Fabio Lanzoni

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Comanche, a romance novel written by Fabio, featuring a centerfold

Fabio Lanzoni (born March 15, 1959 in Milan, Italy), widely known simply as Fabio, is a male fashion model who has appeared on the cover of hundreds of romance novels throughout the 1980s and 90s.

[edit] Early life

Fabio was raised in Milan, Italy. Modeling part time for teenage clothing ads, Fabio graduated from high school in 1979 and was drafted into the Italian Army. He served an 18 month tenure. Finishing his military career on schedule, Fabio moved to the United States, hoping to pursue modeling.

[edit] Early modeling

He became famous as a model for kitschy romance novel covers, the first of which was Hearts Aflame in 1987. After retiring in 1991 as a Ford runway and catalog model, whose anonymous image on the cover of hundreds of romance novels increased their sales significantly, Lanzoni left modeling in 1991 New York for the lure of the big screen where he hoped to follow in the tradition of Stallone and Schwarzenegger as a new action adventure actor. An unemployed Lanzoni moved to Hollywood and took on manager Peter F. Paul.

Fabio is also known amongst video game enthusiasts for his box cover pose for the NES game Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II in 1989^[1].

[edit] Author and icon

In 1992 William Morris agent Robert Gottlieb became Fabio's agent as he became the first male romance writer to author romance novels without the use of a pseudonym. Avon Books, which had been accustomed to paying Lanzoni $300 for an image that increased sales of its books 20-40%, now was forced to contract with Fabio, the author, with a $100,000 advance on Fabio's first three novels.^{[citation needed]}

Fabio's books Pirate, Rogue, and Comanche collectively sold more than 2 million copies^{[citation needed]}. A media frenzy in 1992 catapulted Fabio into the public consciousness with appearances on Entertainment Tonight and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.^{[citation needed]} Fabio then starred in the syndicated TV series Acapulco H.E.A.T., was featured in calendars, lead a fragrance campaign, and landed a commercial role for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter margarine. Just fourteen months after being unemployed and unknown in West Hollywood, Fabio was on the cover of People Magazine.^{[citation needed]}

Fabio appeared in the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful a number of times, as a close friend of the character Sally Spectra. (Fabio and Darlene Conley, who played Sally, were close friends in real life.)

In 1993, Fabio recorded a compact disc entitled Fabio After Dark of himself reading his musings, presumably scripted, on various aspects of romance, accompanied by soft, rhythmic music. The disc also featured songs by other artists. While the album was fairly well-received by fans^{[citation needed]}, Fabio has since referred to the album as an embarrassment^{[citation needed]}.

Fabio's other writing contributions include Champion(Avon Books), Viking(HarperCollins Publishers), Mysterious(Kensington Publishing Corporation), Dangerous(Kensington Publishing Corporation), and Wild(Kensington Publishing Corporation).^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] More recent activities

In 1995, after a dispute, Fabio purchased his management contract back from Paul. After Paul confronted Fabio on the Howard Stern Show in a shouting match, a feud began between the two which concluded with Fabio using the Washington Post to expose Paul's felony convictions in the 1970s.^{[citation needed]}

Fabio is a frequent guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, where he consistently garners laughs with his campy quality. He has also starred in commercials for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, where he was featured in a series of television spots throughout the 1990s, and returned to the role in 2006 to help promote the "new and improved" spread. On June 7, 2006, Fabio helped crown Greg Vaughan as the new I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spokesman, though Fabio has hinted that he will not totally be removed from his role in promoting the spread. He also has appeared in commercials for Wickes Furniture, and was featured in the video for Jill Sobule's 1995 song I Kissed a Girl ^[2]

On March 30, 1999, Fabio made news after being hit by a low-flying bird while riding the roller coaster Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (now Busch Gardens Europe) in Virginia. The bird, which one park guest claimed to be a goose, slammed into Fabio's face during a 210-foot drop, leaving an inch-long cut on the model's nose. After the ride ended, he was rushed to Williamsburg Community Hospital where he was promptly treated and released.

He had long claimed to have been born in 1961, but it was discovered by People Magazine in 2001 that he had been fabricating his age and was in fact born in 1959.

He hosted the show Mr. Romance on the Oxygen Network in 2005, which was called the search for the next Fabio.

During Super Bowl XL, a Nationwide Insurance advertising campaign debuted featuring Fabio rowing a gondola supposedly promoting a new Fabio brand shampoo. After several cuts back and forth, he finally aged about 30 to 40 years resembling an older, less appealing version of Fabio. The slogan on-screen reads "Life Comes At You Fast". For the Nationwide ad they hired Jurassic Park's famous makeup artists to transform the icon into an older man.[1]

He also appeared on Extreme Makeover Home Edition on ABC and America's Next Top Model, and is currently guesting in Bo! in the USA, as the idol and sidekick of Keith Lemon.

In the February 2007 issue of Stuff Magazine Fabio dishes about his interest in audio visual equipment. "My father was an engineer, so it's in my genes."

[edit] Trivia

• In April 2006 he appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien advertising 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter' during one of Conan O'Brien's "talk to a regular audience member" segments.

• In 1993 he appeared on America's Funniest Home Videos which was then hosted by Bob Saget.

• In 2005 he apeared in the Australian show Celebrity Overhaul

• In the season finale of 2004's Average Joe 2: Hawaii, Gil Hyatt was disgusted to learn that Larissa, the pursued woman in the show, had previously dated Fabio. He appeared to reject Larissa as a result in the final sequences of the episode, kicking at the sand and surf on the beach where they were walking and telling the camera that "every guy would understand" and claiming to be no longer interested in pursuing a relationship with Larissa. ^[3]

• Had a cameo in the Ben Stiller comedy Zoolander, during which he was awarded the "Slashie Award" as the best Actor/Model (and not the other way around) at the VH1 Fashion Awards.

• He appeared in the movie Bubble Boy, as the leader of the Bright and Shiny cult.

• On Thanksgiving Day 2006, he appeared with Howie Mandel, host of Deal or no Deal, on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno as a Deal or no Deal prize for an audience full of servicemen. The entire audience of military personnel were subsequently invited to join him for dinner in the NBC commissary.

• Fabio also appeared on "The Man Show" Spring Training episode to co-host along side Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel. He was also a prize on the Wheel of Destiny for that night.

^[4]

• He appeared in America's Next Top Model Cycle 7 Episode 7, where he posed with the girls for mock-up romance novel covers at the weekly photo challenge.

• On Friday, January 12, 2007, he appeared on NBC's TV show 1 vs 100 as a member of The Mob.

• On Thursday, January 18, 2007, he appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien advertising 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter' Mediterranean Spread, while joining Max Weinberg and the Max Weinberg 7 as part of the band.

• Appeared in an episode of the 1990's sit-com Step By Step.

[edit] References

1. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ironsword_Box.jpg
2. ^ http://www.westword.com/Issues/1995-08-02/music/backbeat5.html
3. ^ http://www.realitytvworld.com/index/articles/story.php?s=2324
4. ^ http://www.g4tv.com/themanshow/episodes/4825/Spring_Training.html

[edit] External links

• Fabio at the Internet Movie Database
• Fabio at the Notable Names Database
• Interview with Fabio in Psychology Today
• Fabio displaying his much loved "campy" quality on the April Winchell show. (Audio Clips)
• 2007 Fabio Interview on Sidewalks Entertainment
• [2]