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[[Image:Fabio_and_Fan.jpg|right|thumb|Fabio (left) and fan in [[Times Square]], 2005]]
[[Image:Fabio_and_Fan.jpg|right|thumb|Fabio (left) and fan in [[Times Square]], 2005]]


'''Fabio Lanzoni''' (born [[March 15th]], [[1959]] in [[Milan]], [[Italy]]; widely known simply as '''Fabio''') is a male [[Model (person)|fashion model]] who has appeared on the cover of hundreds of [[romance novel]]s throughout the 1980s and 90s.
'''Fabio Lanzoni''' (born [[March 15th]], [[1959]] in [[Milan]], [[Italy]]; widely known simply as '''Fabio''') is a male [[Model (person)|fashion model]] who has appeared on the cover of hundreds of [[romance novel]]s throughout the 1980s and 90s.He sucks because he ruined GEORGE CLOONEY's dinner.


==Early modeling==
==Early modeling==

Revision as of 09:09, 11 November 2007

Fabio (left) and fan in Times Square, 2005

Fabio Lanzoni (born March 15th, 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.He sucks because he ruined GEORGE CLOONEY's dinner.

Early modeling

He started as a model in Italy, then moved to New York City and became a runway and catalog model for the Ford agency.

He became famous in the romance world for appearing on hundreds of kitschy romance novel covers, the first of which was Hearts Aflame in 1987. Fabio's image on the covers of these books increased their sales significantly.[citation needed]

He's known among video game enthusiasts for his box cover pose for the NES game Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II in 1989.

After retiring from modeling in 1991, Lanzoni left 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.

Author and icon

In 1992, the William Morris agency's Robert Gottlieb became Fabio's agent, as Fabio 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 contracted with Fabio as an author and advanced him $100,000 for his 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, led a fragrance campaign, and landed a role in commercials 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 musing, 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 books include Champion (Avon Books), Viking (HarperCollins Publishers), Mysterious (Kensington Publishing Corporation), Dangerous (Kensington Publishing Corporation), and Wild (Kensington Publishing Corporation).[citation needed]

More recent activities

In 2002, Fabio designed and launched a line of women's outerwear that was sold at the Sam's Club division of Wal-Mart. The debut was an instant smash increasing sales in some stores by as much as 2,000 percent. The line was launched nationally in 2003 and was featured on many TV shows including The View, The Insider, Fox & Friends, Neil Cavuto, CNBC’s Business Hour and in print publications including Fortune, People and many local newspapers across the country.

Fabio is a frequent guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, where he consistently garners laughs with his campy quality. He has 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 has appeared in commercials for Wickes Furniture, and was featured in the video for Jill Sobule's 1995 song I Kissed a Girl.[1]

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 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 audiovisual equipment. "My father was an engineer, so it's in my genes."

He answered reader questions about love, fitness, and other topics in the February to July 2007 issues of Electronic Gaming Monthly. He appeared on the cover of the magazine in 1989 to promote Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II.

Other Appearances

  • 1990 Cameo in the movie "Exorcist III" in which he plays an angel in a dream sequence.
  • 1995: Appeared in Jill Sobule's controversial video for I Kissed A Girl.
  • 2000: He had a minor part in the movie Dude, Where's My Car?. He and a woman kiss in an attempt to out do the protagonist who in turn kiss to the disgust of Fabio
  • 2001: He appeared in the movie Bubble Boy, as the leader of the Bright and Shiny cult.
  • November 2005: Fabio appeared on The Man Show Spring Training episode to co-host along side Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel. He was a prize on the Wheel of Destiny for that night.[2]
  • 2006: 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.
  • April 11, 2007: Fabio appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien to carry Conan from the performance area where he does his monologue over to his desk. When asked what he thought of the monologue, Fabio replied "I can't believe it's not better," clearly a reference to his 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter' ads. Later, he carried guest Tina Fey out from backstage.

Trivia

  • 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]
  • Appeared in an episode of the 1990s sit-com Step By Step.
  • While riding the inaugural ride of Montu at Busch Gardens Tampa in march 1996 he received a broken nose when small bird hit him in the face and was taken to Tampa General. In 1999, this time on Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, a stray goose flew into his face during the 210-foot drop.[4] The birds died both times.
  • Fabio also appeared in the sixth season from Roseanne. Dan turned into Fabio in Roseanne's imagination

References

  1. ^ http://www.westword.com/Issues/1995-08-02/music/backbeat5.html
  2. ^ http://www.g4tv.com/themanshow/episodes/4825/Spring_Training.html
  3. ^ http://www.realitytvworld.com/index/articles/story.php?s=2324
  4. ^ "Bird slams into Fabio's face", CNN, March 31, 1999. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
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