Franco Nero was born Francesco Sparanero in San Prospero Parmense, the son of a sergeant in the carabinieri, originally from San Severo. He grew up in Bedonia and in Milan. He studied briefly at the Economy and Trade faculty of the local university, before leaving to study at the Piccolo Teatro di Milano.

His romantic relationship with British actress Vanessa Redgrave began in 1967 when they met on the set of Camelot. In 1969 they had a son, Carlo Gabriel Redgrave Sparanero (known professionally as Carlo Gabriel Nero), a screenwriter and director. After the separation, for many years, in which they both had relationships with other people, they united and married on 31 December 2006. Carlo Nero directed Redgrave in the cinematic adaptation of Wallace Shawn's The Fever area.

Franco Nero walked his future stepdaughter Natasha Richardson down the aisle when she married the actor Liam Neeson in 1994. His father, Tony Richardson, had died in 1991.

Quotes by Franco Nero:

Every western I did and will do; I will do it for the never ending young kid inside of me.

Everyone has a first love, and mine was the western. When I was a child and dreamed of the movies, it was always as a cowboy on a white horse.

I could be a star and maybe make lots of money, or I could change roles all the time and have a more interesting - and longer - career.