Mr. T – Biography – IMDb

Overview (3)

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 I (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:

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Family (3)

Spouse

Phyllis Clark
(1971 –
?)  (divorced)
 (2 children)

Children

Erica Clark

Parents

Tureaud, Nathaniel

Trade Mark (5)

Frequent line “I pity the fool…”

Wearing gold chains

Mohawk haircut and beard

Distinctive, gruff, dramatic voice

Muscular physique

Trivia (24)

He was twice named America’s Toughest Bouncer.

Has three children: daughter Lesa, born in 1971; daughter Erica Clark , born in 1979 (the girls’ mother is Phyllis Clark); and son Lawrence Junior (answers to “TJ”), born in 1986.

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.

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

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.”.

Was a Professional Wrestler.

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.