Rano Karno (born 8 October 1960) is an Indonesian actor and politician who served as Governor of Banten from 2014 to 2017.

Karno was born on 8 October 1960 as [1] the son of actor Soekarno M. Noer, who was of Minangkabau descent with ancestral roots in Bonjol, Pasaman, West Sumatra (although he was born and brought up in the capital to parents from the said village) and his ethnic local-born Betawi wife, Lily Istiarti Soekarno, and grew up in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

[1][2] Due to his father's low earnings, he was raised in poverty; he later quipped that his family had had one plate to feed five people, like a popular dangdut song.

[2] As an escape from his family's poverty, Karno would go to a Balai Pustaka-run library and read classic works of Indonesian literature, including novels such as Abdul Muis' Salah Asuhan and the traditional folktale Malin Kundang.

[2] In 1990, Karno switched to directing; his serial adaptation of Si Doel Anak Betawi (titled Si Doel Anak Sekolahan), although initially refused by studios for being too "provincial", was highly successful and ran for six seasons.

[2] His first book, The Last Barongsai, was published in 2010;[2] that same year, he released another film, Satu Jam Saja (Just One Hour).

[2] In early 2011, Karno began campaigning for governor of Jakarta against incumbent Fauzi Bowo on the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle ticket.