Mario Lee Zamboni is an up and coming model determined to take the Manila modeling circuit by storm utilizing his good looks and gorgeous physique. He first set his sights on Bodyshots 2008 and was one of the early standouts. When the competition came to a close, he was lucky enough to have landed a spot in the Top 5.

But there’s still a lot of things people don’t know about this mysterious, long-haired model; and for those who want to know a little bit more about him, here are some pieces of information I was able to gather: 1.) Mario is a Filipino-Italian model who wants to become the new face of modeling in the Philippines; 2.) he is a Nicolas Cage fan (and that probably explains his long locks which could have been inspired by one of his idol’s movies, Con Air); 3.) he used to be fat, however, through sheer focus and determination, he was able to lose all those unwanted pounds and achieve the ripped body he has today.

That ripped body of his got Mario a ticket to walk the ramp at the recently concluded Bench Denim and Underwear show, Experience: Blackout. He was one of the lucky few, from among several hopefuls who attended the Bench go-sees in Baguio, Cebu and Manila, chosen to walk the Araneta Coliseum ramp wearing ultra hot Bench underwear at the said fashion show. Other Bodyshots 2008 alumni who also made it to the biennial Bench fashion show shortlist of models were Harvey Cruz, Marvin Miranda, Chris Ong-Hay, Jobo Roa and Sadatsugu Suzuki.

Given enough exposure, Mario could be one of the top male models in the Philippines. So expect to see more of him in future fashion shows in the metropolis.

Photo credits: Gharyjohn of OPMB.com and Allan Apungan