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| Jean reno when he was a child. |
Jean Reno was actually born Juan Moreno in Casablanca Morocco 30th July 1948, to Andalusian parents that were originally from
Cadiz in Spain. Jeans parents had fled the civil war of General Franco's regime. In Morocco, they were under the French protectorate
as Morocco was then under French territorial control.
On the whole, Jean had a happy childhood in Morocco with his friends, and in 1955 he was to become the brother of a little
sister called Marie-Thérèse. At 11 years old, it was found that Jean had Athsma, and the Doctor prescribes fresh mountain
air for him. Jean's parents weren't very wealthy, but eventually he gets to live for two years on Montpellier, and this cures
him of his Athsma. These two years are like a very long holiday for Jean. Whilst at Montpellier, Jean isn't going to school,
instead he spends his days lounging in front of an old black and white TV set, but this opens his eyes to the world of entertainment
and of the cinema.
Unfortunately for Jean though,with his athsma cured, he has to go back to Casablanca in Morocco. His parents had moved
whilst Jean was away, so the new apartment they are in is very strange and bewildering for the young Jean. Jean's mother is
always tired and his father is an authoritarian, his father doesn't like it that Jean hasn't made the grade in school whilst
he was away at Montpellier, so he tries to make a draughtsman out of him. Jean is not impressed and reluctantly signs up to
the Industrial school doing drawing, design and trigonometry.
All the while he is dreaming of a life more like what Marlon Brando would be leading. Jean has decided that his vocation
in life is to be an actor, he wants the big screen and to get his name and face into the glossy magazines. He doesn't speak
about his dream to anyone, especially not his dad, he knows his dad would never understand. Still, young Jean wants to make
his mother happy, so he does try his hardest at the Industrial school, where his mother is always so tired, he just has to
give it a go, it pays off and he gets a patent for his efforts, his mother is overjoyed at Jean for trying so hard. This sadly,
is the last happiness that Jean gives his mother, it is found out that his mother's chronic tiredness is due to the last stages
of bone cancer.
The family try for a chance of a hoiday to cure the cancer and send mother to Montpellier in 1965, but deep down, they
know their efforts are in vain, his mum unfortunately passes away in France, far away from her loving children. Aged just
17, Jean has the first great pain of his adult life.
In 1967 the family decided to move to France when the six day war broke out in Morocco and shattered their happy life
there. To become a French citizen, Jean had to join the armed forces for a while, but once they saw that he had attended the
National drama school of Casablanca,he was put into the entertainment core whilst doing his patriotic bit in Germany.
Jean made his professional stage debut in 1974 in a Parisian production of "Ecce Homo" and went on to spend
the next couple of years honing his craft onstage. Reno made his screen debut in 1978, playing a small role in "L'Hypothese
du tableau vole". The following year, he was cast in another small role in Costa-Gavras' "Clair de femme".
He first worked for Besson in "Le Dernier combat" (1983), in the decidedly supporting role of a swordsman. A second
outing with the director, "Subway" (1985), provided another brief part. But Besson and Reno formed a creative attachment
and Besson provided a breakout role, the second male lead, in "The Big Blue" (1988). As Enzo Molinari, a macho champion
free diver who fights off competition from an old friend and rival (Jean-Marc Barr), he received critical praise.
But it was their next teaming, "La Femme Nikita" (1990), that brought the actor to American attention. Cast
as the partner-in-crime to Annie Parillaud's title character, Reno portrayed a character that established the tone of his
screen persona, the ability to be cool, calculating and amoral yet retaining the impression that a human being and not a devil
incarnate lives behind those brown eyes. Also in 1990, Reno played a sympathetic role, that of a priest who moonlights as
a wrestler in order to raise money for his church's projects in "L'Homme au masque d'or". He had a much applauded
turn as Godefroy de Montmirail, a valiant nobleman from the Musketeer-days transported to the 20th Century where he understands
little in "Les Visiteurs/The Visitors" (released in the US in 1996). The film set box office records in France and
spawned a 1997 sequel.
Working with Besson again, Reno made his English-language debut with "The Professional.
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