Fabio Lanzoni

Fabio Lanzoni (Italian pronunciation: [ˈfaːbjo lanˈtsoːni]; born March 15, 1959), known mononymously as Fabio, is an Italian-American actor, fashion model and spokesman noted for a wide-ranging career including appearances as spokesman for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! and the American Cancer Society; acting and television roles; and prominently as a romance novel cover model throughout the 1980s and 1990s.[3]

Fabio
Lanzoni in Hollywood, California on December 4, 2014
Born (1959-03-15) March 15, 1959
Milan,Lombardy Italy[1][2]
CitizenshipItaly and United States
OccupationModel, actor, spokesperson
Years active1981–present
Height1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)

Background

Lanzoni was born 15 March 1959 in Milan, Italy to Flora Carnicelli Lanzoni and Sauro Lanzoni, a mechanical engineer and owner of a conveyor-belt company. [4] Lanzoni has an older brother, Walter, and younger sister, Cristina.[4] Raised Catholic, he served as an altar boy.[4] His modelling career began when he was discovered by a photographer while working out.[4]

Lanzoni started as a model and film star in Italy, subsequently moving to New York City to become a fashion and catalog model for the Ford Agency, earning work for print ads for Gap and TV spots for Nintendo.[4]

In 1999, while riding Apollo's Chariot roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Lanzoni was struck in the face by a goose, leaving his face covered in blood.[5] Lanzoni later said that the goose hit a video camera, which broke apart and those parts struck him in the face.[6]

Lanzoni became a U.S. citizen in 2016.[7]

Career

Television and media

Lanzoni starred in the syndicated TV series Acapulco H.E.A.T. in the role of Claudio. He was also featured in calendars, led a fragrance campaign for Mediterraneum by Versace, and landed a role in commercials for "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!". He appeared in The Bold and the Beautiful a number of times, as a close friend of the character Sally Spectra (Lanzoni and the late Darlene Conley, who played Sally, were close friends in real life). He appeared in one episode of Step by Step called "Absolutely Fabio". Lanzoni has also appeared on the two Nickelodeon television series Ned's Declassified and Big Time Rush. In 2010, he played the character Captain Hawk in an episode of The Suite Life on Deck called "Senior Ditch Day". He has also done cameos in the films Dude, Where's My Car?, Spy Hard and Zoolander.

In 1994, Lanzoni released an album titled Fabio After Dark, which included soliloquies on his philosophy of love.[3]

Lanzoni appears as the hero Kuros on the cover of the 1989 video game Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II for the Nintendo Entertainment System.[8] Lanzoni hosted the American reality television series Mr. Romance in 2005. The series featured a dozen male contestants competing for the title of "Mr. Romance" and the opportunity to appear as a romance novel cover model.

In collaboration with Eugena Riley, Lanzoni has written a series of historical romance novels: Pirate, Rogue, Comanche, Viking and Champion. He wrote three more books in collaboration with Wendy Corsi Staub titled Dangerous, Wild, and Mysterious. Robert Gottlieb became Lanzoni's literary agent in 1992.

Spokesman

Lanzoni appeared prominently in advertising for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! and has been the spokesman for the company since 1994. He was also the spokesman for the Geek Squad in 2007, Oral-B's Sensitive Advantage Toothbrush in 2006 (whose ad was featured in Times Square), and one of his most popular ads to date is for Nationwide Insurance. In 2006, the commercial for Nationwide aired during the Super Bowl and was the most viewed commercial for the game, garnering over 1 million views within two weeks. Other endorsements included Wickes Furniture, Ames Hardware, Old Spice, and the American Cancer Society.

On July 26, 2011, Old Spice launched a campaign on YouTube in which Lanzoni challenges Isaiah Mustafa to try to replace him as the New Old Spice Guy. The online challenge was entitled Mano a Mano in el Baño (hand-to-hand in the bathroom). Mustafa emerged as the winner, though Lanzoni's Old Spice YouTube Channel received more than 9 million views in the week after its debut, rising to Number 4 on YouTube for the week.[9]

Once a spokesman for the American Cancer Society, Lanzoni has spoken for the controversial Burzynski Clinic, where his sister was receiving treatment for ovarian cancer. Lanzoni stated in a recent interview, "He is a genius. He definitely, I believe, he has the cure for cancer... They have to let him get his office back and let him do his work..."[10] Lanzoni's sister died in August 2013.

Business ventures

In 2003, Lanzoni launched a clothing line at the Sam's Club division of Walmart. The line was casual wear for women. Prior to his clothing line, he wrote a fitness book and created a work-out video called Fabio Fitness. In 2008, he launched Healthy Planet Vitamins, a company selling whey protein, glutamine, and colostrum products.[11]

Filmography
Film
Year Film Role Notes
1990 The Exorcist III Angel Uncredited
1991 Scenes from a Mall Handsome Man
The Hard Way Bar Patron/Bouncer Uncredited
1992 Death Becomes Her Lisle's Bodyguard
1996 Eddie Himself Cameo
Spy Hard Himself Cameo
2000 Dude, Where's My Car? Himself Cameo
2001 Zoolander Himself Cameo
Bubble Boy Gil/Cult Leader Cameo
2010 Big Time Christmas Himself TV Movie
2011 Hollywood Sex Wars Himself Cameo
2014 Dumbbells Himself
2015 Knight of Cups Himself
2017 Sharknado 5: Global Swarming The Pope
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1993 Acapulco Heat Claudio/Hotel owner
1993 Roseanne Himself "Guilt by Imagination" (Season 6, Ep.8)
1995 Bobby's World Himself Cameo
"Hooked on Caps" (Season 6, Ep.3)
1997 Step by Step Himself "Absolutely Fabio" (Season 6, Ep.11)
1997 The Weird Al Show Himself "Al Plays Hooky" (Season 1, Ep.9)
2002 The Bold and the Beautiful Himself Guest role; 2002, 2003, 2012
2003 High Chaparall Himself One episode, Swedish TV-show.
2003 Yes, Dear Himself One episode (Season 4, Ep. 21)
2005 Mr. Romance Himself/Host
2006
Bo! In the USA Himself Two episodes
America's Next Top Model Himself One episode
2009 Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory Himself One episode
2010 Big Time Rush Himself 3 episodes
The Suite Life on Deck Captain Hawk "Senior Ditch Day"
2010 Keith Lemon's World Tour Himself One episode
2011 Cupcake Wars Himself One episode
2012 Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory Himself, Fabulous Fabio One episode
2013 Lemon La Vida Loca Himself One episode
2014 Almost Royal Himself One episode
2020 Robot Chicken Himself (voice) Episode: "Endgame"
Music video
Year Title Role Notes
1995 I Kissed a Girl
2019 Miss You In My Sheets Himself Trisha Paytas video

References
  1. Edgers, Geoffy (2015) "What's Fabio been up to the last 20 years?" The Washington Post December 23.
    Hischak, Thomas (2011). Disney Voice Actors: A Biographical Dictionary. Jefferson NC: McFarland & Company, p. 71.
  2. Edgar, Kathleen J. and Joshua Kondek (1998). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. New York: Gale Publishing, p. 125.
    Eds. (2014). Chase's Calendar of Events 2015. New York: McGraw Hill Professional, p. 167.
  3. Sarah Lyall (September 23, 1993). "On Location With: Fabio; Please, Judge the Book by Its Cover". The New York Times.
  4. Michael Small (October 4, 1993). "Love For Sale". People Magazine.
  5. "Showbuzz". CNN. March 31, 1999. Archived from the original on June 18, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2011. Fabio, 38, was at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNMQyZ58Z9Y&t=212
  7. "Famed Romance Novel Model Fabio Becomes U.S. Citizen". NBC News. March 17, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  8. "Video Gamers Live in Fear of... Fabio??". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis (71): 16. June 1995.
  9. Sewell, Dan (2011). "Old Spice guy wins online hunk-off over Fabio". NBC News. Associated Press.
  10. "Fabio Lanzoni - Burzynski: Cancer Is Serious Business, Part 2". Burzynski Movie. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  11. "Our Products". Healthy Planet Vitamins. 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
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