps et ne plie pas (1979)
  • Société Un (1979)
  • La Manufacture (1981)
  • Terre étrangère (1984)
  • Andromaque (1989)
  • Montserrat (1991)
  • Les Grandes Occasions (2006)
  • Nos femmes (2015)

{{div col end}}

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"
YearTitleRoleNotes
1978The Hypothesis of the Stolen PaintingTableaux Personnel
1979WomanlightTraffic policeman
1980The Moroccan Stallion
1982The PasserbyAngry Man
rowspan=2|1983Signes extérieurs de richesseMarc Letellier
Le Dernier CombatThe Brute
rowspan=2|1985Le téléphone sonne toujours deux fois!!Conman
SubwayThe Drummer
1986I Love YouThe dentist
1988The Big BlueEnzo Molinari
1990La Femme NikitaVictor, cleaner
rowspan=3|1991L'Homme au masque d'orFather Victorio Gaetano
Loulou GraffitiPique la Lune
L'Opération Corned-BeefCaptain Philippe Boulier
1992Porco RossoMarco "Porco Rosso" Pagot (voice)French dub
rowspan=4|1993Les VisiteursGodefroy de Papincourt, Comte de Montmirail
La VisMonsieur K
ParanoïaShort subject
Homeward Bound: The Incredible JourneyShadow (voice)rowspan="2" | French dub
rowspan=2|1994The Lion KingMufasa (voice)
Léon: The ProfessionalLeone "Léon" Montana

|

rowspan=3|1995Les TruffesPatrick
French KissInspector Jean-Paul Cardon
Al di là delle nuvoleCarlo
rowspan=2|1996Mission: ImpossibleFranz Krieger
Le JaguarJean Campana
rowspan=3|1997Roseanna's GraveMarcello
Un amour de sorcièreMolok
Les Sœurs SoleilSpectator
rowspan=3|1998Les Visiteurs II: Les Couloirs du tempsComte Godefroy de Montmirail, dit Godefroy
GodzillaPhilippe Roaché
RoninVincent
1999The Book That Wrote ItselfHimself
2000Crimson RiversPierre Niemans
rowspan=3|2001Just VisitingCount Thibault of Malfete
Atlantis: The Lost EmpireVincenzo "Vinny" Saltorini (voice)French dub
WasabiHubert Fiorentini
rowspan=2|2002Décalage horaireFelix
RollerballAlexis Petrovich
2003Tais-toi!Ruby
rowspan=3|2004Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the ApocalypseCommissaire Niemans
Hotel RwandaMr. TillensUncredited
The Corsican FilesAnge Leoni
rowspan=2|2005L'Empire des loupsJean-Louis Schiffer
The Tiger and the SnowFuad
rowspan=4|2006The Pink PantherGilbert Ponton
FlyboysCaptain Thenault
The Da Vinci CodeCaptain Bezu Fache
Flushed AwayLe Frog (voice)Also French dub
2008Ca$hMaxime - Dubreuil
rowspan=4|2009The Pink Panther 2Gilbert Ponton
Le Premier CercleMilo Malakian
Couples RetreatMarcel
ArmoredQuinn
rowspan=3|2010The Round UpDr. Sheinbaum
The PhilosopherBaggio
22 BulletsCharly Matteï
rowspan=3|2011ZookeeperBernie the Gorilla (voice)French dub
You Don't Choose Your FamilyDocteur Luix
MargaretRamon
rowspan=3|2012Alex CrossGiles Mercier
The ChefAlexandre Lagarde
Le Jour des CorneillesLe père Courge
2013Days and NightsLouis
rowspan=3|2014My Summer in ProvencePaul
Hector and the Search for HappinessDr. Diego Baresco
{{ill|Benoît Brisefer : Les Taxis rouges|fr}}Poilonez
rowspan=2|2015The SquadSerge Buren
Brothers of the WindDanzer
rowspan=3|2016The Last FaceDr. Mehmet Love
The Visitors: Bastille DayComte Godefroy de Montmirail
The PromiseAdmiral Louis Dartige Fournet
rowspan=3|2017Mes trésorsPatrick
The Girl in the FogAugusto Flores
The AdventurersPierre
rowspan=4|20194 LatasJean Pierre
Cold BloodHenry
The Lion KingMufasa (voice)French dub
Polina and the Mystery of a Film StudioScreen Hologram
rowspan=4|2020Waiting for AnyaHenri
Da 5 BloodsDesroche
Ange Leonetti | Rogue CityAnge Leonetti
The DoormanVictor Dubois
2021PromisesGrandpa
rowspan="3" |2024LiftLars Jorgenson
My Penguin FriendJoão
Family PackGilbert Vassier
TBATunerFilming

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"
YearTitleRoleNotes
1993Flight from JusticeCharlie BertTV movie
2013JoJoachim "Jo" St-Clair8 episodes
2021Who Killed Sara?Reinaldo Gómez de la Cortina7 episodes
2022A Private AffairHéctor Hugo8 episodes

=Video games=

class="wikitable sortable"
YearTitleRoleNotes
2004Onimusha 3: Demon SiegeJacques BlancVoice and likeness

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable sortable"
InstitutionYearCategoryWork

!Result

rowspan="3" | César Award1989Best Supporting ActorThe Big Blue

| {{nom}}

1994

| rowspan="2" | Best Actor

| Les Visiteurs

| {{nom}}

1995

| Léon: The Professional

| {{nom}}

European Film Award

| 2000

| Outstanding European Achievement in World Cinema

| {{N/A}}

| {{honored}}

Giffoni Film Festival

| 2012

| François Truffaut Award

| {{N/A}}

|{{honored}}

Screen Actors Guild Award

| 2021

| Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

| Da 5 Bloods

| {{nom}}

Honours

  • 2003 60px Officer of the National Order of Merit{{Citation |title=Décret du 14 mai 2003 portant promotion et nomination |url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000000421848 |access-date=2024-12-30}}
  • 2007 60px Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters{{Cite web |title=Nominations dans l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres - Cinquantenaire de l'ordre - 2008 |url=http://www2.culture.gouv.fr/culture/artsetlettres/cinquantenaire.htm |access-date=2024-12-30 |website=www2.culture.gouv.fr}}
  • 2015 60px Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts{{Cite web |title=BOE-A-2015-14323 Real Decreto 1179/2015, de 29 de diciembre, por el que se concede la Medalla al Mérito en las Bellas Artes, en su categoría de oro, a las personas y entidades que se relacionan. |url=https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2015-14323 |access-date=2024-12-30 |website=www.boe.es}}
  • 2024 60px Commander of the Legion of Honor{{Citation |title=Décret du 3 juillet 2024 portant promotion dans l'ordre national de la Légion d'honneur |url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000049907919 |access-date=2024-12-30}}

References

{{Reflist}}