Mr. T is a famous American actor known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team, as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III, and for his appearances as a professional wrestler.
Mr. T grew up in the Chicago’s ‘s housing project with his his four sisters and seven brothers. After leaving college he was a Military Policeman in the U.S. Army before trying out for the Green Bay Packers. But his professional football career was finished by a knee injury.
For about ten years he was a bodyguard to the stars, protecting such well-known personalities as Muhammad Ali, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross.
Mr. T is now famous for his African Mandinka warrior hairstyle which he adopted as a powerful statement about his African origins.
In 1980, Mr. T was spotted by Sylvester Stallone while taking part in NBC’s “America’s Toughest Bouncer” competition. 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.
In 2005, Mr. T announced he would never wear his chains again saying, “No, T, you can never wear your gold again. It’s an insult to God.” He came to this decision after seeing the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Mr. T also donated a great deal of clothing and money to Katrina victims.
Mr. T did a video campaign for Hitachi’s Data Systems that was created and posted on consumer video sites including YouTube and Yahoo! Video. Then, in 2007, he 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”. 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 the 2009 movie 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.
An actor, wrestler, and speaker, Mr. T has become an icon to thousands.
