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.[4] 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.[5]
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 (1.88 m or 6 ft 2 in), 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).
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.[6] He also starred as Jo in the 2013 English-language TV series Jo.
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.[8] The presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy served as his best man (Reno endorsed Sarkozy for the 2007 French presidential election).[9][10] Reno has six children, two from each marriage.[11]
Reno maintains three homes in Paris, Malaysia, and Los Angeles.[12] He is a dual citizen of France and Spain.[13] In a 2016 interview, Reno stated "his roots are above all Spanish, Andalusian."[13]
