Fabio Lanzoni, 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.
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. Lanzoni has an older brother, Walter, and younger sister, Cristina. Raised Catholic, he served as an altar boy. His modelling career began when he was discovered by a photographer while working out. 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. In addition to enthusiasm for aquariums, Lanzoni's hobbies include off-roading and motorcycles. A joint collection with his father Sauro Lanzoni includes over 200 motorcycles, dirt bikes, racing bikes and a championship Ducati. In 1999, while riding Apollo's Chariotroller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Lanzoni was struck in the face by a goose, leaving his face covered in blood. Lanzoni later said that the goose hit a video camera, which broke apart and those parts struck him in the face. Lanzoni became a U.S. citizen in 2016.
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. 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. Lanzoni appears as the hero Kuros on the cover of the 1989 video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Lanzoni hosted the Americanreality television seriesMr. 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, 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. 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. 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..." A response made by David Gorski at his Respectful Insolence blog reads "No one knows how he or she will react to a loved one dying of cancer. However... does not entirely excuse the spouting of pure nonsense in the service of an unproven cancer cure that could endanger other patients by enticing them to go to the Burzynski Clinic too." 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.
