John "Hannibal" Smith

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Col. John "Hannibal" Smith is a fictional character in the 1980s action/adventure television series The A-Team played by George Peppard.

The A-Team is a group of ex-United States Army Special Forces who, during the Vietnam War, were convicted of a crime they did not commit and managed to escape from the military police. As fugitives, the A-Team work as soldiers of fortune, using their military training to fight oppression or injustice. Hannibal, along with B.A. Baracus, Templeton "Faceman" Peck, and H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock make up the A-Team.

"Hannibal", naming himself after the famous military commander and strategist, is the leader of the A-Team. He is distinguished by his constant cigar-smoking, his black leather gloves, and his many comic disguises. He is a master tactician (although his plans rarely turn out as they are supposed to) and seems to have a plan for getting the team out of any situation they get into. He is probably best known for his catch phrase, "I love it when a plan comes together".

He fought in both the Korean and Vietnam wars and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (although, he is most often referred to simply as "Colonel"). Thriving on adventure and the adrenaline rush of life-threatening situations (or being "on the jazz", as B.A. called it), he seems to genuinely enjoy every challenge they encounter. He is renowned by both allies and enemies for being cool-headed and extremely clever. There is rarely a situation where he is not able to smile in the face of adversity. He will usually light up a cigar, when he needs to do some thinking — often when coming up with a plan, and in the heat of a dangerous or exciting moment. He is also often seen putting on his gloves when he senses the action is about to pick up (such as a fist fight breaking out). When captured by their enemies, he will deliver flippant or sarcastic remarks. He regularly dispenses aphorisms, especially to their foes, upon defeating them. He also has some medical skills which he picked up when in Vietnam.

Colonel Smith is a fictional recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Distinghuished Service Cross, the Silver Star Medal, the Bronze Star Medal with Valor Clasp, the Purple Heart and the Vietnam Campaign Medal amoung many others.

He styles himself a "master of disguise", though his skill lay not so much in how convincing his disguise was, but in his ability to assume any role and convince others that his role is genuine. Most episodes begin with the prospective clients coming to meet the A-Team, and instead, being introduced to one of Hannibal's comic aliases. Hannibal uses his various disguises to screen all the A-Team's potential clients to assure they were not fronts for the military—sometimes playing more than one at a time. Clients often make reference to a "Mr. Lee", the owner of a Chinese laundromat who tells them where to meet the team (Hannibal played Mr. Lee in the pilot when meeting Amy Allen, and he is regularly mentioned throughout the series).

When not working with the team, Hannibal works as an actor, playing monsters in low-budget horror movies (being a fugitive, he can only choose roles in which his face cannot be seen). His many roles include "Gatorella", "Killgator", and his most famous, "The Aquamaniac". Naturally, Hannibal secures his roles playing his own agent.

Hannibal appeared on The A-Team from its beginning in 1983 until its cancellation in 1987.