Mr. T was born Laurence Tureaud on May 21st, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois. He worked as a bouncer and bodyguard until he was discovered by Sylvester Stallone. This eventually led to him being cast as the primary antagonist of Rocky III, boxer Clubber Lang. This role lead to the creation of his famous catchphrase, “I pity the fool”. He appeared in other minor television shows and movies before being cast in The A-Team. The character that he played, Sergeant B.A. Baracus, was written with him in mind. He played the character for the five seasons that it ran for, between 1983 and 1987. The show firmly cemented his place in the popular culture, and he remains a popular figure among young and old viewers. During this same period in time he starred in an animated show, Mister T, and created a motivational children’s video, Be Somebody… or Be Somebody’s Fool!
After The A-Team, Mr. T was attached to two shows as the star, T and T, which ran for three seasons between 1987 and 1990, and I Pity the Fool, which was a reality show that ran for 1 season in 2006. He has appeared in a number of adorably hilarious commercials, including ads for Snickers, World of Warcraft and Hitachi’s Data Systems. He briefly entered the professional wrestling circuit in 1985. There are a number of comic books and graphic novels attached to him due to his popularity, and many promote hackneyed moral lessons in a similar vein to his motivational video.
Mr. T has a famously gruff, tough guy persona, and usually talks in a growl. He is well known for the frankly staggering amount of gold chains, rings, bracelets and earrings that he wears. It is estimated that at the peak of his collection, his gold jewelry cost over $300,000 USD, and took about one hour to put on. He is also known for his distinctive hair style, based on that of a Mandinka warrior, and often mistaken for a traditional mohawk. He is a born-again Christian.
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