Fabio Lanzoni
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| Fabio Lanzoni | |
|---|---|
 Fabio "Gay" Lanzoni (middle) and his two nephews in Los Angeles, 2007 |
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| Born | March 15, 1959 (age 52) Milan, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Height | 6' 3" |
Fabio "Gay" Lanzoni ( Italian pronunciation: [ˈfaːbjo lanˈtsoːni]); born March 15, 1959),[1][2] widely known simply as Fabio, is a famous international Italian fashion model, spokesperson, author, actor, and recording artist who appeared on the cover of hundreds of romance novels throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
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[edit] Career
[edit] Television and media
Fabio starred in the syndicated TV series Acapulco H.E.A.T. as 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 (Fabio and Darlene Conley, who played Sally, were close friends in real life). He appeared in one episode of Step by Step called "Absolutely Fabio". Fabio appeared as well on Ned's Declassified. He was also in a Big Time Rush episode and reprised his role in the Nickelodeon television series once again in their third TV movie, Big Time Christmas. In 2010, he appeared in an episode of The Suite Life on Deck called "Senior Ditch Day" as Captain Hawk. He has also cameoed in the films Dude, Where's My Car?, Spy Hard, and Zoolander, and has a brief uncredited appearance in the 1991 film The Hard Way.
In 1994 Fabio released an album titled Fabio After Dark, which included soliloquies on his philosophy of love.[3]
Fabio can also be seen posing as the hero Kuros on the cover of the 1989 video game Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Fabio 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 1992, [[Robert Gottlieb]] became Fabio's literary agent. Fabio became the first best-selling male romance writer who did not use a pseudonym[citation needed]. In collaboration with Eugena Riley, Fabio's first few books were titled Pirate, Rogue, Comanche, Viking and Champion. The genre of his first books were historical romance. He wrote three more books in collaboration with Wendy Corsi Staub titled Dangerous, Wild, and Mysterious.
[edit] Spokesperson
One of Fabio's most memorable advertising campaigns was for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!. He was the spokesperson for the company since 1994. He was also the spokesperson 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 Wicks Furniture, Ames Hardware, Old Spice, and the American Cancer Society.[4]
On July 26, 2011, Old Spice launched a new campaign on YouTube in which Fabio 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 Fabio's Old Spice You Tube Channel received more than 9 million views in the week after its debut, rising to Number 4 on You Tube for the week.[5]
[edit] Business ventures
In 2003, Fabio launched a clothing line at Sam's Club Division of WalMart[citation needed]. The line was casual wear for women. Some stores reported sales increases as much as 2,000 percent[citation needed]. Prior to his clothing line, he wrote a fitness book and created a work-out video called Fabio Fitness.
[edit] Other
His business manager sued him for breach of contract (settled out of court) and a Canadian actress sued when his Great Dane jumped up as she was leaning over, knocking out her front teeth.[4]
On March 27, 1999, Fabio was involved in an accident in Busch Gardens Williamsburg, located in James City County, Virginia. Fabio rode in the first car of Apollo's Chariot, a roller coaster, during its maiden ride. During the rapid descent on the 210-foot drop after the lift hill, a goose collided with Fabio, leaving his nose covered in blood. He received a one-inch cut on his nose but no one else on the roller coaster was hurt. The goose was later found dead on the ground under the roller coaster with a broken neck.[6]
[edit] Personal life
[edit] Hobbies
Fabio Lanzoni's hobbies include a passion for off-roading and motorcycles. He owns an extensive collection of 200 motorcycles including dirt bikes, racing bikes and a championship Ducati. Fabio intends to collect 365 motorcycles; one for every day of the year[citation needed]. His passion for automobiles also includes luxury cars, such as his Lamborghinis.
[edit] Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1990 | The Exorcist 3 | Angel | uncredited |
| 1991 | Scenes from a Mall | Handsome Man | |
| 1991 | The Hard Way | Bar Patron/Bouncer (?) | Uncredited |
| 1992 | Death Becomes Her | Fabio | Movie |
| 1993 | Acapulco Heat | Claudio/Hotel owner | |
| 1996 | Spy Hard | Himself on the cliff | Uncredited |
| 2000 | Dude, Where's My Car? | Guy in Car | Cameo |
| 2001 | Zoolander | Himself | Cameo |
| Bubble Boy | Gil/Cult Leader | Cameo | |
| 2010 | Big Time Christmas | Himself | (TV Movie) |
| 2011 | Hollywood Sex Wars | Himself | Cameo |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | Roseanne | Himself | "Guilt by Imagination" (Season 6, Ep.8) |
| 1997 | Step by Step | Himself | "Absolutely Fabio" (Season 6, Ep.11) |
| 2003 | Yes, Dear | Himself | One episode |
| 2005 | Mr. Romance | Himself/Host | |
| 2006 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Friend | One episode |
| Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide | Romantic Guy | One episode | |
| 2009 | Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory | Himself | One Episode |
| 2010 | Big Time Rush | Himself | 2 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 |
| Music Video | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1995 | I Kissed A Girl | Husband of Lesbian | |
| 2012 | " Home - Flying Frog Productions" | Gabe Tansley | |
[edit] References
- ^ Fabio Lanzoni. IMDB.com
- ^ Some sources claim 1961. Filmreference.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-25.
- ^ Albums That Sucked. I-Mockery.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-25.
- ^ a b Fabio. Nndb.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-25.
- ^ MSNBC: Old Spice guy wins online hunk-off over Fabio
- ^ Showbuzz – CNN. Articles.cnn.com (1999-03-31). Retrieved on 2011-06-25.
Year Title Role Notes 2006 America's Next Top Model Himself The Girl Who Graduates (cycle 7)
2012 Home Gabe Tansley Plays himself
[edit] External links
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