Fabio Lanzoni

Lanzoni first came to the United States at the age of 13; he intended to stay, but his parents forbade him due to his age.[14] Lanzoni hoped to live in America, calling it "the greatest country in the world."[14]

At 14 years old (circa 1973), Fabio received his first modeling contract in Italy. In 2015, he described the event to The Guardian:

My career started when I was barely 14 years old. I was in Milan, at the gym, and one of the two biggest photographers in Europe, Oliviero Toscani, came up to me and said, 'You should model.' I wasn't in the industry, so I had no idea who he was. I remember giving him my father's phone number. He called my father, hired me for a big campaign and things took off from there.[13]

In his teenage years, Lanzoni participated in such sports as horseback riding, windsurfing, and slalom and downhill skiing.[8]

In 1975, when Lanzoni was 16, he became a ski-racing champion in his hometown of Milan.[8] However, he broke his leg while skiing a slalom course; he was placed in traction for a week and in a cast for four months. His doctor suggested weight lifting as physical therapy, and Lanzoni "fell in love" with the training.[8]

At 19 years of age, Lanzoni dropped out of university[15] and moved to America, to the frustration of his parents.[10][14] Lanzoni recalls, "My father was totally against it. My father always said, 'He's going to get it out of his system and come back with his tail between his legs.'"[10]

Within 48 hours of arriving in America,[10] Lanzoni "walked into the Ford modelling agency without an appointment and walked out with a contract."[13] The following day, he met with Barry McKinley,[16] whom Lanzoni called "the biggest photographer in the world" at the time.[13] McKinley hired Lanzoni for the launch of Gap Inc. The contract was for $150,000, which was—according to Lanzoni—$30,000 more than what contemporaneous top male models in the world received.[13] Lanzoni considered himself one of the first "really muscular" models, and he began to pose for 15 or 16 book cover photoshoots a day.[13][5] Other early jobs included video shoots for Nintendo.[5]

Lanzoni claims his first realization of his fame was in 1987, at the age of 28.[17] That year, he modeled for romance novel Hearts Aflame by Johanna Lindsey, in a cover painted by Elaine Duillo.[18][19] While dancing in a Miami nightclub, Lanzoni was recognized by 3 women from romance novel covers. Prior to the encounter, Lanzoni knew he had taken photos for use in book covers, but had never seen the finished product.[17][20] In a 2021 People interview, Lanzoni recalls:

[These] three girls come over and say, 'You look exactly like the guy on our books!' I said, 'That's a good pickup line.' [After they return to show me the books,] "I go like, 'Oh my God, that's me.' It was the first time I saw myself on the cover of the books.[21][20]

More photography and film roles followed. In 1989, Lanzoni appeared as the hero Kuros on the cover of Nintendo game Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II.[22][23] In 1990, Lanzoni acted as an angel in horror film The Exorcist III.[24][25][26] In 1991 film Scenes from a Mall, Lanzoni is credited for the role of "Handsome Man."[27][28]

In 1992, Robert Gottlieb of William Morris Agency became Lanzoni's literary agent; Lanzoni became the first bestselling male romance writer to use his real name.[29][23] Lanzoni published Pirate (1993),[30] Rogue (1994),[31] Viking (1994),[32] Comanche (1995),[33] and Champion (1995),[34] all of which were written in collaboration with romance author Eugenia Riley. Lanzoni later collaborated with Wendy Corsi Staub[35][36] to write Dangerous (1996),[37] Wild (1997),[38] and Mysterious (1998).[36][39]

Lanzoni in 1993 (left), participating in the annual StarGaze charity event at Pilot Field in Buffalo, New York

During the Christmas season of 1992, an all-Fabio pin-up calendar for 1993 appeared in major bookstores[40][41][42] and was a top seller.[43]

In 1993, Lanzoni released an album titled Fabio After Dark, which included 17 tracks.[44][45] Billboard reported that Lazoni's contributions "were all spoken word; he let guests like Billy Ocean and Dionne Warwick do the singing."[46] Interspersed between the music are Lanzoni's soliloquies on his philosophies of love, such as "Fabio: On Inner Beauty" and "Fabio: On Humor."[4][47][48]

In 1993,[49][50] Versace contracted Lanzoni to model their Mediterraneum fragrance. Lanzoni alleged in 2021 that the company still owed him $1 million in profits.[51] In 1999, the Los Angeles Times reported on the promotional meet-and-greet at the Sherman Oaks Bullock's men's fragrance department.[50] Fans lined up to receive "a hug, an autograph, a photo taken with their own camera," and occasionally a "quick smooch."[50]

In 1993, American author and publisher Helen Gurley Brown stated that Fabio is "terribly big and has very long hair and classic Roman coin features, so it's hard to forget what he looks like. I find him so astonishing looking that you can hardly concentrate on what he's saying. Plus, he has got good promoters who make you aware of him."[50] That year, the L.A. Times claimed Hillary Rodham Clinton "flirted with [Lanzoni] on a [circa 1993] White House visit."[50]

In 1993, Fabio's manager Peter F. Paul published Fabio's biography, Fabio.[44] It contains over 100 photographs, presumably of Fabio. According to Paul's biography, by 1992, over 55,000,000 Fabio romance covers had been sold. [44] Fabio's first dedication in 1995 book Fabio Fitness is to Paul; he writes:

A very special thanks to Peter F. Paul my business partner, manager, and most of all my friend. [sic] He has dedicated his indefatigable energy and creativity to working with me and creating what has come to be known as "The Fabio Phenomenon."[8]

Around that time, Lanzoni claimed, "In the last year and a half, I can count in a hand how many days off I had. I've been working every single day, up to 17, 18 hours a day. I'm not even going to the gym anymore."[50] Dr. Donnamarie White, romance author and creator of the official Fabio fan club who met Fabio on multiple occasions,[50] claims Fabio stopped modeling in 1993.[44]

From 1993 to 1994, Lanzoni starred in the syndicated TV series Acapulco H.E.A.T. in the role of Claudio.[52][53] That year, he became the spokesman for spread brand I Can't Believe It's Not Butter![3]

In 1996, Lanzoni starred as himself in comedy film Spy Hard.[54] The following year, Lanzoni was featured as himself in a Step by Step episode "Absolutely Fabio."[55][56][57][58] In 1998, he appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien doing a brief comedic sketch.[59][60] In 1996, his manager Eric Ashenberg stated that Lanzoni was looking for "something more in the Errol Flynn style, something romantic."[6]

In 1999, comedian Tom Green toured Fabio's house, an interview that included Fabio throwing him into his pool multiple times. Lanzoni revealed that his kitchen was full of dirt bikes, and he considered it an empty room, as he never ate at home. Green repeatedly asked the cost of Fabio's home sound system (possibly over one million dollars), pleaded with Fabio to take his shirt off, borrowed Fabio's tank top, and finally went on a shirtless CR250 motorcycle ride with Fabio.[61][62]

In 2000, Lanzoni had a cameo in stoner comedy film Dude, Where's My Car?[63][64] Lanzoni lampooned himself in comedy film Zoolander the following year, which featured over a dozen celebrity cameos. Screen Rant describes his cameo as one of the most memorable:

Fabio and a fan in Times Square circa 2005.

Fabio is showcased in Zoolander early on. He appears after the opening sequence, as a fellow model at the ceremony the main characters attend. He is shown accepting an award before Male Model of the Year is awarded. Fabio's lines are funny, thanking the audience for naming him the best "actor slash model, and not the other way around."[65]

In 2002, 2003, and 2012, Fabio appeared in soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, as a close friend of the character Sally Spectra, played by Darlene Conley.[20][66][67]

In 2005, Lanzoni hosted the American reality television series Mr. Romance. 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.[44][56]

In 2010, he was featured in Big Time Rush[68] and played the character Captain Hawk in The Suite Life on Deck episode "Senior Ditch Day."[69]

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.[70]

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. In April 2013, Lanzoni stated in an interview that "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..."[71] Lanzoni's younger sister died[13] in August 2013.

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.[72]

In 2021, he launched a hair and skincare line for men titled Aston James, with the help of two Australian entrepreneurs.[10][73][74][75] The company's mission is to, "bring the experience of buying a Rolex to the men's personal care space."[73] Lanzoni has stated the company name Aston James is a portmanteau of Aston Martin and James Bond.[73][11]

On March 30, 1999,[76][77][78] an event occurred that became known as Lanzoni's "goose incident."[79][80] During a promotional event, Lanzoni was seated in the front row of inaugural ride of the Apollo's Chariot roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.[77][78] He was accompanied by more than 30 women[81] dressed as Greek goddesses.[76][78] Once the ride ascended to 73 miles per hour,[78] Lanzoni claims a flock of hundreds of geese flew by and one of the geese was sucked into the ride.[82][83][84] The goose died, and Lanzoni descended the ride with blood on his face[79][76] possibly from a nasal injury.[79] Multiple reporters alleged that Lanzoni was hit in the face by a goose.[85] The video that remains is filmed from the ride entrance.[76] There was an on-ride camera, but Lanzoni claims the camera was never found.[78] Lanzoni's injury required 3 stitches on his nose.[77][78] Some sources claim the incident represented a paradigm shift in Lanzoni's career.[77][78] On The Morning Show in 2021, Lanzoni clarified the situation:

Actually, the bird hit the camera, and a piece of the metal of the camera flew and cut the bridge of [my] nose. And that was a miracle. But...they were afraid of me suing Budweiser, and so they blamed it on a bird. But actually the bird hit the camera. The bird never hit my face...I was very fortunate, very lucky because I needed one stitch.[11]