Kelly Reno (born June 19, 1966)[1] is a former child actor, rancher, and trucker. At age 13, he was cast in the role of Alec Ramsey, the young boy who is marooned on a deserted island along with an Arabian horse,[2] in The Black Stallion (based on the novel by Walter Farley).
Reno was born in Pueblo, Colorado. His parents, Bud and Ruth, were cattle ranchers.[2] He graduated from high school in 1984.[2]
After responding to an open casting call, he was cast at age 13[2] as the main character, Alec Ramsey, in The Black Stallion. Directed by Carroll Ballard and co-starring Mickey Rooney and Teri Garr, the film was made in 1979. Reno did nearly all of his own action scenes in the movie.[3] He reprised the role in the 1983 film adaptation of Farley's The Black Stallion Returns much of which was filmed in Morocco.[2]
He performed as an Alamo messenger who travels through time in "Alamo Jobe", a 1985 episode in Steven Spielberg's anthology TV series Amazing Stories.
After graduating from high school, Reno was driving a pick-up truck that was hit by a semi-truck. The resultant injuries were severe, and the long recovery time squelched his acting career. After 20 years as a cattle rancher, Reno became a semi-truck driver.
Reno married Lynette Tuttle in 1986; they had three children: Ryan, Raelyn, and Justin. They divorced in 1996.[4] They were reported to be residents of the Pueblo, Colorado, area.[2] Reno married Annette Crump in 1998; they divorced in 2005. He married his current wife, Dawn Hickey, in 2007.