Mr. T - IMDb IMDb Actor | Soundtrack | Producer Mr. T was born Laurence Tureaud on 21 May 1952, in the rough south side ghetto of Chicago. He is the second to youngest of twelve children (he has four sisters and seven brothers) and grew up in the housing projects. His father, Nathaniel Tureaud, left when Laurence was 5, and his mother raised the family on $87 a month welfare in a three-room ... See full bio » Born: 10 Famous Body Guards, Their Clients, and Their Stories 10 Famous Body Guards, Their Clients, and Their Stories by Elli on February 12, 2013 Whether they’re shielding a pop star, powerful political figure or Hollywood A-lister, a bodyguard’s job is to protect their clients. While most bodyguards remain mysterious behind dark shades, a handful achieves fame. From alleged affairs, to homicide and bullet dodging, we’ve tracked down 10 famous body guards who’ve made a name for themselves. 1. Bodyguard: Captain David Derickson Who He Guarded: President Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is today!

What He is Famous For: From the fall of 1862 until the spring of 1863, Captain David Derickson served as Lincoln’s bodyguard and personal friend, even becoming bed-mates. It’s well established that the two men shared a bed together in a rural cottage and at the White House during Mary Todd Lincoln’s absence. Some historians even claim that two were lovers, but that’s still up for debate. 2. Bodyguard: Laurence Tureaud, aka Mr. T Who He Guarded: Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee What He is Famous For: Growing up asthe youngest of 12 children in a small apartment, it’s no surprise that Laurence Tureaud, better known as Mr. T, turned out to be a tough-guy. Before he hit it big-time as an actor in the TV series “The A-Team,” Mr. T was a bouncer. Eventually he left the night club scene and worked as a bodyguard for a diverse collection of clients including prostitutes, preachers and eventually the rich and famous. It’s a little known fact that in 1983, Mt. T dressed as Santa Claus and visited the White House.

And First Lady Nancy Reagan sat on his lap! 3. Bodyguard: Rostom Razmadze Who He Guarded: Napoleon Bonaparte What He is Famous For: Kidnapped at the tender age of 13, Rostom Razmadze was sold as a slave and given the name Idzhahia. At about age 15, he was given to Napoleon Bonaparte and is said to have slept across the threshold of Bonaparte’s room so that anyone wishing to enter would have to cross over his body. Razmadze served as Bonaparte’s bodyguard until 1814, at which time he married and refused to follow Bonaparte into exile. From that point forward, Bonaparte spoke of him as a coward. 4. Bodyguard: Timothy J. McCarthy Who He Guarded: President Ronald Reagan What He is Famous For: U.S. Secret Service Agent Timothy J. McCarthynearly made the ultimate sacrifice on March 30, 1981 when he took a bullet for Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States. It was on that day that John Hinckley Jr.

fired half of a dozen bullets from a .22 caliber pistol, one of which hit President Reagan. McCarthy instinctively jumped to protect Reagan and took a bullet for his bravery. McCarthy recovered and continued to serve the Secret Service until he retired. Not ready for life as a retiree, McCarthy became the Chief of Police in Orland Park, Illinois. 5. Bodyguard: Anna Loginova Who She Guarded: Notable Russians What She is Famous For: Anna Loginova was a Russian fashion model who became a famous female bodyguard. She also ran a respectable all female bodyguard company that employed women trained by ex-KGB members. Sadly, the last time her name was in the headlines was to announce her death. Loginova died at 29 from head injuries sustained during the carjacking of her Porsche. 6. Bodyguard: Clint Hill Who He Guarded: Jacqueline Kennedy What He is Famous For: No one could have guessed that this boy fromNorth Dakota would one day be responsible for protecting the country’s most popular First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy. U.S. Secret Service Agent Clint Hill became famous around the world as the man who leapt into the car carrying President Kennedy and his wife the moment President Kennedy was assassinated.

In 2012, Hill released a memoir about his time guarding the First Lady, titled “Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir,” where he shared gory details of the President’s death as well as touching moments with the First Lady. 7. Bodyguard: Moshe Benabou Who He Guarded: Justin Bieber What He is Famous For: This ex-Israeli military powerhouse is famous for suing his boss, Justin Bieber. The brawny bodyguard claims Bieber had a teenage tirade berating him and punching him several times in the chest during a disagreement. Benabou is going after unspecified damages for assault and battery, and asking for more than $420,000 in unpaid overtime. 8. Bodyguard: Leslie W. Coffelt Who He Guarded: President Harry Truman What He is Famous For: On November 1, 1950, Leslie W. Coffelt thwarted a presidential assassination, but lost his life while doing so. Coffelt was manning the guard booth at the Blair House, where President Truman was staying because of renovations at the White House. Would-be assassin Griselio Torresola approached the guard booth and shot Coffelt at close range.

Remarkably, even though Coffelt suffered direct shots to his chest and abdomen, he remained conscious of his duty to protect the President. He fired at Torresola from over 30 feet away, struck Torresola behind the ear, and killed him instantly. 9. Bodyguard: Elijah Shaw Who He Guarded: Usher Raymond, Naomi Campbell and Chaka Khan What He is Famous For: This bodyguard turned successful businessman is the CEO of Icon Services Corporation, an executive protection and private investigation company. He’s made a name for himself by protecting VIPs, but also due to an innovative program named ISC Safety Net, which is designed to provide pro bono security services for victims of domestic violence. 10. Bodyguard: Mark “Hammer” Dixon Who He Guarded: Mark “Chopper” Read What He is Famous For: It’s hard to believe that brave and burly bodyguard Mark Dixon was picked on as a school boy. Mark “Chopper” Read, a well known Australian underworld personality, took part in a show at a location where Dixon was in charge of security. After the show, while Read walked to his car, an unhappy patron charged at him with a claw hammer.

Dixon threw himself in the path of the hammer and despite being hit in the chest, managed to subdue the attacker. This gave Dixon celebrity status and the nickname “Hammer.” Which famous bodyguard intrigues you the most? written by Mr. T | Epic Rap Battles of History Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Mr. T battled Mister Rogers in Mr. T vs Mr. Rogers . He was portrayed by DeStorm Power . Contents [ show ] Information on the rapper Laurence Tureaud, or better known as Mr. T, was born on May 21st, 1952, in Chicago, Illinois. He is an American actor known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team , as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III, and for his appearances as a professional wrestler. Mr. T is most notable for his trademark African Mandinka warrior hairstyle, his gold jewelry, his tough-guy image, and his catchphrase, "I pity the fool." In 2014, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Gene Okerlund. ERBoH Bio Yo!

I pity the fool who don't know who I am! I'm Mr. T, sucka! I got this kick-ass mohawk that I got after looking at a National Geographic and I wear these sweet gold chains worth like $300,000! That's right, I'm rich! My real name's Laurence Tureaud, but I got the nickname Mr. T while I was bodyguardin' everybody from Diana Ross to Michael Jackson . Then I got into wrestlin' where I was Hulk Hogan 's partner in the WWF! I also played B. A. Baracus on The A-Team and the boxer, Clubber Lang, in Rocky III. If that ain't enough, I had my own cartoon, my own breakfast cereal and made a record called Mr. T's Commandments where I screamed at kids to stay in school, drink their milk and stay off drugs! I pitied a lotta children on that record. Nowadays, I wear a lot less gold and I'm a born again Christian who shows up on TV, just to pity fools like you! Lyrics I pity the fool who tries to step to Clubber Lang! Call me B. A.

Biceps 'cause I'll crush your whole gang! Bring Tuesday, Friday, and little Trolly the Train, And watch me dip their ass in gold and wear 'em like my neck chain! Sucka! I'll choke you with your own sweater sleeves! You couldn't even beat me in the Land of Make Believe ! Punk! I will Mr. T bag you in the closest cemetery ! Nobody's gonna miss you 'cause all your friends imaginary! Verse 2: Who you calling dumb, fool? Mr. T only needs one letter! Hello? It's for you: Bill Cosby wants his sweater! You're a 40-year-old virgin in a dumpy-ass house! I'll get Hannibal , Murdock , and Face to stomp you out! The only pussy cat you ever seen is on Henrietta, sucka! And your Mr. McFeely delivers a lot more than letters! So before you come to battle with your PBS crap, How 'bout I call up CPS about them kids on your lap, fool! Trivia Mr. T has the third-lowest vote count on the Epic Rap Battles of History Website , after Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus .

In the green screen cut video for his battle, Mister Rogers originally called him "Terrance" instead of Lawrence. There is also a version of Mr. T with dreadlocks that was eventually scrapped. [1] An editing error causes his socks to appear transparent at times. He is the third wrestler to rap, after Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage . Gallery Mr. T - Biography - IMDb Biography Showing all 47 items Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (4) | Trivia (25) | Personal Quotes (13) Overview (3) 5' 10½" (1.79 m) Mini Bio (1) Mr. T was born Laurence Tureaud on 21 May 1952, in the rough south side ghetto of Chicago. He is the second to youngest of twelve children (he has four sisters and seven brothers) and grew up in the housing projects. His father, Nathaniel Tureaud, left when Laurence was 5, and his mother raised the family on $87 a month welfare in a three-room apartment. Mr.

T's brothers encouraged him to build up his body in order to survive in the area; he has commented, "If you think I'm big, you should see my brothers!" His mother is a religious woman who has had a strong influence on him. He says, "Any man who don't love his momma can't be no friend of mine." He was an average student in school. "Most of the time," he says, "I stared out the windows, just daydreaming. I didn't study much because I have a photographic memory." Apart from one spell between 5th and 7th grades when he went a little astray -- playing hooky, cursing, acting tough, being disrespectful -- he was a well-behaved child (he worried about how his mother would feel if he ended up in jail, and stayed out of trouble). He attended Dunbar Vocational High School. He was a football star, studied martial arts, and was three times city wrestling champion. He won a scholarship to play football at Prairie View A&M University in Texas, but he was thrown out after a year.

He was involved in the world of pro wrestling in 1985-86 and 1994-95. Was Hulk Hogan 's tag team partner at the first WrestleMania (1985), defeating the team of Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper on March 31, 1985. His feud with Piper continued into WrestleMania 2 (1986), when he defeated Piper in a boxing match by disqualification. Mr. T returned to the WWF as a special guest referee in 1987, then disappeared from the wrestling world. Seven years later, he reappeared as a special referee for a Hogan- Ric Flair match, in October 1994. He stayed with Hogan for a few matches before returning to obscurity. - IMDb Mini Biography By: dbtaub@umich.edu and veggie@L0pht.com Spouse (1) Frequent line "I pity the fool..." Wearing gold chains He had a daughter in 1971 with Phyllis Clark. He was twice named America's Toughest Bouncer. Mr.

T is the father of three children - Lesa, 29; Erika, 21; and T Junior, 14. Previous occupations include gym teacher, military policeman, bouncer and bodyguard. Once worked as a bouncer and a bodyguard to Steve McQueen , Muhammad Ali and Diana Ross . Diagnosed with cancer in 1995 at age 43. Beating the disease in 2001 at age 49. Briefly attended Prairie View A&M University near Houston, Texas c. 1971. Occasionally appears as Conan O'Brien 's special guest and partner in various comedy sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) (2001). Doesn't drink alcoholic beverages. While a homeowner in Lake Forest, Illinois, he clearcut nearly 100 trees located on his 7 1/2 acre property, igniting a feud with neighbors and town officials. Because of his actions, landowners of the town are prohibited from cutting down trees, even on their own property, without a permit.

Boxed "Ace" Cowboy Bob Orton on WWF's Saturday Night Main Event in 1985 and was subsequently whipped by Orton and Rowdy Roddy Piper with a belt. Voted by a BBC-run poll the fourth most influential American in history, behind Homer Simpson, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King . When he and Hulk Hogan appeared in 1985 on Saturday Night Live (1975), they were promoting the World Wrestling Federation's WrestleMania (1985) pay-per-view show. They stayed mostly in character, but during a "Fernando's Hideaway" segment ( Billy Crystal ), were unable to do so during most of that skit. Hulk Hogan wrote in his autobiography that Mr. T almost ruined the main event of the first Wrestlemania, because when he arrived, security would not let his entourage into the building. Mr. T was ready to skip the show until Hogan personally talked him out of leaving. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper mentioned that he and other fellow wrestlers legitimately disliked Mr. T, because he was an actor coming into wrestling, and had not paid his dues as a professional wrestler. Compiled a 4-0 Shoot-Wrestling Record.

Was once parodied on the animated G.I. Joe series of the 1980s with a character called "Mr. C", who was a spokesman for the evil Cobra Cable Network (the character then joined G.I. Joe after the Cobra Cable 3 Network was destroyed). If you ask him what his real name, he will tell you, "My first name is 'Mr', my middle name is 'period', last name is 'T'". Stopped wearing his trademark gold chains as of 2005 because of the Katrina devastation. Derived his signature hairstyle when an attempt to shave his hair into a "T" failed. He adopted the mohawk look instead, taken from a National Geographic photo of a Mandika warrior in Mali. Has frequented Harry Caray 's restaurant in Chicago. One waiter described Mr. T as a generous tipper who would bring his own golden eating utensils. Often, he'd bring his mother with him. While Mr. T was friendly toward would-be autograph seekers, there was one cardinal rule: do NOT disturb him while he was eating. Defeated Kevin Sullivan at Starrcade 1994. Fans often dubbed his "Sgt. B.A.

Baracus" from The A-Team (1983) as standing for "Bad Ass" or "Bad Attitude". WWE Hall of Famer. Played The Bearded Lady in Freaked. During filming, he left production and took a plane back home to Chicago. The filmmakers called him and asked why he left the set. His answer was "I don't wanna wear the dress no more.". Personal Quotes (13) [Playboy magazine - September 1983] I am the best bodyguard, because I'll take a bullet, I'll take a stab wound, I'll take a hit upside the head; I'm like a Kamikaze pilot; The President got shot because his men relaxed. I believe in the Golden Rule - The Man with the Gold... Rules. I pity the fool... [his trademark quote] When I was growing up, my family was so poor we couldn't afford to pay attention. As a kid, I got three meals a day. Oatmeal, miss-a-meal and no meal. I think about my father being called 'boy', my uncle being called 'boy', my brother, coming back from Vietnam and being called 'boy'.

So I questioned myself: "What does a black man have to do before he's given the respect as a man?" So when I was 18 years old, when I was old enough to fight and die for my country, old enough to drink, old enough to vote, I said I was old enough to be called a man. I self-ordained myself Mr. T so the first word out of everybody's mouth is 'Mr.' That's a sign of respect that my father didn't get, that my brother didn't get, that my mother didn't get. You're arguing over $45? My lunch cost $45! I pity the fool who don't read it [the Mr T Comic]! It's gonna be pure gold! Today's action stars, they're not a team. They're in it for themselves. They may be A-Listers but they are not The A-Team (1983). [on Rocky Balboa (2006)] I was asked to do it. Not do a fight scene but appear in a cameo. But it wouldn't work out scheduling wise. I thought it was good but the fighter in it was weedy.

The first Rocky (1976) and Rocky III (1982) are the best. [on appearing in The Expendables (2010)] I'm waiting for the call. But it sounds like a "Dirty Dozen" type of movie. Besides, why would I want to be in another team? I was in the best one. [on the new movie version of The A-Team (2010)] There is only one A-Team. That's why me or any of the other guys won't do it. It won't be like the original. When we did it no one got hurt. There will be people dying in this one and there will be sex. Not R-rated sex but sex scenes. They are going in a different direction. If they don't want me as B.A., then I'm not going to settle for second best. As an actor, I'm more versatile than most people realize. I could play Hamlet, even though I look more like King Kong. See also 10 Things You Might Not Know About Mr. T | Mental Floss 10 Things You Might Not Know About Mr.

T Michael Buckner/Getty Images Like us on Facebook Laurence Tureaud, better known as "Mr. T," has been everything from a bodyguard to the stars to a cartoon to a member of The A-Team. Here are 10 things you might not know about the not-so-tough guy. 1. HIS ICONIC “I PITY THE FOOL” LINE CAME FROM ROCKY III. In his first starring role, in 1982, Mr. T plays Rocky Balboa’s competitor Clubber Lang in the Sylvester Stallone written and directed Rocky III. During a part in the movie when Lang’s being interviewed about his upcoming boxing match, he’s asked if he hates Rocky: “No, I don’t hate Balboa, but I pity the fool. And I would destroy any man who tries to take what I got.” His prediction for the fight? “Pain!” Unfortunately, Rocky beats the crap out of Lang, so who’s the fool now? Nevertheless, the catchphrase stuck and launched more than 30 years of double entendres and jokes, including Mr. T starring in a reality show called I Pity the Fool , where he was a motivational speaker. 2.

DESPITE GIVING UP HIS GOLD CHAINS A DECADE AGO, MR. T BECAME A SPOKESMAN FOR SELLING GOLD. Following 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, Mr. T retired his mass of gold chains because “of the situation we’re in now (after Katrina), I told myself, ‘No, T, you can never wear your gold again.’ It’s an insult to God.” But in 2010, when the value of gold was skyrocketing, he signed up to promote Gold Promise, a gold-buying company. On the Bloomberg Business show Taking Stock, Mr. T said gold was something special to him, and that he bought his first gold chain in 1977, which he said cost him $129 and took him three months to get out of layaway. In 1983, an appraiser valued his gold collection at $43,316; by 2010 it was worth $123,480. 3. HE BEAT HIS TOUGHEST ENEMY: CANCER. In 1995, after finding a small malignant tumor on his ear, Mr.

T was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma. “Can you imagine that? Cancer with my name on it—personalized cancer,” he recalled to Coping with Cancer magazine. At first he was lucky: after five treatments of radiation spanning four weeks, the cancer dissolved. But 11 months later the cancer returned, which resulted in him undergoing six weeks of high-dose chemotherapy. “My fame couldn’t save me!” he said. “My gold, my money couldn’t stop cancer from appearing on my body. If they can’t save me, then I don’t need them.” He then gave some advice: “I pity the fool who just gives up. We all gonna die eventually from something or other, but don’t be a wimp. Put up a good fight.” Mr. T’s now cancer free. 4. HE TURNED DOWN A CAMEO IN THE A-TEAM MOVIE. When The A-Team film came out in 2010, Mr. T was not in it. Instead, actor Quinton Jackson played the role Mr. T made famous: B.A. Baracus. Mr. T went on The Wendy Williams Show and said he was approached to do a cameo in the film.

“You must be out of your mind,” he said. “I’ve done cameos in other movies, but to ask me to come and take seconds? Mr. T takes seconds? I pity the fool.” Mr. T later condemned the movie’s violence. “People die in the film and there’s plenty of sex but when we did it, no one got hurt and it was all played for fun and family entertainment,” Mr T. told The Guardian . “These seem to be elements nobody is interested in anymore. It was too graphic for me. I’ve no doubt it will do big business at the box office but it’s nothing like the show we turned out every week.” 5. HE ANGERED HIS ILLINOIS NEIGHBORS WHEN HE CUT DOWN TREES. The Chicago-born Mr. T had a home in the tony Chicago suburb of Lake Forest. In 1987, reportedly because of his allergies, he took a chainsaw to approximately 100 oak trees surrounding his property. Ironically, at the time—and every year since then—Lake Forest has been named a “Tree City, USA ,” so its trees are considered sacred.

According to a 1987 article in The New York Times , Mr. T would’ve needed to eradicate all trees in surrounding states to cure his allergies. “He’s smiling and laughing about all this,” one neighbor commented. “He thinks it’s a joke.” His neighbors dubbed the incident “The Lake Forest Chain Saw Massacre.” 6. IN 2014, HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE WWE WRESTLING HALL OF FAME. In the 1980s, Mr. T wrestled alongside Hulk Hogan in a couple of WrestleManias. In 2009, T turned down a chance to be inducted into the WWE’s Hall of Fame, because Pete Rose was inducted. “This guy can’t even get into his own Hall of Fame,” Mr. T told Ringside . “They put him in and he only did one WrestleMania, and he didn’t even wrestle.” Apparently T made peace with the Hall of Fame’s decision because last year he accepted the offer to be inducted. During his 40-minute induction ceremony speech —which was cut short because it was getting long —he talked extensively about his mother, especially how she raised him and his siblings as a single parent. 7.

LAST YEAR HE AND “ROWDY” RODDY PIPER BURIED THEIR 30-YEAR FEUD. During the first WrestleMania , in 1985, Mr. T and Hulk Hogan wrestled against Piper and Paul Orndorff. Hogan and T won the match, which led to some hostility between Piper and T. The pair met up again at WrestleMania 2, and Piper lost again. In a recent interview , Piper said his disdain for Mr. T started before WrestleMania 1, when they met at a press conference and Piper accidentally touched him even though he didn’t realize you’re not supposed to touch Mr. T. Piper said he thought Mr. T was arrogant, and told an anecdote about Mr. T making fun of Piper with a rubber chicken. In 2014 at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, the two, who were with their sons, ran into each other and shared a moment. Piper was impressed with how Mr. T’s son had just obtained a master’s degree and felt Mr. T had raised his son right. 8. HE’S SUPPOSEDLY DOING ANOTHER REALITY SHOW.

As if I Pity the Fool wasn’t enough, Mr. T has signed on to do a home improvement repair show for the DIY Network called … wait for it … I Pity the Tool. He and a team of people will knock down walls and renovate houses for families who live in “outdated spaces”—a sort of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, except with the added possibility of seeing Mr. T yell at some tools. 9. HE’S IN DEMAND TO STAR IN THE EXPENDABLES 4. One person who’s been absent from The Expendables franchise is Mr. T, and some people think it’s an outrage. A Facebook page called “1,000,000 Strong for Mr. T in The Expendables 4” serves as a petition to Hollywood to cast Mr. T in the next Expendables project. The page was formed a few years ago during the casting of The Expendables 3, but Mr. T was overlooked. “Did you sleep on your Bruce Willis sheets when you were a kid? Did you eat Sylvester Stallone cereal? Did you play with an Arnold Schwarzenegger action figure or was it of a character he played? Mr.

T had his own cartoon. Mr. T should be cast in the next Expendables movie,” reads the page’s mission. Earlier this year Fox announced that they are developing an Expendables TV series , so maybe there’s a chance for Mr. T yet. 10. HE IS ABLE TO MAKE FUN OF HIMSELF. In one of Conan O’Brien’s favorite remote shoots, in October of 2000 he and Mr. T went apple picking at an orchard in New York—and hilarity ensued. Preying upon T’s angry persona, in the segment Conan coerces Mr. T to yell at the apples so they’ll fall off the tree (they don't). Then Mr. T pulverizes a bee inside an apple and wheels Conan around in a wheelbarrow. The pair pretends to cut a tree (more Mr. T tree violence), and they finally drive off with a lot of apples tucked inside Mr. T’s Bentley. More from mental_floss... Mr. T | Inspector Gadget Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Years Active 1980–present Laurence Tureaud, better known as Mr.

T, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, television personality, wrestler, bodyguard, motivational speaker, voice artist, and comedian. He portrayed himself in Inspector Gadget . Mr. T Biography | Biography World | Mr. T Biography Mr. T (born Laurence Tureaud, May 21, 1952) is an actor mostly known for his roles in the 1980s television series The A-Team and as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III. Biography Laurence Tureaud was born in Chicago, Illinois, the eleventh of twelve children; he and his four sisters and seven brothers grew up in the city's housing projects. He was a college football star, studied martial arts, and won a scholarship to Prairie View A&M University, Texas, but was thrown out after a year. After that he went to a couple of small Chicago colleges on athletic scholarships. After leaving college he was a Military Policeman in the U.S. Army before trying out for the Green Bay Packers. His professional football career was finished, however, by a knee injury. After this, his aspirations were set higher - the first in his family to become a Broadway dancer.

He began on his journey by making connections to the celebrity community. For about nine years Mr. T was a bodyguard to the stars, protecting such well-known personalities as Muhammad Ali, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross. He charged around $3,000 a day and his business card famously read, "Next to God, there is no better protector than I." He always boasts that he never lost a client, saying, "I got hurt worse growing up in the ghetto than working as a bodyguard." In 1970 he changed his name by deed poll from Laurence Tureaud to Laurence Tero and then in 1980 to "Mr. T" so that people would have to address him as "Mr." It was while reading National Geographic that Mr. T first saw the unusual hairstyle for which he is now famous, on an African Mandinka warrior. He decided that adopting the style was a powerful statement about his African origins. During Mr. T's stint as a doorman, he would take jewelry from disorderly people and wear them himself as a testament to how well he performed his job as a bouncer.

At at one point, his gold chains, rings, and bracelets were worth about $300,000. It took him about an hour to put it on, and most nights he cleaned it in an ultrasonic cleaner although some nights he slept in it "to see how my ancestors, who were slaves, felt." In 1986 Mr. T removed many trees from his mansion in Lake Forest, Illinois explaining that he had allergies. This created a large controversy and led several North Shore communities to enact ordinances making the removal of old growth trees illegal. In 2005, Mr T announced he would never wear his chains again saying, ï¿½No, T, you can never wear your gold again. It's an insult to God." He came to this decision after seeing the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Mr. T also donated a great deal of clothing and money to Katrina victims. He has been reported to be working on a new reality television show for TV Land, called I Pity the Fool, which will find the devout Christian assisting those in need. Mr. T currently lives in Sherman Oaks, California, and is single. He is a born again Christian. In 1982 Mr.

T was spotted by Sylvester Stallone while taking part in "The World's Toughest Bouncer" contest. His role in Rocky III was originally intended as just a few lines, but Stallone built up the part around the man. His catch phrase, "I pity the fool!" comes from the film, where he played a boxer facing Rocky Balboa in a match. When asked if he hated Rocky, he replied, "I don't hate Balboa, but I pity the fool." Mr. T also appeared in another boxing film, Penitentiary 2, and in a cable television special, Bizarre, before accepting the role of B.A. in The A-Team. In The A-Team, he played Sergeant Bosco "Bad Attitude" Baracus, an ex-army commando on the run with three other members from the US government "for crimes they didn't commit". When asked at a press conference whether he was as stupid as B.A. Baracus, he observed quietly, "It takes a smart guy to play dumb." A Ruby-Spears produced cartoon called Mr. T premiered in 1983 on NBC. The Mr. T cartoon starred Mr.

T as himself, the owner of a gym where a group of gymnasts trained. He would help them with their training, but they would also help him solve mysteries and fight crime. Sixteen episodes were produced. In 1984, Mr. T made a motivational video called "Be Somebody or Be Somebody's Fool." He gives helpful advice to children throughout the video; for example, he teaches them how to understand and appreciate their origins, how to dress fashionably without buying designer labels, how to control their anger, and how to deal with peer pressure. The video is roughly one hour long, but contains 30 minutes of singing, either by the mob of children accompanying Mr. T, or by Mr. T himself. Mr. T sings "Treat Your Mother Right (Treat Her Right)," (video available here) in which he enumerates the reasons why it is important to treat your mother right, and also raps a song about growing up in the ghetto and praising God. The raps in this video were written by Ice T. That same year he released a related rap album titled Mr. T's Commandments. He entered the world of professional wrestling in 1985.

He was Hulk Hogan's tag-team partner at the first WrestleMania. Hulk Hogan wrote in his autobiography that Mr. T almost ruined the main event of WrestleMania I between them and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, because when he arrived, security would not let his entourage into the building. Mr. T was ready to skip the show until Hogan personally talked him out of leaving. Roddy Piper mentioned that he and other fellow wrestlers legitimately disliked Mr. T, because he was an actor coming into wrestling, and had not paid his dues as a professional wrestler. He returned to the World Wrestling Federation as a special guest referee in 1987, before disappearing from the wrestling world. He reappeared as a special referee for a Hogan-Ric Flair match, seven years later, in October 1994. Mr.

T was once reported to be earning around $80,000 a week for his role in The A-Team and getting $15,000 for personal appearances, but by the end of the 1990s, he was appearing only in the occasional commercial, largely because of health problems (in 1995, he was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma). He still seeks acting jobs and has had small roles in several films. He frequently appears on the TBN Christian television series. He has appeared in commercials for MCI's 1-800-COLLECT collect-call service, and on Late Night with Conan O'Brian. References in pop culture He was the subject of a sketch on British comedy show Little Britain. He was the subject of recurring "The All New Adventures Of Mr. T" sketch on Saturday Night Live by Robert Smigel, in which Mr. T and a group of teenagers drive around in a van, ï¿½ la Scooby-Doo, and have adventures while Mr. T tries to find work. On the Internet, Mr. T. vs...are web pages depicting Mr.

T fighting other celebrities, political figures, fictional characters, and other famous people in multi-page online comic books. Mr. T traditionally wins the contest, later to relax with a glass of milk. The 2004 Veggie Tales DVD Sumo of the Opera is a parody of the Rocky franchise and features a character, Po Ta To, based on Mr. T's role in Rocky III as Clubber Lang. Po Ta To sports a mohawk similar to Mr. T's, utters the catchphrase, "I pity the clown!" and is amused by his opponent's "jibber-jabber." In the UK, Mr T appeared as a pixellated character on Digitiser, a cult video games magazine shown on Channel 4 Teletext from 1993 to 2003. He would appear on the service's letters page, dispensing advice to children which would usually end in him warning viewers to "Stay away from my bins". Viewers could also write in comments about Mr T. There was a campaign to have Mr. T on LBC, a London-based radio station, all carried out by Iain Lee, a British comedian.

Eventually, Iain Lee read out a letter which had been sent by Mr. T's Agent which stated "Mr. T would not like to take part in a local radio station." As a result Iain Lee's LBC producer is no longer using sound bites of Mr T. In the videogame Crash Tag Team Racing, the Crunch Bandicoot character seems to style himself after Mr. T, complete with an unlockable costume that makes him look like Mr. T. Also, he often says "Quit with yo jibber-jabber!". Film List ‘Mr. T’ Opens Up About His Faith in God and Blessings Received Through Giving to Others – Liberty News ---- Ready to combat Facebook's censorship? Click here to join the Grassfire Social network now ! ---- Iconic actor Laurence Tureaud better known to the world as ‘Mr. T’ sat down with HuffPo Live Wednesday to discuss the more personal aspects of his life such as faith, family and importance of giving to others. While speaking with HuffPo, Tureaud discussed the time that turned down a million dollar offer to appear in a Japanese beer commercial stating “They offered me almost a million dollars to do a beer commercial in Japan.

I said, ‘I won’t do it… First, it was $700,000 and then they moved the price up. Why? Because of what I stand on.” Tureaud went on to explain that endorsing beer would have made him a “liar” and a “fraud” when he has spent his life working to spread a positive message to youth. Watch Mr. T’s interview below:

Question: Actor Lawrence Tureaud is better known by what name?
Answer: Mr T