Mr. T

About

Laurence T (born Laurence Tureaud, May 21, 1952, and known professionally as Mr. T) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team and as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III. He is also known for his distinctive hairstyle inspired by Mandinka warriors in West Africa, his copious gold jewelry, his tough-guy persona and his catchphrase “I pity the fool!”, first uttered as Clubber Lang in Rocky III, then turned into a trademark used in slogans or titles, like the 2006 reality show I Pity the Fool.

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. T recalls:

I think about my father…