Mr. T or Bad Attitude (B.A) Baracus, if you dig the famous 1980s TV series The A-Team, is known for the line “Pity The Fool”. But long before becoming an actor, Mr. T was quite popular. From his time in the Army as a military police officer to a bodyguard for high-profile celebrities, he’s quite interesting.
Needless to say, Mr. T has left quite a trail of history since he came into the limelight. That history is worth exploring. With that in mind, here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about him.
1. Mr. T Won His High School Wrestling Championship Thrice
The actor was born in the Chicago Projects, a well-known tough, and dangerous neighborhood. Even back then, he displayed remarkable athletic ability that helped him stand out even at a young age. Among his many accomplishments is winning the citywide high school wrestling championship three times. But that’s not all. He also studied martial arts and played football, earning him a scholarship to Texas’ Prairie View A&M University. Unfortunately, school wasn’t his forte, so he decided to enlist in the army.
2. His Resilience Was Renowned, Even In The Army
In 1975, Mr.T enlisted in the army: even then, his physical strength was way above his comrades. In fact, he was the top trainee out of 6000 recruits. His outstanding performance earned him a letter of recommendation to join the Military Police Corps, where he became the Squad leader. Once while under punishment by his platoon sergeant, he was asked to chop down trees with an ax. He made a piece of work of it, chopping down 70 trees in 3.5 hours before he was asked to stop.
3. There’s A Reason He Calls Himself Mr. T
Needless to say, it’s obvious that Mr. T is a moniker, the star was actually born Laurence Tureaud. According to him, he changed his name after observing that Black men were not given the respect they deserved as men. But were commonly referred to as “boy”. After reflecting on this, he questioned himself, ‘What does a black man have to do before he’s given respect as a man?’ His solution was to change his name to Mr. T, “. So, the first word out of everybody’s mouth is “Mr.”
6. The Inspiration Behind His Signature Hairstyle
The star’s signature Mohawk hairstyle is probably as famous as he is. Nearly every picture of him shows him rocking a Mohawk. But most people don’t know where he got the idea from. Well, his hairstyle is called the Mandinka cut, named after the Mandinka Warriors of the West African country of Mali. Mr. T decided to adopt the hairstyle after seeing the picture of a Mandinka Warrior in the 1977 issue of National Geographic Magazine. Altogether, the actor decided to pay his respects to them by cutting his hair the way he does.
5. He Beat Cancer
Altogether, Mr. T is used to facing an enemy squarely, and in 1995, he had one more enemy to face. Just this time, it wasn’t human, it was cancer. The actor was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of cancer that he jokingly called “Personalized cancer”. But even cancer couldn’t defeat him. After five years, Mr. T was eventually cancer free, and here’s what he had to say, “I pity the fool who just gives up. We all gonna die eventually from something or other, but don’t be a wimp. Put up a good fight. Don’t sit around waiting on death. We can be tough. We can be determined. Go out and have some fun and make death find you! We can be living with cancer, not dying from it. We can be cancer survivors.”
6. Mr. T Was Named The Toughest Bouncer In America, Twice
Mr. T could as well be called Mr. Tough. After serving in the military, Mr. T decided to become a bouncer. To most people, this is not an optimal career choice. However, it turned out to be the right move. During his time as a bouncer, Mr. T entered the American Toughest Bouncer Competition, winning three times. It was during one of these events that he was spotted by Sylvester Stallone and later invited to be cast in Rocky III as Clubber Lang.
7. He Had A Cereal Named After Him
Mr. T’s cereal came in small T shapes and was sweetened just the way kids liked it. The cereal was quite popular in the 80s and even made an appearance in the 1985 hit comedy movie Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. Even more, it’s seen briefly in Stranger Things Season 3, Episode 7 alongside Ghostbusters, Honey Comb, and Pac-Man cereal. All in all, it’s a big shout-out to the 80s.
8. There’s A Story Behind His Gold Chains
The star isn’t just known for his mohawk or punchline; the heavy gold chains he hangs around his neck are part of the package. While he was a bouncer, Mr. T. claimed a thing or two from lost and found. The chains were one of those items.
9. He Doesn’t Like The 2010 Version Of A-Team
Some people don’t know that The A-Team was a popular TV show in the 80s. The show ran for five seasons, winning the Stuntman Award for Best Action Sequence and the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Overall New TV Program. Again in 2010, The A-Team was recreated, this time as a movie, and Mr. T wasn’t too excited about it. According to him, “… it was too graphic” and too different from the original tv series. “People die in the film, and there’s plenty of sex, but when we did it, no one got hurt, and it was all played for fun and family entertainment. These seem to be elements nobody is interested in anymore.”Stranger Things Season 3
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