Sweet Savage Flame is proud to say that we love Fabio! Hail to the King of Romance Covers! We look back on his fascinating career as a romance cover model, author, and celebrity.
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Fabio Lanzoni: A Controversial Romance Icon
Bring up romance books from the 1980s and 1990s, and normies, the “anti-bodice-ripper” oldies, and “the-genre-is-cool-now-that-we-read-them” newbies are guaranteed to mock or decry the cover model/celebrity wunderkind Fabio Lanzoni and the era of “cheesy” clinches. As a lover of the stinkiest fromages, I say there’s no accounting for taste.
The granite-jawed male model was featured on many romance novel covers in the last decade of the 20th century. Back in the day, Fabio Lanzoni posed for hundreds of romances—to the delight of many readers. Yours truly, included.
Fabio was painted by all the best artists of the era, such as Sharon Spiak, Steve Assael, Pino D’angelico, Franco Accornero, Melissa-Duillo Gallo, and her mother, Elaine Duillo. It was Elaine Duillo who first recognized Fabio’s allure in 1986. Following their first cover, his popularity soared when he graced the fronts (and inside the stepbacks of) of Johanna Lindsey‘s books.
Like the bodice rippers of yesteryear, the Italian-born American model Fabio Lanzoni has been unfairly maligned and mockedby detractors. Sadly, not just by outsiders to the genre but by many romance readers, both seasoned fans and modern newcomers.
There’s a sentiment of contempt displayed for the old clinch covers, with some people even declaring that the artwork and Fabio represented a low point in the industry.
As a fan of Fabio and old-school romance, I cannot state how wrong these critics are.
The gloriously painted images for retro romances were created by skilled artists using beautiful men and women as models. These paintings were works of art, and a savvy collector would be lucky to pick up an original for a few thousand dollars.
The gratuitous sexual nature was just the cherry on top of the sundae. And Fabio was part of that delicious fun!
Fabio: More Than Meets the Eye
I have never understood the shame or contempt that many modern romance readers, and quite a few from the past, hold over the period when the clinch was king (or queen), and Fabio was the face that launched millions in book sales. Naysayers fail to understand that this genre doesn’t have to be a mirror of ordinary life.
Romance can be fantastical, idealized, or fetishized, and that’s okay!
Fabio Lanzoni was over-the-top and outlandishly sexy. He was advertising an exaggerated fantasy that we all knew was a bit ridiculous.
The readers in Romancelandia today are a varied lot. Still, it seems to me, a perimenopausal crone, the most vocal denizens act as gatekeepers–a term I use with great reluctance, but can’t find a more gentle synonym for. Yes, the genre as it exists in 2024 is not what it was in 1994 or the revolutionary year of 1974.
But in trying to defend the love stories they enjoy, Romancelandia Now is far too harsh on what came before. Just like cantankerous Star Wars original trilogy purists who hate the fantastic spectacle of George Lucas’ grandiose prequels, these critics won’t entertain the notion that campy art is just as valid as the “gritty” stuff.
The romance industry was always outrageous and irreverent by nature. That used to be part of the fun.
Are we not allowed to have fun anymore? Alas, it seems not.
In the 1990s, romance readers were far savvier than our contemporaries gave us credit for. Lurid clinches were wonderfully kitschy yet undeniably erotic, and we loved them for it! Fabio always laughed along with us, embracing his beefcake status.
The Beginning
Early Life
Fabio Lanzoni was born in Milan, Italy, on March 15, 1961. His father was Sauro Lanzoni, a mechanical engineer and owner of a conveyor belt company. Flora Carnicelli Lanzoni, his mother, was a former beauty queen. He was raised in a loving family with siblings. As a child, Fabio was even an altar boy.
Fabio grew into a handsome young man. His large, muscular figure made him a natural for the camera.
His career began at 14 when Fabio was discovered by a photographer who asked him to model for Italian Vogue magazine.
Following a stint in the army, Lanzoni came to the United States to further develop his career. He moved to New York City to become a fashion and catalog model and signed with the Ford Agency.
Early Career
During the early part of his modeling career, Fabio obtained many jobs in print ads, magazines, and books. He also posed on video game covers.
Fabio made his first appearance on the cover of a romance novel in 1987. He posed on the back of the Bertrice Small bodice ripper, Enchantress Mine, as the ironically and unfortunately misnamed villain, Eric Longsword.
Legendary artist Elaine Duillo discovered Fabio through photos. She thought there was something unique about him that would make him a natural fit for her colorful work.
When Duillo designed her first cover for Johanna Lindsey, she decided to use Fabio as the hero. The book was the 1987 Viking romance, Hearts Aflame.
It was a smash hit, reaching number 3 on the NY Times bestseller list.
Duillo would continue to paint Lindsey’s captivating book covers for the next decade. Her brush strokes breathed life into the characters, making them almost leap off the covers. This artistic collaboration continued until she hung up her brushes and retired in the early 2000s.
She used Fabio as her primary male model for Lindsey’s books. He possessed the perfect blend of rugged charm and undeniable charisma, making him the ideal muse for Lindsey’s literary creations.
With his chiseled jawline, piercing blue eyes, and physique that could rival that of the Greek gods, Fabio’s image effortlessly brought Lindsey’s heroes to life.
The Covers: Part I
Let’s pause for a moment and appreciate some memorable Fabio covers.
A Romance Sensation
Fabio was not Duillo’s official muse as a model. Even so, no other artist captured Fabio’s look better than she did. However, Elain and Fabio only worked together on fewer than twenty books. Duillo painted other models—female and male—much more than that, including Chad Deal, whom she painted twice as many times.
Other artists, such as Elaine’s daughter, Melissa Duillo-Gallo, Sharon Spiak, Max Ginsburg, John Ennis, and Pino, also painted his form. Fabio’s face is so unique that he looks different from cover to cover, depending on the artist.
Fabio posed solo for a couple of Laura Kinsale’s books. The first and most notable was The Prince of Midnight. This romance was a roaring success. This was not just because of the fine quality of Kinsale’s writing.
Editors found that Fabio’s image boosted book sales. All the major publishers were eager to use him. Avon, Bantam, Dell, Dorchester, Harlequin, Warner Books, Kensington (Zebra), and others had him pose as their leading men.
Model Lianna Loggins was undoubtedly one of the female models who appeared on most romance novel covers with Fabio: at least a hundred.
Pop Culture Status
By the early 1990s, Fabio was fully entrenched as a romance genre staple, and the now-defunct Romantic Times had him as their centerfold in 1992. Fabio appeared at numerous conventions, to the delight of his many fans.
Fabio’s fame increased in the cultural zeitgeist after he was made the official face of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! He starred in a series of campy commercials that were enormously successful.
Later, he was a spokesman for the American Cancer Society. This was personal, as he lost a sister to the deadly disease.
Eventually, Fabio made his way to screen and television, such as in the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful and in movies like Dude, Where’s My Car?
Fabio, the Romance Author and His Legacy
As time went on, Fabio even wrote a few novels himself. He published several books that, naturally, featured him on the cover. Fabio came up with an overall plot and gave dictation for dialogue.
Journey-woman Eugenia Riley ghostwrote most of his books for Avon. He also wrote three more books in collaboration with Wendy Corsi Staub that Pinnacle Books published.
Fabio was featured on many romance covers as a model, posing for 466 novels (or more).
Fabio officially retired in the late 1990s, except to pose for the books “he” wrote.
Nevertheless, his image was prevalent in romance books late into the decade, as photos from previous assignments were recycled into new covers.
For example, Elaine Duillo used the sketches from the shoot for Rebecca Brandewyne’s Swan Road‘s stepback to transform them into a new stepback cover for Johanna Lindsey’s Joining.
Joining, Johanna Lindsey, Avon, 1999, Elaine Duillo cover art
Fabio Today
Fabio Lanzoni became a U.S. citizen in 2016.
He still maintains a grueling workout regimen to keep his body in tip-top shape. Fabio also purportedly sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber, which he says “Helps reverse the aging process.”
Now, in 2021, Fabio is still as handsome as ever at the age of 61.
To this day, he remains a bachelor. However, the word is out: he’s finally looking for a lady to settle down with. So there is still hope for that special someone!
Final Thoughts on Fabio
The King of Romance Covers
Fabio was not the first and hopefully will not be the last superstar romance cover model. During his reign as “King of the Romance Covers,” other stunning men like John DeSalvo and Steve Sandalis achieved acclaim.
After his retirement, other muscled hunks, like Rob Ashton, Cherif Fortin, and Joe Anselmo, rose to stardom. All of them had long hair like Fabio, although they were brunets. (Fabio is naturally dark-haired as well, but he dyed his hair blond.)
A few male cover models who came after gained huge success, like Jason Baca, who appeared on almost 500 covers.
You can read about him at The Male Model Who Has Appeared on More Romance Novel Covers Than Fabio.
Nevertheless, Fabio Lanzoni will likely remain the most famous romance cover model of all time.
His brawny image alone helped sell tens of millions of books, a feat no other model or cover artist may ever accomplish again.
Although he may have had imitators, there was one and only one Fabio.
Sweet Savage Flame Loves Fabio
I have always found Fabio attractive; he is pleasing to the eye! However, I never imagined him as my perfect hero. Why? Because he’s not a natural blond! Frequent readers of this site might know how much I adore blond heroes.
Nevertheless, I cherished his charm, ultra-masculine yet sensitive aura, and ability to make fun of himself. Fabio fully embraced his identity as a romantic icon and had a blast doing so.
Moreover, above all else, he genuinely loved his fans. In return, Fabio’s fans adored him for who he was!
To those who dislike Fabio, please enjoy your favorite attractive models in peace. Here, we Fabio enthusiasts will happily smile at his numerous stunning covers.
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Thanks, Jacqueline. I was into romance fiction back when Fabio became a big popcult figure because of his work as a cover model.
But I was no fan of his. I felt kind embarrassed by him, and especially by his fame. He was just too over-the-top. Not my idea of a romantic hero. Much less an ideal man.
But nowadays I really dig him! Fabio is a great figure of nostalgic and romantic fun. Over the top is just right for me. It took a while, but I’m finally in on the joke, as you put it.
The image of Fabio in his prime hasn’t changed. But I have.