Mr. T: An Interesting Life and Career

Just who is the man behind the "T?" Now that he's back with another television show I was curious about his past. In my research I discovered some interesting things about Mr. T. I have always wondered-what is his real name? He was born Lawrence Turead, May 21, 1952, and is an actor well-known for his role of Sgt. Bosco "B.A." Baracus in the 1980's television series, "The A-Team," and as Rocky's tough opponent, Clubber Lang in the movie Rocky III. He is notorious for sporting a Mohawk, and wearing all that gold jewelry. (These are the obvious things that most of us know about him.) According to Wikipedia, he was so touched by Hurricane Katrina's effect on its victims, that he vowed to never wear his gold chains again, because they were "a sin against God." He also donated money and clothes to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

A former wrestler, Mr. T now lives in Sherman Oaks, California. He changed his name form "Lawrence Turead" to "Lawrence Tero" in 1970, then to "Mr.T" in 1980, just because he liked the idea of being addressed by everyone as "mister." The Mohawk was a decision made after reading a copy of National Geographic Magazine. In it, he saw an African Mandinka warrior sporting the unusual style. Mr. T decided this hairdo had to be his trademark because it was a perfect statement about his African Heritage.

Here is just a quick list of some of the facts of the man who is no less intriguing even without all the jewelry:

*Mr. T is the 11th of 12 children, and grew up in the Chicago housing projects. He has four sisters and seven brothers.

*He briefly attended Prairie View A&M University, Texas on an athletic scholarship where he planned to major in mathematics. He was expelled, however, after a year.

*He tried out once for the Green Bay Packers.

*Was a military policeman in the U.S. Army.

*Was a bodyguard for about 10 years, and provided protection to such celebrities as Steve McQueen, Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali, and Diana Ross whenever they visited Chicago. He charged a daily fee close to $3000, and his business cards read: "Next to God, there is no greater protector than I."

*Was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma cancer at the age of 43, in 1995, which eventually went into remission.

*He is a born-again Christian.

Mr. T's professional wrestling career began in 1985, as Hulk Hogan's tag team partner. In his autobiography, Hulk says that Mr. T jeopardized Wrestlemania's Main Event by refusing to wrestle because his large entourage was turned away by security. But, after Hulk Hogan reasoned with him, he was able to persuade him to go ahead with the performance. It is also reported that many of his fellow wrestlers, Roddy Piper among them, felt that Mr. T had not "paid the dues of professional wrestling," because he was an actor.

Mr. T's reported weekly earnings during the A-Team were in the ballpark of near $80,000, and $15,000 for personal appearances. By the end of the 1990's he was making few public appearances due to his poor health, a result of the T-cell lymphoma. Later, he took small roles in several films, appeared on TBN Christian television network, and turned up in commercials for MCI's 1-800-COLLECT collect-call service and on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

Now, a reality star, his new show "I Pity the Fool," aired on TVLand on October 11, 2006. His catch phrase "I pity the fool," was first heard in the Rocky III movie in which he played Rocky's fighting opponent. When asked if he hated Rocky Balboa, he replied, "I don't hate Balboa, I pity the fool." And the rest, as they say, is history.

Mr. T has become a pop culture icon throughout the years. He has been a cartoon and comic book character, and even released an album in 1984 called "Mr. T's Commandments," which was a motivational move to keep children off drugs. He even had his own cereal for a while. I had forgotten about that! During the commercials, what do you suppose Mr. T said in an effort to promote sales for the cereal: "I pity the fool who don't eat my cereal!" What else?