Mr. T

Lore & Background

Tureaud was born in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest son in a family with twelve children. He and his four sisters and seven brothers grew up in a three-room apartment in the Robert Taylor Homes public housing. His father, Nathaniel Tureaud, was a minister. After his father left when Lawrence was five years old, he shortened his name to Lawrence Tero. In 1970, he legally changed his last name to T. His new name, Mr. T, was based upon his childhood impressions regarding the lack of respect from white people for his family. Tureaud attended Dunbar Vocational High School, where he was on the school's football and wrestling teams. He also studied martial arts. During high school, he was the citywide wrestling champion two years in a row. He won a football scholarship to Prairie View A&M University, where he majored in mathematics, but was expelled after his first year. After leaving Prairie View A&M, he worked as a gym instructor for a government program in Chicago. He later said it was here that he discovered a gift for helping children. Thereafter, he enlisted in the United States Army in 1975 and served in the Military Police Corps. After his discharge in the late 1970s, he tried out for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League, but failed to make the team owing to a knee injury. Tureaud worked as a bouncer at the Rush Street night club Dingbats Discotheque. It was at this time that he created the persona of Mr. T. He began wearing gold neck chains and other jewelry as a result of customers losing the items or leaving them behind at the night club after a fight. He eventually parlayed his job as a bouncer into a career as a bodyguard that lasted almost ten years. His clients included celebrities Steve McQueen, Michael Jackson, LeVar Burton, and Diana Ross, and boxers Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and Leon Spinks. While he was in his late twenties, Tureaud won two tough-man competitions consecutively. The first aired as Sunday Games on NBC-TV under the contest of 'America's Toughest Bouncer' which included throwing a 150-pound (68 kg) stuntman, and breaking through a 4-inch (10 cm) wooden door. For the first event, Tureaud came in third place. For the end, two finalists squared off in a boxing ring for a two-minute round to declare the champion. Making it to the ring as a finalist, he had as his opponent a 280-pound (130 kg) Honolulu bouncer, Tutefano

Reader's Guide

While reading National Geographic, Mr. T first noticed the hairstyle for which he is now famous, on a Mandinka warrior. He decided that adoption of the style would be a powerful statement about his African origin. In 1980, Mr. T was spotted by Sylvester Stallone while taking part in NBC's 'America's Toughest Bouncer' competition, a segment of NBC's Games People Play. Although his role in Rocky III was originally intended as just a few lines, Mr. T was eventually cast as Clubber Lang, the primary antagonist. His catchphrase 'I pity the fool!' comes from the film; when asked if he hates Rocky, Lang replies, 'No, I don't hate Balboa, but I pity the fool.' He subsequently appeared in another boxing film, Penitentiary 2, and on an episode of the Canadian sketch comedy series Bizarre, where he fights and eats Super Dave Osborne, before accepting a television series role on The A-Team. He appeared in an episode of the NBC sitcom Silver Spoons, reprising his old role as bodyguard to the character Ricky Stratton. In The A-Team, he played Sergeant Bosco 'B. A.' Baracus, an ex-Army commando on the run with three other members from the United States government 'for a crime they didn't commit.' As well as the team's tough guy, B. A. was a mechanical genius, but afraid of flying. The series was a major hit, and B. A. Baracus in particular quickly became a cult character and the de facto star of the show, reportedly sparking tensions with seasoned actor George Peppard, although Mr. T always maintained that these were unfounded rumors. Mr. T was reported to be earning $80,000 a week for his role in The A-Team. Also in 1983, a Ruby-Spears-produced cartoon called Mister T premiered on NBC. The only feature film that can be called a Mr. T vehicle, DC Cab, was also released in 1983.

Did You Know?

• Mr. T's distinctive hairstyle was inspired by a Mandinka warrior he saw in National Geographic.
• He legally changed his last name to T in 1970, based on his childhood impressions regarding the lack of respect from white people for his family.
• Mr. T won two tough-man competitions consecutively while in his late twenties; the first was 'America's Toughest Bouncer' on NBC's Sunday Games, and the second aired on NBC's Games People Play.
• The line 'I pity the fool' in Rocky III was written by Sylvester Stallone, reputedly inspired by an interview with Mr. T during the second tough-man competition.
• Mr. T served in the United States Army in the Military Police Corps from 1975 until the late 1970s.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Mr. T (born Laurence Tureaud on May 21, 1952) is an actor principally known for his roles in the 1980s television series The A-Team and as boxer James "Clubber" Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III." — Mr. T "First name Mr, middle name 'period', last name T!" — Mr. T "Do you know me? Of course you do. 'Cause I'm famous!" — Mr. T "Hey, everybody gotta’ put on clothes and if you don’t you get arrested." — Mr. T