Born Laurence Tureaud, Mr. T., was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 21, 1952. . At 18, he legally changed his name to Mr. T because he always saw Black men referred to as “boy” growing up. While attending Paul Laurence Dunbar Vocational Career Academy, Mr. T excelled in sports. He earned a scholarship to Prairie View A&M University. Mr. T left the school after one year and enrolled in the Army in 1975. He did so well in basic training he was named the top trainee out of 6,000 recruits.
After basic training, he was assigned the military occupational specialty of military police. In 1976, Mr. T committed a minor infraction during a training exercise at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. The platoon sergeant told him to chop down trees as a lesson. He was ordered to stop three hours later because when they went to check on him, he chopped about 70 trees down.
Mr. T left the Army in 1978 and became a bouncer at Chicago nightclubs. While working as a bouncer, he developed his ultra-tough persona. A few years later, he started a new career as a celebrity bodyguard in Los Angeles, California. His celebrity clients included Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Muhammad Ali. In 1980, while participating in NBC TV’s “America’s Toughest Bouncer," he met Sylvester Stallone, who decided to cast him as boxer Clubber Lang in the film “Rocky III.” While filming “Rocky III,” Mr. T coined the catchphrase, “I pity the fool!”
After starring in his first movie, his acting career took off. His experience as a soldier came in handy when he was cast to play Sergeant B.A. Baracus in “The A-Team” from 1983 to 1987. He even starred in his own cartoon series called “Mister T.” He joined the WWE in 1985, becoming Hulk Hogan’s tag-team partner.
Today, Mr. T occasionally stars in commercials and movies.
Photo: First Lady Nancy Reagan and Mr. T at the 1983 White House Christmas Celebration. Courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.
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