Templeton "Faceman" Peck
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck, (often referred to simply as "Face") is a fictional character in the 1980s action/adventure television series, The A-Team. He was played by Dirk Benedict.
The A-Team is a group of ex-United States Army Special Forces who were wrongly convicted of a crime during the Vietnam War. Managing to escape from the military police, they fled to Los Angeles, where as fugitives, the A-Team work as soldiers of fortune, using their military training to fight oppression or injustice. Face, along with Hannibal Smith, B.A. Baracus, and H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock make up the A-Team.
Suave, smooth-talking, and hugely successful with women, "Face" (so called for his clean-cut good looks) serves as the team's con man and scrounger. He seems to be able to get his hands on just about anything they needed. Effectively second in command behind Hannibal (although technically Murdock has a higher rank), he is the one who arranges for supplies, equipment, and sensitive information using numerous scams and hustles. He has an uncanny ability to talk anybody (especially women) out of just about anything. He regularly appropriates explosives, tools, automobiles, and even airplanes for the team's various missions. Because of his talent as a con artist, Face generally lives the high life, staying in ritzy apartments and wearing expensive suits. He drove a custom white Corvette sports car with a red stripe (to match B.A.'s van), which is equipped with a CB radio and a mobile phone. He is also an expert at picking locks. B.A. once said that if Hannibal hadn't put Face on the team, he would probably be in jail.
Not much for hand-to-hand combat, Face is forever complaining about the inevitable fighting that ensues. Face also handles the team's money. As revealed in several episodes, Peck is an orphan. He was abandoned by his parents at an early age, and was raised in different orphanages. In season two there is an episode that also tells some more of his backstory: he fell in love in college only to have the woman leave him and become a nun. It was this event that led Face to dropping out of school and joining the Army, where he would eventually meet the rest of the team. It is also implied that the incident is what led to his womanizing ways. Ironically, in the episode "The Bells of St. Mary", it is revealed that Peck played football in a parochial school run by a nun.
In one episode of the series, it is revealed that Templeton Peck is not his real name. In season five, Face learns that his father was a man named A.J. Bancroft and that his birth name is Richard, and he has a half-sister named Ellen. His assumed names in order are Richard Bancroft, Alvin Brennar, Al Brennan, Al Peck, Holmes Morrison, Morrison Holmes, and finally Templeton Arthur Peck.
In some Spanish speaking countries, his nickname is "Fas", coming from Fascinador (fascinater) or (more probably) "Faz" meaning "face". In Spain, however, his nickname was simply "Fenix" ("Phoenix"), trading the good-looks motivation for "coolness" and easy subtitution in dubbing. In Italy he was called "Sberla" ("Slap"). In Brazil, his nickname was "Cara-de-Pau".
Tim Dunigan played this role in the pilot episode (it was rumored that he was thought to look too young to be believable a Vietnam veteran), but was replaced by Benedict for the rest of the series run. Face appeared on The A-Team from 1983 until its cancellation in 1987.
