Fabio Lanzoni

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 factory and/or company.{{cite news |title = Love For Sale |work = People Magazine |first = Michael |last=Small |date= 4 October 1993 |url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-love-for-sale-vol-40-no-14/ |access-date=18 January 2025}} Lanzoni has an older brother, Walter{{Cite news |title=King Of Romance Fabio Knows How To Please His Fans At Book Signing |last= Lavin |first=Cheryl |date= 14 July 1996 |work=The Spokesman-Review |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/jul/14/king-of-romance-fabio-knows-how-to-please-his/ |access-date=15 June 2023}} and a younger sister, Cristina. Lanzoni's father wanted Lanzoni to become an engineer and take over the family business.{{Cite web |last=Kozma |first=Leila |date=30 July 2020 |title=Here's What Happened to Fabio aka "The King of Romance" |url=https://www.distractify.com/p/what-happened-to-fabio |access-date=27 June 2022 |website=Distractify |language=en-US}}

During the first five years of Lanzoni's life, he was raised primarily by his grandmother, whom he has called "the most influential woman" in his life. She died of cancer when Lanzoni was 13, having kept her diagnosis a secret from the family. This death severely impacted Lanzoni, inspiring him to later become the spokesperson for the American Cancer Society.

Raised Catholic, he served as an altar boy. Lanzoni claims he was "always in trouble for breaking the rules and getting kicked out of school."{{Cite web |date=1 March 2021 |last=Ewart |first=Paul |title=Fabio - 'I'm Ready To Be a Dad at 61' |url=https://www.pressreader.com/australia/new-idea/20210301/281870121164214 |access-date=3 July 2022 |via=PressReader |publisher=New Idea}} At 3 years old, Lanzoni was hospitalized after drinking liquor from the kitchen counter; this unpleasant experience "left a lasting bad impression" and caused a lasting aversion to alcohol.{{Cite book |author=Fabio |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/32204134 |title=Fabio Fitness : More than 200 get-fit tips for lifelong health and fitness |date=1995 |publisher=Summit Pub. Group |isbn=1-56530-171-4 |location=Arlington, Tex. |oclc=32204134}} He claims he first became aware of his magnetism in kindergarten, then first rode a motorbike at age 8 and developed a lifelong fascination with motorcycles and dirt bikes.{{Cite media |title=Obsessives: Fabio | date=26 March 2009 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VSkY0MfOqk |access-date=21 May 2023|language=en |via=YouTube}}

Lanzoni served in the Italian Army,{{cite news |work=Maxim |last=Pintado |first= Santi |url= https://www.maxim.com.au/archives/16947 |title=Fabio: The Italian-American actor, fashion model, spokesperson and ’80s & ’90s icon discusses his final day on Earth… |access-date=26 November 2023}} where he was required to shave his hair.{{cite media |title=Catching up with the original male supermodel Fabio {{!}} The Morning Show | date=4 March 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQhgkffMPhk |language=en |access-date=13 July 2022 |via=YouTube}} His modelling career began when he was discovered by a photographer while working out.

Lanzoni is best recognized for his appearance on the covers of hundreds of romance novels.{{Cite web |date=2018-05-14 |title=Fabio, King Of Romance Novel Covers, Opens Up About His Own Love Life |url=https://dyrdev.wpengine.com/77138/fabio-love-life |access-date=2021-06-15 |website=DoYouRemember? |language=en-US}} In 2015, while describing his career, Lanzoni told The Guardian,

I'd be the biggest hypocrite if I said I really worked very hard for my career, because it was given to me on a silver platter. I can't take any credit. My major focus was sports and going to the gym.

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.{{Cite magazine |last=Nadkarni |first=Rohan |title=What's up with Fabio? He's still fit as ever |url=https://www.si.com/edge/2016/08/02/fabio-lanzoni-i-cant-believe-its-not-butter-commercials-fitness-election |access-date=2022-06-27 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |language=en-us}} Lanzoni hoped to live in America, calling it "the greatest country in the world."

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.{{Cite web |date=2015-07-15 |title=Fabio: confessions of the original male supermodel |url=http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/jul/15/fabio-confessions-original-male-supermodel |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}

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.{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/43931121 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924000823/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/43931121 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 24, 2020 |title=Old Spice guy wins online hunk-off over Fabio |agency=Associated Press |first=Dan |last=Sewell |work=NBC News |year=2011}}

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..."{{cite web|title=Fabio Lanzoni - Burzynski: Cancer Is Serious Business, Part 2|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mkoz3SW5tc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/5mkoz3SW5tc |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|publisher=Burzynski Movie|access-date=2013-04-29}}{{cbignore}} Lanzoni's younger sister died 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.{{cite web |url= http://healthyplanetnutrition.com/our_product.html |title=Our Products |work=Healthy Planet Vitamins |year=2015 |access-date=June 19, 2015}}

In 2021, he launched a hair and skincare line for men titled Aston James, with the help of two Australian entrepreneurs.{{Cite web |last=Sneakers·Grooming |first=Team |date=2020-12-09 |title=Fabio, Yes THAT Fabio, Has Released A Hair Care Range, And Who Better IMO |url=https://livelifeinsneakers.com/fabio-hair/ |access-date=2022-07-03 |website=sneakers |language=en-GB}}{{Cite news |last=Khalil |first=Shireen |title=Fabio Lanzoni launches new hair care line with Aussie mates |work=News.com.au |url=https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/beauty/face-body/fabio-lanzoni-launches-new-hair-care-line-with-aussie-mates/news-story/4f9764a8c5bea59fb8fec032b8dbc929 |access-date=July 3, 2022}} The company's mission is to, "bring the experience of buying a Rolex to the men's personal care space."{{Cite web |title=Fabio |url=https://astonjamesproducts.com/pages/fabio |access-date=2022-07-03 |website=Aston James Products}} Lanzoni has stated the company name Aston James is a portmanteau of Aston Martin and James Bond.

On March 30, 1999,{{Citation |title=From March 30, 1999: Fabio gets hit by a goose riding Apollo's Chariot | date=March 29, 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjAYxpXUklc |language=en |access-date=2022-07-13}}{{Cite web |last=Krcatovich |first=Dustin |date=2018-03-30 |title=Never Forget the Day Fabio Killed a Bird With His Face and Changed the World |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/news/a43436/fabio-busch-gardens-goose-killer/ |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=Esquire |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Gorgan |first=Elena |date=2021-08-22 |title=The Mystery Around Fabio's Rollercoaster Goose Encounter Will Never Be Solved |url=https://www.autoevolution.com/news/the-mystery-around-fabios-rollercoaster-goose-encounter-will-never-be-solved-167823.html |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=autoevolution |language=en}} an event occurred that became known as Lanzoni's "goose incident."{{Cite news |date=2021-03-06 |title=Fabio on the miracle that saved his life |work=Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/stellar/fabio-opens-up-about-the-goose-incident-and-why-his-hair-isnt-going-grey/news-story/3c0495019d6cc6708af85ab8f6b2bb41 |access-date=2022-07-13}}{{Cite web |last=Ossea |first=Ken Jr. |date=2021-08-14 |title=Fowl play: the mystery surrounding Fabio's fatal goose-to-face collision |url=https://www.salon.com/2021/08/14/fowl-play-the-mystery-surrounding-fabios-fatal-goose-to-face-collision_partner/ |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=Salon |language=en}} 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. He was accompanied by more than 30 women{{Cite web |title=What a scream! Celebrities love roller coasters |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/scream-celebrities-love-roller-coasters-slideshow-wp-213254209.html |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=www.yahoo.com |date=August 16, 2017 |language=en-US}} dressed as Greek goddesses. Once the ride ascended to 73 miles per hour, Lanzoni claims a flock of hundreds of geese flew by and one of the geese was sucked into the ride.{{Cite magazine |date=2021-08-21 |title=Fabio Reminisces About Goose Smash on Roller Coaster: "I Did My Job" |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/08/fabio-reminisces-about-goose-smash-on-roller-coaster-i-did-my-job |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-US |access-date=2022-07-13}}{{Cite web |date=2022-03-30 |title=Fabio got hit by a goose at Busch Gardens on this day in 1999 |url=https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/williamsburg/fabio-got-hit-by-a-goose-at-busch-gardens-on-this-day-in-1999-2/ |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=WAVY.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2021-07-13 |title=Remembering When Fabio Got Hit in the Honker at Busch Gardens |url=https://wydaily.com/news/local/2021/07/13/remembering-when-fabio-got-hit-in-the-honker-at-busch-gardens/ |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=Williamsburg Yorktown Daily |language=en-US}} The goose died, and Lanzoni descended the ride with blood on his face possibly from a nasal injury. Multiple reporters alleged that Lanzoni was hit in the face by a goose.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-30 |title=23 years ago, Fabio was hit by a goose on Apollo's Chariot |url=https://www.wtkr.com/news/23-years-ago-on-this-day-fabio-was-hit-by-a-goose-on-a-busch-gardens-roller-coaster |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=WTKR |language=en}} The video that remains is filmed from the ride entrance. There was an on-ride camera, but Lanzoni claims the camera was never found. Lanzoni's injury required 3 stitches on his nose. Some sources claim the incident represented a paradigm shift in Lanzoni's career. 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.

Lanzoni was in a relationship with an unidentified woman from 1989 to 1993.

In a 1993 People interview, Lanzoni condemned the idea of plastic surgery and said, "I'm gonna keep developing something inside. That way, when I'm 60, I'm not gonna be one of those people who try all the plastic surgery and be ridiculous. I'm gonna say, 'I expressed myself. And now I'm a happy man.'"

In 2015, Lanzoni said that he visits the gym for one hour of aerobics and weight training at least four times a week. He also jogs, hikes, and takes part in motocross enduro. He avoids consuming alcohol, caffeine,{{Cite web |date=2014-03-18 |title=Beautiful advice eaten up in a lunch that's totally Fabio |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2014/03/18/beautiful-advice-eaten-up-in-a-lunch-thats-totally-fabio/ |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=Orange County Register |language=en-US}} cheese, salt, sweets, and recreational drugs.{{Cite web |publisher=Condé Nast |date=2016-07-20 |title=The Real-Life Diet of Fabio (Yes, That Fabio) |url=https://www.gq.com/story/the-real-life-diet-of-fabio |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=GQ |language=en-US}} He also reduces exposure to the sun. He has stated that a person should treat their body "like a Lamborghini". He said in a 2016 Sports Illustrated interview, "In the morning I get up, I have my oatmeal, I have, always, an egg whites omelet, sometimes with spinach, sometimes with asparagus, sometimes with tomatoes or mushrooms. I cook it with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. I always do. I've been using it for 20 years. For lunch, I normally have cod or sea bass or salmon with some vegetables. And at night, the same, usually fish with vegetables." He favors Japanese cuisine, particularly sushi,{{Cite web |first=Candace |last=Braun Davison |date=2016-04-26 |title=Watch Fabio Get Freaky With Food |url=https://www.delish.com/food/videos/a46961/what-fabio-eats-in-a-day/ |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=Delish |language=en-US}} but has praised his native Italian cuisine and called it "among the best-loved [and] most nutritious in the world".

As of 2015, Lanzoni owns about 325 motorbikes; when The Washington Post asked him why he collected so many, he responded, "There's 365 days in a year." When asked how people could be more romantic in their everyday lives by Sports Illustrated in 2016, he replied, "Just be yourself. Just be the best of yourself."

Lanzoni became an American citizen in 2016.{{cite news |date=March 17, 2016 |title=Famed Romance Novel Model Fabio Becomes U.S. Citizen |work=NBC News |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/celebrity/famed-romance-novel-model-fabio-becomes-u-s-citizen-n540586 |access-date=April 29, 2017}}

In 2021, Lanzoni said he was retired and hoping to marry and have children. He also said he sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber because he believes it reverses aging.{{cite web |title=Fabio still talks dating at 62 and his hope to still marry: 'There is quantity, but I want quality' |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/fabio-dating-62-hope-marry-181755997.html |access-date=2021-08-20 |website=Yahoo|date=August 18, 2021 }} He described his potential partner to People as "someone with a beautiful soul [and] great sense of humor [...] a woman that can do sports and can be a little bit tomboy".{{Citation |title=Fabio Opens Up About Looking For Love At 62 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz1W7HriRVI |language=en |access-date=2022-07-13}}

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{{Commons category|Fabio Lanzoni}}

• {{IMDb name|0007231}}
• Interview: {{cite web |url=http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-4079.html |title=Fabio on Sex Appeal |work=Psychology Today |date=May 1, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130408080750/http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-4079.html |archive-date=April 8, 2013 |df=mdy }}

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Category:Living people

Category:1959 births

Category:American male film actors

Category:American male television actors

Category:American male voice actors

Category:American romantic fiction writers

Category:Italian Army personnel

Category:Italian emigrants to the United States

Category:Italian male models

Category:Italian romantic fiction writers

Category:Male actors from Milan

Category:Models from Milan

Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States

Category:Participants in American reality television series

Category:Romance cover models

Category:Spokespersons