Flyboys (2006)

Jean Reno

Jean Reno is the renowned French actor who rapidly gained recognition among American audiences with pivotal roles in box-office blockbusters such as Brian DePalma’s Mission Impossible opposite Tom Cruise, Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla, Luc Besson's The Professional with Natalie Portman and John Frankenheimer's Ronin opposite Robert DeNiro. Reno currently stars opposite Steve Martin in The Pink Panther which opened number one at the box office.

Reno can currently be seen alongside Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou in the much-anticipated The DaVinci Code. Ian Mackellan and Paul Bettany round out this stellar cast, based on the best-selling novel by Dan Brown and directed by Ron Howard. Brian Grazer is producing and Sony will distribute. He just finished shooting Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret with Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon and Anna Paquin.

Reno is one of France's most revered and respected actors, having starred opposite Gerard Depardieu in the blockbuster comedy Tais Toi and Les Visiteurs, which became the highest grossing film in French box office history when it was released. Its sequel, Les Visiteurs II, also broke box office records. More recently, Reno touched American audiences with his romantic portrayal of a love-struck gourmet chef who sweeps Juliette Binoche off her feet in Jet Lag. He also starred in L'Empire de Loups (Empire of the Wolves), based on a best-selling French novel by Jean-Christophe Grange who also wrote Crimson Rivers, a novel which was also made into a blockbuster feature film starring Reno. He was also featured in Roberto Benigni's The Tiger and the Snow.

He has also enjoyed a tremendously successful collaboration with the acclaimed French director Luc Besson. In addition to The Professional, he has co starred in Besson's Le Dernier Combat, Subway opposite Christopher Lambert and Isabelle Adjani, The Big Blue opposite Roseanna Arquette and the acclaimed thriller La Femme Nikita opposite Anne Parillaud. The duo also collaborated on the making of Wasabi, in which Reno also starred.

Born in Casablanca to Spanish parents, Reno pursued his dream of acting in France after serving his military service in Germany. Settling in Paris, Reno joined stage director Didier Flamand in a traveling theater company that took him around the country. His screen debut was in the French film Claire de Femme director by Costa Gavras. Other international film credits include Francis Verber's Le Jaguar, Christian Le Jale's Loulou Graffiti, Jean-Marie Poire's L'Operaton Corned Beef, Eric Duret's L'Homme Au Masque D'Or, Marco Ferreri's I Love You, Betrand Blier's Notre Histoire, and Jaques Monnet's Signes Exterieurs de Richesse. Other American film credits include Paul Weiland's For Roseanna in which he co-starred opposite Mercedes Ruehl, Lawrence Kasdan's French Kiss with Kevin Kline and Meg Ryan, and John McTiernan's Rollerball. He just directed his first opera, a production of Puccini's Manon Lescaut for the Teatro Regio Torino.

Reno, who spoke only his native Spanish, for the first eleven years of his life, speaks fluent French, Italian, English and Japanese. He splits his time between the South of France, Corsica, New York and Los Angeles.