Mr. T

The Bouncer Who Invented Himself

Laurence Tureaud decided the world would call him Mister out of a matter of racial dignity. He grew up in the Chicago projects as the youngest of twelve siblings and watched white people demean his father and brother by calling them "boy." So in 1970 he legally changed his name to demand respect from the very first syllable.

Before the cameras, he worked as a military police officer and a nightclub bouncer. During that nighttime security stint, he started wearing the gold chains that patrons lost or left behind after fights. They were a physical armor that weighed several kilos, but they helped him project an image of total invulnerability in the most dangerous venues in the city.

And then Sylvester Stallone showed up.

The actor was looking for a real antagonist for the third installment of the boxer from Philadelphia's saga. He saw Tureaud on a televised strongman contest and knew that guy with the warrior hairstyle was the perfect villain. In 1982, Rocky III hit theaters, and the character of Clubber Lang dominated the screen with an aggression that didn't look choreographed.

That movie earned more than $125 million at the U.S. box office alone and cemented his catchphrase about pitying fools in the public imagination.

The Sergeant Who Didn't Want to Fly

Television was waiting for him with a million-dollar contract.

In 1983, The A-Team began airing, and the role of M.A. Baracus made him a global mass-media phenomenon. The show's success relied on a strange chemistry between mercenaries, but tensions on set were constant. George Peppard didn't take well to an actor with no formal training earning more money than him, or to being the kids' favorite.

But the character transcended the scripts. Baracus's fear of flying and his compulsive consumption of milk contrasted with a brute strength that solved any mechanical or physical problem. For four years the show kept massive ratings across half the world.

The toy industry made millions off his image.

In 1985, he took part in the first WrestleMania, teaming up with Hulk Hogan. It was a purely commercial move that helped professional wrestling move from gloomy gyms to major stadiums. His presence guaranteed covers in magazines that would never have covered wrestling.

Survival and Faith After the Gold

His lucky streak came to a sudden halt in 1995, when he was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma. It's a cruel irony that the disease shared his stage name. He stepped away from the spotlight to focus on aggressive treatment that tested his physical endurance and his religious beliefs. During that process, he got rid of most of his gold jewelry, because he felt it was an offensive display of vanity in the face of others' suffering.

In 2006, he tried to reclaim his place with a reality show titled I Pity the Fool, in which he served as a personal motivator. The show lasted just six episodes. Audiences no longer wanted the aggressive warrior of the eighties, but a friendly caricature of his own legend.

And the bet paid off in the advertising market.

Starting in 2009, he lent his voice to the animated film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, playing Officer Earl Devereaux. It was one of his most profitable voice-over jobs. He kept capitalizing on his image in video game and cleaning product ads, managing his personal brand with a business sharpness few gave him credit for early on.

In 2017, he competed on Dancing with the Stars, where he was eliminated in the fourth week of competition. He donated his entire fee for the appearance to a children's hospital and a cancer charity. His contract for the show specified a strict limit of 10 hours of rehearsal per week to protect his health.