Lionel Reynaud was born on June 6, 1968, in Annecy-le-vieux, Haute-Savoie, France, to Mireille Reynaud (née Ceccon), and Lucien Reynaud. He has French and Italian ancestry. Reynaud spent most of his youth in Annecy, so called the little Venise of the Alpes with its downtown's water channels and its crystal clear lake.