Mr. T

Mr. T is an American actor, professional wrestler, motivational speaker, and all-around tough guy with an easily recognizable and very memorable brand.

In the Beginning

Mr. T was born Laurence Tureaud on May 21, 1952, in Chicago, Illinois. He was the youngest of 12 children. After a career in the Army, he became a bouncer and a bodyguard, which is where he cultivated his image. He won two tough-man competitions that aired on NBC. The first was “Sunday Games” for “America’s Toughest Bouncer”. The second was, “Games People Play.” Sylvester Stallone saw Mr. Twin in the latter competition and offered him the role in Rocky III that propelled him to stardom.

Career Accomplishments

After his breakout performance in Rocky III, his career took off. He did several guest roles on television before getting his role at The A-Team. He continued to make television appearances. In 1983 he co-starred in DC Cab with Adam Baldwin, Gary Busey, Max Gail, Paul Rodriguez, and others. In 1984 he made the motivational video Be Somebody . . Or Be Somebody’s Fool! In 1988 Mr. T starred in his own television series T. and T. He had his own reality show, “I Pity the Fool,” he was featured in several commercials, he has sold products via television infomercial, had a successful wrestling career, made a foray into the music business, and has a reputation as a solid motivational speaker.

Most Known For

What Mr. T is known for can be broken down into two categories. Part one, his look. He is easily recognizable by gold jewelry, his trademark African Mandinka warrior hairstyle, and his tough-guy image. Secondly, he is best known for his acting roles and professional wrestling career. His B. A. Baracus from the 1980s television series The A-Team won him an People’s Choice Award in 1984. Many people still quote his character Clubber Lang in Rocky III saying, “I pity the fool…”. Plus, Mr. T has quite the fan following when he won the World Wrestling Federation’s (WWF) first WrestleMania.

Where Is He Now?

In 2014 Mr. T was inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame. He is currently working on a home renovation series called I Pity the Tool which will air sometime in 2015. He will host the DIY Network straight-to-series show with HGTV Design Star winner Tiffany Brooks. The premise of the series revolves around destroying outdated spaces and remodeling them for a family home makeover.