Today's Rich or Rehab makes me a little sad.
Our subject: Kelly Reno. If the name doesn't ring a bell, think about the boy who starred in "The Black Stallion": A beautiful kid with black hair and blue eyes who frolicked by the sea with a shiny, ebony horse. That was Kelly Reno; after playing the part of Alec in "Stallion" in 1979, he later starred in 1983's "Return of the Black Stallion." A couple of parts in smaller projects followed, leading the young actor to plan on pursuing his craft more fully after graduating from high school.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Reno was in a bad car accident and got hit by an 18-wheeler. According to imdb, he took a long time to recover and was never able to regroup and rebuild those Hollywood connections.
For a while, he worked as a cattle rancher, like his parents. The most recent information available on the always reliable Internet indicates Reno is now a truck driver. Yep, he drives an 18-wheeler not unlike the one that crashed into him years ago.
I wonder if he still thinks about acting. Even as a kid he had a strong onscreen presence and a wonderfully expressive face. Maybe it's not too late for Kelly Reno to make a comeback. And even if he doesn't want to, this picture suggests that he at least makes a decent looking cowboy.
Rich or Rehab appears every Tuesday morning on Strollerderby.
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Images: MGM Via USAToday.com and alleghenypictures.com
