Mr. T

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.{{cite web|url=https://aaregistry.org/story/the-robert-taylor-homes-opens/|title=The Robert Taylor Homes opens|website=African American Registry|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20191028040622/https://aaregistry.org/story/the-robert-taylor-homes-opens/|archive-date=October 28, 2019|access-date=October 28, 2019|quote=The Robert Taylor Homes were where Mr. T, Kirby Puckett, and Deval Patrick were raised. Robert Taylor Homes faced many of the same problems that doomed other high-rise housing projects in Chicago such as Cabrini-Green.}} His father, Nathaniel Tureaud, was a minister.{{cite magazine|last=Kleban|first=Barbara|date=October 1, 1984|title=Mr. T's Sibs Are Teed Off Over Their Bro's New Book|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20088784,00.html|url-status=live|magazine=People.com|archive-url=https://archive.today/20191028045055/https://people.com/archive/mr-ts-sibs-are-teed-off-over-their-bros-new-book-vol-22-no-14/|archive-date=October 28, 2019|access-date=August 16, 2016}} After his father left when he was five, 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:

{{blockquote|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 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."{{cite web |url=https://festivalreviews.org/2016/05/21/happy-birthday-mr-t/ |title=Happy Birthday: Mr. T |publisher=Festivalreviews.org |date=May 21, 2016 |access-date=April 16, 2017}}{{cite web|accessdate=2023-02-05|title=You'll Pity The Fools Who Don't Know These 5 Things About Mr. T|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-mr-t_n_5643d215e4b045bf3dedbec5|date=13 November 2015|website=HuffPost}}}}

File:Mr. T HS Yearbook.jpg

Tureaud attended Dunbar Vocational High School,"Dunbar at a glance". Chicago Sun-Times. December 29, 1993. 76. where he played football, wrestled, and studied martial arts. While at Dunbar he became the citywide wrestling champion two years in a row. He won a football scholarship to Prairie View A&M University, where he majored in mathematics, but was expelled after his first year.{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/people/mr-t-413140 |title=Mr. T Biography |website=Biography.com |access-date=August 16, 2016}}

After Tureaud left Prairie View A&M, he worked as a gym instructor for a government program in Chicago. He later said it was here that he discovered a gift for helping children.

He then enlisted in the United States Army in 1975 and served in the Military Police Corps. After his discharge in the late 1970s, he tried out for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League, but failed to make the team due to a knee injury.

Tureaud next worked as a bouncer at the Rush Street club Dingbats Discotheque.{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/09/29/Mr-T-sued-for-second-time-this-year/5615465278400/|title=Mr. T sued for second time this year|date=September 20, 1984|website=UPI|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20191028040209/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/09/29/Mr-T-sued-for-second-time-this-year/5615465278400/|archive-date=October 28, 2019|access-date=October 28, 2019|quote=Goldberg says the men helped Mr. T become a bouncer at the Dingbats Discotheque in Chicago and arranged for him to enter the 'World's Toughest Bouncer Contest', the television show that launched his show business career.}}{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20060722/ISSUE01/100026178/to-have-a-comeback-you-have-to-have-a-setback|title=To have a comeback, you have to have a setback|date=July 22, 2006|website=Crain's Chicago Business|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20191028040324/https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20060722/ISSUE01/100026178/to-have-a-comeback-you-have-to-have-a-setback|archive-date=October 28, 2019|access-date=October 28, 2019|quote=1977–79: Works as a bouncer at Chicago's Dingbat's club.}} It was at this time that he created the persona of Mr. T.{{cite magazine|last=Walters|first=Barbara|title=Mr. T: Tough and Tender in Barbara Walters Interview|magazine=Jet|volume=65|issue=26|page=56|issn=0021-5996|quote=Mr. T: I changed my name for respect because I watched my father being called 'boy'}} His wearing of gold neck chains and other jewelry was the result of customers losing the items or leaving them behind at the night club after a fight. A banned customer, or one reluctant to risk a confrontation by going back inside, could return to claim his property from Mr. T wearing it conspicuously right out front. Along with controlling the violence as a doorman, Tureaud was mainly hired to keep out drug dealers and users.{{sfn|Mr. T|1985|p=220}} Tureaud says that as a bouncer, he was in over 200 fights and was sued a number of times, but won each case.{{sfn|Mr. T|1985|p=218}}

He eventually parlayed his job as a bouncer into a career as a bodyguard that lasted almost ten years. As his reputation grew, he was contracted to guard, among others, clothes designers, models, judges, politicians, athletes and millionaires.{{sfn|Mr. T|1985|p=136}} His clients included celebrities Steve McQueen, Michael Jackson, LeVar Burton, and Diana Ross,{{cite web |url=http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/mister_t_1_/bio.jhtml |title=Mr. T view the Music Artists Biography Online |publisher=Vh1.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629031038/http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/mister_t_1_/bio.jhtml |archive-date=June 29, 2010 |access-date=August 16, 2016}} and boxers Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and Leon Spinks.{{cite web|last=Norris|first=Luke|date=July 7, 2021|title=Conor McGregor Channels His Inner Mr. T as He Brings Dustin Poirier's Wife Into Their Feud Ahead of UFC 264|url=https://www.sportscasting.com/conor-mcgregor-channels-inner-mr-t-brings-dustin-poirier-wife-into-their-feud-ahead-ufc-264/|access-date=August 2, 2021|website=sportscasting.com|language=en-US}} With his reputation as "Mr. T", Tureaud attracted strange offers and was frequently approached with odd commissions, including tracking runaway teenagers, locating missing persons, debt collection, and assassination requests.{{sfn|Mr. T|1985|p=137}}

While he was in his late twenties, Tureaud won two tough-man competitions consecutively.{{sfn|Mr. T|1985|p=223}} The first aired as "Sunday Games" on NBC-TV under the contest of "America's Toughest Bouncer" which included throwing a {{convert|150|lb|kg|adj=on}} stuntman, and breaking through a {{convert|4|in|cm|adj=on}} wooden door.{{sfn|Mr. T|1985|p=224}} For the first event, Tureaud came in third place. For the end, two finalists squared off in a boxing ring for a two-minute round to declare the champion. Making it to the ring as a finalist, he had as his opponent a {{convert|280|lb|kg|adj=on}} Honolulu bouncer named Tutefano Tufi.{{sfn|Mr. T|1985|p=226}} Within twenty seconds "Mr. T" gave the six foot five competitor a bloody nose, and later a bloody mouth. He won the match and thus the competition.{{sfn|Mr. T|1985|p=227}} The second competition was aired under the new name "Games People Play" on NBC-TV. When interviewed by Bryant Gumbel before the final boxing match, Mr T. said, "I just feel sorry for the guy who I have to box. I just feel real sorry for him."{{sfn|Mr. T|1985|p=234}} This fight was scheduled to last three rounds, but Mr. T finished it in less than 54 seconds. The line, "I don't hate him but... I pity the fool" in the movie Rocky III was written by Sylvester Stallone, who is reputed to have been inspired by the interview.{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-cronin/did-ba-baracus-never-actually-say_b_7836116.html |title=Did B.A. Baracus Never Actually Say 'I Pity the Fool' on 'The A-Team'? |last=Cronin |first=Brian |date=July 24, 2015 |website=Huffington Post |access-date=August 16, 2016 |quote=Before the final match, Mr. T explained to the commentator for the event, Bryant Gumbel, that 'I just feel sorry for the guy who I have to box. I just feel real sorry for him.' Sylvester Stallone caught this second competition and was intrigued by Mr. T and that line in particular.}}

While reading National Geographic, Mr. T first noticed the unusual hairstyle for which he is now famous, on a Mandinka warrior.Mentioned in a number of interviews, including [http://allhiphop.com/stories/features/archive/2006/11/09/18133735.aspx Mr. T: Pity The Fool] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321072758/http://allhiphop.com/stories/features/archive/2006/11/09/18133735.aspx |date=March 21, 2008 }}, allhiphop.com, Published Thursday, November 9, 2006. Mr. T gives a 1977 date, for an article with photos on the Mandinka in Mali. National Geographic Magazine's index has no record of such an article. [http://publicationsindex.nationalgeographic.com/ Nationalgeographic.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207033937/http://publicationsindex.nationalgeographic.com/ |date=February 7, 2009 }} He decided that adoption of the style would be a powerful statement about his African origin. It was a simpler, safer, and more permanent visual signature than his gold chains, rings, and bracelets.

In 1980, Mr. T was spotted by Sylvester Stallone while taking part in NBC's "America's Toughest Bouncer" competition, a segment of NBC's Games People Play.{{cite web |url=http://www.starpulse.com/Actors/Mr._T/Biography/ |title=Biography of Mr. T |publisher=Starpulse.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040622195143/http://starpulse.com/Actors/Mr._T/Biography/ |archive-date=June 22, 2004 |access-date=August 16, 2016}} Although his role in Rocky III was originally intended as just a few lines, Mr. T was eventually cast as Clubber Lang, the primary antagonist. His catchphrase "I pity the fool!" comes from the film; when asked if he hates Rocky, Lang replies, "No, I don't hate Balboa, but I pity the fool." He subsequently appeared in another boxing film, Penitentiary 2,{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/04/02/movies/movies-in-penitentiary-ii-too-sweet-gordon-gets-out.html|title=MOVIES: IN 'PENITENTIARY II,' TOO SWEET GORDON GETS OUT|last=Canby|first=Vincent|work=The New York Times|date=April 2, 1982|access-date=January 10, 2017}} and on an episode of the Canadian sketch comedy series Bizarre, where he fights and eats Super Dave Osborne,{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/super-dave-plans-comeback/article20390534/|title=Super Dave plans comeback|last=Szklarski|first=Cassandra|work=The Globe and Mail|date=March 31, 2009|access-date=January 10, 2017}} before accepting a television series role on The A-Team. He also appeared in an episode of Silver Spoons, reprising his old role as bodyguard to the character Ricky Stratton (played by Ricky Schroder).

File:London Sights (4489568900).jpg, London]]

In The A-Team, he played Sergeant Bosco "B. A." Baracus, an ex-Army commando on the run with three other members from the United States government "for a crime they didn't commit." As well as the team's tough guy, B. A. was a mechanical genius, but afraid of flying. When asked at a press conference whether he was as stupid as B. A. Baracus, Mr. T observed quietly, "It takes a smart guy to play dumb." The series was a major hit, and B. A. Baracus in particular quickly became a cult character and the de facto star of the show, reportedly sparking tensions with seasoned actor George Peppard, although Mr. T always maintained that these were unfounded rumors.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/0ftjmixy75M Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200229170214/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ftjmixy75M Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Citation|title=Bobbie Wygant interviews Mr. T for 'D.C. Cab' 11-12-1983| date=March 16, 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ftjmixy75M|language=en|access-date=May 31, 2020}}{{cbignore}} Mr. T was reported to be earning $80,000 a week for his role in The A-Team.

His role in The A-Team led to him making an appearance in the long-running sit-com Diff'rent Strokes in the sixth season opener "Mr. T and Mr. t" (1983), in which an episode of The A-Team is supposedly filmed in the family's penthouse apartment.

File:NancyReaganMrTChristmas1983.jpg at the White House with First Lady Nancy Reagan in 1983]]

Also in 1983, a Ruby-Spears-produced cartoon called Mister T premiered on NBC. The Mister T cartoon starred Mr. T as his alter ego, the owner of a gym where a group of gymnasts trained. He helped them with their training but they also helped him solve mysteries and fight crime in Scooby-Doo-style scenarios; thirty episodes were produced. Each episode was bookended by Mr. T himself, presenting the theme of the episode, and then a closing statement on a lesson for children, based on the events of the episode.{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |pages=559–560}}

The year 1983 also marked the release of the only film that can be called a Mr. T vehicle, DC Cab. The movie featured an ensemble cast, many of whom were publicized figures from other areas of show business – comics Paul Rodriguez, Marsha Warfield, singer Irene Cara, bodybuilders David and Peter Paul (the "Barbarian Brothers") – but who had only modest acting experience. Despite the wide range of performers, and more seasoned actors such as Adam Baldwin as the protagonist Albert, as well as Gary Busey and Max Gail, Mr. T was top billed and the central figure in the film's publicity, with him literally towering over the other characters on the film's poster. While the film, featuring the ensemble as a ragtag taxi company trying to hustle their way to solvency and respectability, performed modestly at the box office, its $16 million take exceeded its $12 million budget, it received mixed reviews critically.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/dc-cab|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190913220929/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/dc-cab|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 13, 2019|title=D.C. Cab Reviews - Metacritic|date=September 13, 2019|website=archive.is|access-date=September 13, 2019}} Janet Maslin, writing for The New York Times, described it as "a musical mob scene, a raucous, crowded movie that's fun as long as it stays wildly busy, and a lot less interesting when it wastes time on plot or conversation."{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/16/arts/film-dc-cab-humor.html|title=FILM: 'D.C. CAB,' HUMOR|last=Maslin|first=Janet|date=December 16, 1983|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 13, 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803133943/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/16/arts/film-dc-cab-humor.html|archive-date=August 3, 2018}} Roger Ebert praised the movie's "mindless, likable confusion" and criticized its "fresh off the assembly line" plot.{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/d-c-cab-1983|title=D. C. Cab Movie Review & Film Summary (1983) {{!}} Roger Ebert|last=Ebert|first=Roger|website=www.rogerebert.com|language=en|access-date=September 13, 2019}} It was the second feature in a prolific career for director Joel Schumacher.

File:Medespelers van de tv-serie Het A-team op circuit Zandvoort.jpg

In 1984, he 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 make tripping up look like breakdancing, 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 group of children accompanying him, or by Mr. T himself. He sings "Treat Your Mother Right (Treat Her 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001384/#musicX20department1980 |title=Ice-T IMDb bio |website=IMDb |access-date=August 16, 2016}} Due to its unintentionally comic nature, many clips have been made from this video and shared as Internet memes. Also in 1984, he played the protagonist of the TV movie The Toughest Man in the World, as Bruise Brubaker, a bouncer also leading a sports center for teenagers, who takes part in a strong man championship to get funds for the center. He also released a rap mini-album titled Mr. T's Commandments (Columbia/CBS Records) the same year, featuring seven songs, including the title theme for the aforementioned TV film. In much the same tone as his motivational video, it instructed children to stay in school and to stay away from drugs.{{cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/picks-and-pans-review-mr-ts-commandments-vol-22-no-21/|title=Picks and Pans Review: Mr. T's Commandments|date=November 19, 1984|website=PEOPLE.com|language=en|access-date=November 21, 2019}} He followed it up the same year with a second album, titled Mr. T's Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool! (MCA), featuring music from the eponymous film.

During those busy years, he made numerous appearances in television shows, most notably hosting the 15th episode of the 10th season of Saturday Night Live, along with Hulk Hogan. He had previously appeared on Saturday Night Live (season 8) in October 1982, fresh from his role in Rocky III, in a recurring skit by Eddie Murphy called "Mr. Robinson Neighborhood" (making a reference to one of his lines in the movie : "Hello boys and girls. The new word for today... is PAIN.").

On January 19, 1985, he introduced Rich Little at the nationally televised 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala, the day before the second inauguration of Ronald Reagan.

In 1988, after the cancellation of The A-Team, Mr. T starred in the syndicated Canadian television series T. and T.

Earning $15,000 for personal appearances, by the end of the 1990s, he was appearing only in the occasional commercial, largely because of health problems.

Some time during the 1990s,{{vague|date=June 2024}} Mr. T would be in Eric "Butterbean" Esch's corner in the boxing matches during one of the Toughman Contests.{{cite web|url=https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxFPhuxwJ8iQZ47H6orSEGKKfioNQn8C7H |title=✂️ Mr. T in ButterBean's corner |publisher=YouTube |date=2021-09-29 |accessdate=2022-07-20}}{{user-generated inline|date=June 2024}}

He frequently appears on the TBN Christian television network.

In 2002, Mr. T appeared as a bartender in the video for "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II" by Busta Rhymes featuring Sean Combs and Pharrell Williams.

In the 2009 animated film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Mr. T provided the voice for Officer Earl Devereaux, the town's athletic cop who loves his son very much. Mr. T was offered a cameo appearance in the film adaptation of The A-Team, but decided to turn it down,{{cite web|url=http://www.latinoreview.com/news/exclusive-sorry-fans-mr-t-will-not-appear-in-the-a-team-remake-8869 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918073930/http://www.latinoreview.com/news/exclusive-sorry-fans-mr-t-will-not-appear-in-the-a-team-remake-8869 | archive-date=September 18, 2011 | title=News: Exclusive: Sorry Fans, Mr. T Will Not Appear In The A-Team Remake |publisher=Latino Review |date=December 24, 2009 |access-date=August 15, 2013}} whereas Dwight Schultz and Dirk Benedict both made cameos in the film. These scenes were shown after the credits, but were reinserted during the film in the Extended Cut.{{cite web |url=http://www.dwightschultzfansite.nl/engdwightupdates.php |title=Dwight Schultz plays cameo part in new A-team movie |publisher=Dwightschultzfansite.nl |access-date=August 18, 2010 |archive-date=July 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727065834/http://www.dwightschultzfansite.nl/engdwightupdates.php |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.dirkbenedictcentral.com/home/headline-readarticle.php?nid=45 |title='Prescription: Murder' and 'The A-Team' |publisher=Dirk Benedict Central |access-date=August 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100921002524/http://dirkbenedictcentral.com/home/headline-readarticle.php?nid=45 |archive-date=September 21, 2010 |url-status=dead }} Although he was not disturbed at the mere prospect of an "A-Team" film being made without him, he vehemently criticized the concept of having another actor copy his own very distinct appearance and style (including his haircut and gold chains) in the hope of attracting his nostalgic fanbase, and considered that asking him to do a cameo appearance in those conditions was disrespectful.{{cite AV media |title=Mr. T's rant about the "A-Team" movie|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnauDzs-WJA|language=en|access-date=May 31, 2020|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/mnauDzs-WJA |archive-date=2021-12-11}} {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150803201213/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnauDzs-WJA |date=2015-08-03}}{{cbignore}}{{user-generated inline|date=June 2024}}

Starting in 2011, Mr. T presented a clip show on BBC Three named World's Craziest Fools. The show featured stories such as botched bank robberies and inept insurance fraudsters alongside fail videos.{{cite web |url=http://www.starpulse.com/mr-t-to-host-worlds-craziest-fools-1848049225.html |title=Mr. T To Host 'World's Craziest Fools' |work=Starpulse |date=April 1, 2011 |access-date=August 16, 2016}} In 2015, it was announced that Mr. T would star in a do it yourself home improvement TV show, with interior designer Tiffany Brooks, on the DIY Network. The show, due sometime in 2015, was to be titled, "I Pity the Tool", another variation on his famous catchphrase, but only one episode was aired, for unknown reasons.{{cite web |title=Mr. T to Star in Feel-Good Home Renovation Series |url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/tv/a14647/mr-t-home-reno/ |website=Popular Mechanics |date=March 20, 2015 |access-date=August 1, 2015}}{{cite AV media|title=The truth about what happened to Mr. T| date=December 12, 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7e_jvT_eZk|people=Looper|language=en|access-date=May 31, 2020}}{{user-generated inline|date=June 2024}}

On March 1, 2017, Mr. T was revealed as one of the contestants who would compete on season 24 of Dancing with the Stars. He was paired with professional dancer Kym Herjavec.{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/dancing-stars-2017-season-24-celebrity-cast-partners/story?id=45767534|title='Dancing With the Stars' 2017: Season 24 celebrity cast and partners revealed on 'GMA'|work=ABC News|access-date=March 1, 2017|date=March 1, 2017}} On April 10, 2017, Mr. T and Herjavec were the third couple to be eliminated from the competition, finishing in 10th place.{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2017/04/10/dancing-stars-recap-10s-rashad-jennings-mr-t-taps-out/100313888/ |title='Dancing with the Stars' recap: 10s for Rashad Jennings, Mr. T taps out|work=USA Today|date=April 10, 2017 |access-date=April 17, 2017}} He vowed to donate the money received from this participation to the Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Shriners Hospitals for Children.Interview with Conan O'Brien, Conan, TBS, March 30, 2017{{cite episode|url=http://www.ora.tv/larrykingnow/2017/3/20/mr-t-on-dwts-jesus-and-possible-a-team-reprisal |title=Mr. T on 'DWTS,' Jesus, and possible 'A-Team' reprisal|series=Larry King Now|date=March 20, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406052851/http://www.ora.tv/larrykingnow/2017/3/20/mr-t-on-dwts-jesus-and-possible-a-team-reprisal|archive-date=2023-04-06}}

Mr. T has been involved in numerous commercials, including for Snickers, Atari, World of Warcraft, MCI, Comcast and RadioShack. Forbes has described him as "one of the most enduring pitchmen in the business". Mr. T has described himself as "not really an actor, I'm a reactor; I'm a pitchman." At his peak, he was earning $5 million per year.{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2010/10/15/mr-t-softer-side-gold-promise-commercial-forbes-interview/|title=Mr. T's Softer Side|last=Greenburg|first=Zack O'Malley|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=November 14, 2019}}

Mr. T did a video campaign for Hitachi Data Systems that was created and posted on consumer video sites including YouTube and Yahoo! Video. According to Steven Zivanic, senior director and corporate communications of HDS, "this campaign has not only helped the firm in its own area, but it has given the data storage firm a broader audience."{{cite web|url=http://www.dmnews.com/cms/dm-news/internet-marketing/42045.html|title=Mr. T attracts viewers, buyers for Hitachi|date=August 8, 2007|publisher=DMNews|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021132845/http://dmnews.com/cms/dm-news/internet-marketing/42045.html|archive-date=October 21, 2007|access-date=August 16, 2016}} In November 2007, Mr. T appeared in a television commercial for the online role playing game World of Warcraft with the phrase "I'm Mr. T and I'm a Night Elf Mohawk".{{cite web|url=http://www.wow-europe.com/en/downloads/commercials.html#mrt|title=World of Warcraft Europe - Downloads - Movies - TV Commercials|publisher=WOW-Europe.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100624032116/http://www.wow-europe.com/en/downloads/commercials.html|archive-date=June 24, 2010|access-date=August 16, 2016}} A follow-up to this commercial appeared in November 2009 where he appeared promoting the "mohawk grenade" item, which appears in game and turns other players into Mr. T's likeness.

In 2008, Mr. T appeared on the American channel Shopping TV selling his "Mr. T Flavorwave Oven".{{cite web|url=http://www.thane.com/products/housewares/flavorwave-turbo/flavorwave-turbo.php|title=Flavor Wave Oven|publisher=Thane.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302043441/http://www.thane.com/products/housewares/flavorwave-turbo/flavorwave-turbo.php|archive-date=March 2, 2008|access-date=August 16, 2016}} In 2009, ZootFly announced they had acquired the rights to the Mr. T Graphic Novel and were planning several video games based upon the work.{{cite web|url=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/976/976832p1.html|title=Zootfly Announces Mr. T Games|last=Clayman|first=David|date=April 27, 2009|website=IGN|access-date=April 24, 2010}} The first (and only) game, Mr. T: The Videogame, was to have Mr. T battle Nazis in various locations and guest star Wil Wright. It was planned to be available on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and PC platforms, however the game was cancelled for undisclosed reasons.{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/games/mr-t-the-videogame/ps3-14344243|title=Mr. T: The Videogame; About this game|work=IGN |publisher=Ziff Davis, LLC|access-date=June 10, 2015|quote=The games feature knuckle-whitening action-adventure, furious brawler combat, gravity-defying platforming, and environmental puzzles. The first game will see Mr. T take on Nazis and their gigantic machines in the varied universe of South American rain forests, lost ancient cities, industrial complexes and contemporary military installations. Along with Mr. T and other characters from the graphic novel, the game will feature non other than Will Wright. In this universe, Will Wright is not a top-notch game designer but a top-notch American geneticist who was kidnapped and coerced to work on a diabolic plan. Status: Cancelled}}

The same year, he appeared on commercials in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand advertising the chocolate bar Snickers with the slogan "Get Some Nuts!"{{cite web|url=http://getsomenuts.tv/|title=Get some nuts | Snickers|date=January 13, 2010|publisher=Getsomenuts.tv|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409133912/http://www.getsomenuts.tv/|archive-date=April 9, 2016|access-date=August 16, 2016}} One of these commercials featured Mr. T on an army jeep calling a speed walker wearing yellow shorts "a disgrace to the man race" (a pun on the double meaning of the word "race") and firing Snickers bars at the man with a custom-made machine gun so that he starts "running like a real man". This commercial was pulled by Mars following a complaint by the U.S.-based group Human Rights Campaign, although the advert had never been shown in the United States. The group alleged that the commercial promoted the idea that violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people "is not only acceptable, but humorous".{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/jul/28/advertising1|title=Mr T Snickers ad pulled for being offensive to gay people|last=Sweney|first=Mark|date=July 28, 2008|work=The Guardian|access-date=November 14, 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}} Mr. T distanced himself from these accusations, insisting that he would never lend his name to such beliefs, and that he did not think the commercial was offensive to anyone, as all the commercials he appeared in had a similarly silly, over-the-top nature and were never intended to be taken seriously.{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/mr-t-tells-bill-oreilly-im-not-a-gay-basher|title=Mr. T Tells Bill O'Reilly: 'I'm Not a Gay-Basher'|date=August 7, 2008|website=Fox News|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121080834/https://www.foxnews.com/story/mr-t-tells-bill-oreilly-im-not-a-gay-basher|archive-date=November 21, 2019|access-date=November 21, 2019}}

In 2010, Mr. T signed up as the spokesman for Gold Promise, a gold-buying company.{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/moneybuilder/2010/10/15/mr-t-wants-to-buy-your-gold-time-to-sell/|title=Mr. T Wants to Buy Your Gold – Time to Sell?|last=Greenburg|first=Zack O'Malley|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=November 14, 2019}} According to an appraiser hired by Bloomberg Television's Taking Stock, his trademark gold jewelry was worth around $43,000 in 1983,{{cite AV media |title=Mr. T Discusses Cash America's 'Gold Promise' Service: Video| date=March 23, 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMc6XQwfZt4|language=en|access-date=November 14, 2019|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/VMc6XQwfZt4 |archive-date=2021-12-11}}{{cbignore}} {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111161530/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMc6XQwfZt4 |date=20170111}}

{{cbignore}}: although some sources claim the gold jewelry was worth up to $300,000.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvacres.com/jewelry_mr_t.htm|title=Mr. T's Gold Chains|publisher=TV Acres|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120530042931/http://www.tvacres.com/jewelry_mr_t.htm|archive-date=May 30, 2012|access-date=August 16, 2016}}

In 2015, he starred in a series of Fuze Iced Tea advertisements, stating, "The only thing bolder than Fuze Iced Tea is ME!" The brand, owned by Coca-Cola, also briefly centered its social profiles and website around Mr. T.{{cite web|url=http://www.fuzebev.com/|title=Iced Tea and Fountain Drinks {{!}} FUZE® Flavor Charged Iced Tea|date=September 5, 2015|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905111326/http://www.fuzebev.com/|archive-date=September 5, 2015|access-date=November 24, 2015}}

Image:Mr T at WrestleMania, 1985.jpg up onto his shoulders as Hulk Hogan cheers in the background during the main event of the first-ever Wrestlemania]]

Mr. T entered the world of professional wrestling in 1985. He was Hulk Hogan's tag-team partner at the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF) WrestleMania I which he won. Hulk Hogan wrote in his autobiography that Mr. T saved 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.{{Clarify|date=June 2020}} Piper has said that he and other fellow wrestlers disliked Mr. T because he was an actor and had never paid his dues as a professional wrestler. Remaining with the WWF, Mr. T became a special "WWF boxer" in light of his character in Rocky III. He took on "Cowboy" Bob Orton on the March 1, 1986, Saturday Night's Main Event V, on NBC. This boxing stunt culminated in another boxing match against Roddy Piper at WrestleMania 2. As part of the build-up for the match, Piper attacked Mr. T's friend, dwarf wrestler the Haiti Kid on his Piper's Pit interview slot, shaving his head into a mohican style similar to that of Mr. T. Then Mr. T won the boxing match in Round 4 by disqualification after Piper attacked the referee and bodyslammed Mr. T. He returned to the World Wrestling Federation as a special guest referee in 1987 as well as a special referee enforcer confronting such stars as The Honky Tonk Man and then afterwards the WWF decided to stop using Mr. T.

On July 21, 1989, Mr. T. made an appearance in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), seconding Kerry Von Erich.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKT13vl-Ejs&feature=player_embedded |title=Kerry Von Erich & Mr. T interview |date=August 29, 2010 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=March 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/GKT13vl-Ejs |archive-date=2021-12-11}}{{cbignore}} {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419063542/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKT13vl-Ejs&feature=player_embedded |date=2017-04-19}}{{cbignore}}

Five years later, Mr. T reappeared in WCW, first appearing in Hulk Hogan's corner for his WCW world title match against Ric Flair at Bash at the Beach 1994. He would next appear as a special referee for the Hogan{{endash}}Flair rematch in October 1994 at Halloween Havoc, and then went on to wrestle again, defeating Kevin Sullivan at that year's Starrcade.

Another seven years later, Mr. T appeared in the front row of the November 19, 2001, episode of WWF Raw.{{cite web |url=http://slashwrestling.com/raw/011119.html |title=[slash] Wrestling [slash] RAW [slash] 19 November 2001 |website=slash wrestling |date=November 19, 2001 |access-date=August 16, 2016}} On April 5, 2014, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Mr. T was inducted by Gene Okerlund into the WWE Hall of Fame's celebrity wing. His acceptance speech, largely a tribute to his mother and motherhood rather than wrestling, ran long and was eventually interrupted by Kane.{{cite news|url=https://www.metro.us/playing-the-field/video-mr-t-says-the-word-mother-73-times-in-wwe-hall-of-fame-speech/tmWndh---beIYAUUAdmhU |title=Video: Mr. T says the word 'mother' 73 times in WWE Hall of Fame speech |website=Metro US|date=April 9, 2014}}

File:Mr T being interviewed.jpg

Mr. T is a born-again Christian.{{cite web |url=http://www.beliefnet.com/story/201/story_20189_1.html |access-date=November 22, 2007 |title=Words of Wisdom from Mr. T |website=Beliefnet}} Mr. T has three children with his wife: two daughters, one of whom is a comedian, and a son. Mr. T was sued by a man in 2014 saying that he was also Mr. T's son from outside his marriage. The lawsuit was dismissed in August 2014 due to the man's failure to pay the required fees.{{cite web |author=ionerlogan |title=Mr. T Sued? |url=https://newsone.com/2964924/mr-t-son/ |website=NewsOne |access-date=March 11, 2019 |date=March 12, 2014}}{{cite web |last1=MacEachron |first1=Scout |title=Mr. T's Daughter Erica Clark Stands Out By Standing Up |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/mr-t-s-daughter-erica-clark-stands-out-standing-n368151 |website=NBC News |access-date=March 11, 2019 |date=June 2, 2015}}

In 1987, he angered the residents of Lake Forest, Illinois, by cutting down more than a hundred oak trees on his estate. The local newspaper referred to the incident as "the Lake Forest Chain Saw Massacre".{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/30/us/genteel-chicago-suburb-rages-over-mr-t-s-tree-massacre.html |title=Genteel Chicago Suburb Rages Over Mr. T's Tree Massacre |first=Dirk |last=Johnson |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 30, 1987 |access-date=April 28, 2012}}{{cite web |first1=George |last1=Papajohn |first2=Steve |last2=Johnson |title=Mr. T Chops Away At Lake Forest's Fiber |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=May 22, 1987 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1987/05/22/mr-t-chops-away-at-lake-forests-fiber/ |access-date=June 16, 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/a05f53f35d90ea89eb5ed2dea26082f6|title=Mr. T Playing Lumberjack; Neighbor Upset by Tree-Felling|date=May 21, 1987|website=AP News|access-date=November 14, 2019|url-status=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406151252/https://apnews.com/article/a05f53f35d90ea89eb5ed2dea26082f6|archive-date=2023-04-06}}

In 1995, he was diagnosed with a cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, or mycosis fungoides.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbWxOQF0kJo|title=Mr. T, T cell lymphoma survivor|website=YouTube|date=May 30, 2013|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/ |archive-date=2021-12-11}}{{cbignore}} {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812105817/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbWxOQF0kJo |date=2020-08-12}}{{cbignore}}{{user-generated inline|date=June 2024}} Once in remission, he joked about the coincidence: "Can you imagine that? Cancer with my name on it – personalized cancer!"{{cite web|url=http://copingmag.com/cwc/index.php/celebrities/celebrity_article/mr_t|title=Mr. T - The Ultimate Tough Guy goes Head-to-Head with Cancer|website=Coping|date=March 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102054754/http://copingmag.com/cwc/index.php/celebrities/celebrity_article/mr_t|archive-date=January 2, 2010}} He wrote an as-yet-unpublished book on this experience, called Cancer Saved My Life (Cancer Ain't For No Wimps).{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7e_jvT_eZk|title=The truth about what happened to Mr. T|website=YouTube|date=December 12, 2016}} He made a direct reference to it as he performed a waltz to the song "Amazing Grace" in Dancing with the Stars.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFAzJ2LMxgs| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412032151/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFAzJ2LMxgs| archive-date=April 12, 2017 | url-status=dead|title=Mr. T and Kym's Waltz - Dancing with the Stars|website=YouTube|date=April 10, 2017}}

He stopped wearing virtually all his gold, one of his identifying marks, after helping with the clean-up after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He said, "As a Christian, when I saw other people lose their lives and lose their land and property ... I felt that it would be a sin before God for me to continue wearing my gold. I felt it would be insensitive and disrespectful to the people who lost everything, so I stopped wearing my gold."{{cite news|title=Mr T Gives Up His Gold For Katrina Victims |website=Sky News |url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Showbiz-News/A-Team-Star-Mr-T-Decides-To-Stop-Wearing-Gold-Jewellery-Out-Of-Respect-For-Hurricane-Katrina-Victims/Article/200902415229268 |date=February 25, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228054856/http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Showbiz-News/A-Team-Star-Mr-T-Decides-To-Stop-Wearing-Gold-Jewellery-Out-Of-Respect-For-Hurricane-Katrina-Victims/Article/200902415229268 |archive-date=February 28, 2009 |access-date=August 16, 2016 }}

Mr. T often refers to himself in the third person.{{cite web|author=|title=Mr. T Reveals Why He Pities Fools|website=IGN|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/10/10/mr-t-reveals-why-he-pities-fools|date=October 10, 2006|access-date=March 12, 2013}} He also frequently talks in rhymes. He cites Muhammad Ali as his "childhood hero" and his main inspiration with regard to style and mannerisms.

• Mr. T's Commandments (1984), Columbia
• Be Somebody (Or Be Somebody's Fool) (1984), MCA

• "Mr. T's Commandment" (1984)
• "Don't Talk to Strangers" (1984)
• "Treat Your Mother Right" (1984)

• Mr. T Cereal

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book | title=Mr. T: The Man with the Gold: An Autobiography | publisher=St. Martin's Press | author=Mr. T | year=1985 | edition=1st | isbn=9780312550899 }}

{{Commons category}}

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