Talk:Mr. T

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Contents

[edit] All

There is a signifcant amount of unsourced and plain incorrect info being inputed. At no point has Mr. T stated the gold he collected was taken from people; it's ludicrous to even begin to believe that (besides being potentially libelous). The stupid photo of his face on a traffic sign: this will be reported if it ever reappears. B.A. stands for Bad Attitude. Bosco was B.A.'s first name; Albert was never referred to. Nor was James for Clubber Lang's name. The holiday home in New Mexico needs sourcing soon or it will be removed. That said, there is some good, well sourced info including in the pop culture section. I will also see about having this protected. --Featsoffact 14:19, 20 July 2007 (UTC)Featsoffact
The sunder king: please STOP reverting the profile. It contains both false and libelous information. You can clearly see that I have removed this and added new, worthwhile info. The photo of the traffic sign will be reported as abuse also.--Featsoffact 14:19, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Breakfast Cereal

There was a Mr. T Breakfast cereal marketed by Quaker oats in the 80s. Shouldn't this be added?

[edit] copyvio

Much of this page is a copyvio. I know I've seen it before.

[edit] Bouncer Competition

The first time I saw Mr. T was on one of those bizarre sports events on late-night cable. It was a contest for the "Ultimate Bouncer." One of the events had contenders hoping aver a bar, racing through a maze of tables, and busting down a door.

I remember they introduced the competitors by having them come out and hit a speed bag. They all did with with vigor, until Mr. T. He came out and just pushed the bag lightly, then launched into one the tirades that made him famous.

He won that competition. I'm sure it was highly choreographed.

If I had to guess, I would saw I saw this in about...1983, maybe? I'm quite sure it was his first exposure to media audiences.

Deane 04:24, Nov 15, 2004 (UTC)


I also remember this. I found nothing on it on the web other than this: I recall that the first time I saw him was on a show called "Games People Play" and he was taking part in a Bouncer (as in bar) competition that had the contestants running a maze through a bar set, leaping over the bar, dodging shit, and ultimately crashing through a break-away wall and ringing a bell to signal that they'd finished. When it came time for T to run the course, he smashed through rather impressively, and actually pulled the bell right off the wall! Dude was already dressing in his outrageous way, with just a few less chains (probably to keep him down to his "fighting weight" :)...Let me just say that he made an impression. posted by Al_Truist at 8:13 AM on April 17

From this website about 1/2 way down http://www.metafilter.com/41264/Mother-there-is-no-other —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.120.173.178 (talk) 19:00, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Ate my balls

Um... I don't want to add it because it's so incredibly trival, but perhaps there should be a mention of the infamous internet phenomenon that was 'Mr. T Ate My Balls'. Perhaps under /Ate_My_Balls ? Or maybe just a sly link? Or maybe just ignore this completely?

Should probably also add that he had his own comic book Mr. T and the T-Force. --MemoryHole.com

And what about that Saturday morning cartoon series he had? I'm not actually sure if it was his real voice, but it was his name and likeness. Seems it should be mentioned. -R. fiend 06:20, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I agree with you both about the cartoons/comics, but Ate my balls now has its own page, which Mr. T links to, and subpages are now frowned upon in the main namespace. Boffy b 16:42, 2005 Feb 6 (UTC)
The cartoon now has a page but I do think there needs to be something on his comic book outtings. Going by naming conventions it'd be: Mr. T (comics). There was one launched by APComics on Mr. T's birthday [1] [2] [3] [4] I am unsure what happened to APComics but I was at the same event when they launched the comic (I'd heard Mr T was going but he never did) and they certianly released some comics although I can't find any information on the graphic novels. So anyone want to get things rolling? (Emperor 15:00, 25 April 2007 (UTC))

[edit] Hoaxes

Several similar sections have been refactored into subsections here or in "Possible hoaxes" immediately following.
--Jerzyt 03:15, 24 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Dead

[edit] Isn't he dead?

I keep hearing that Mr T is dead... seems like he isn't but any way of checking?

Mr. T isn't dead. When I see on Google News that Mr. T has died, I will add it to this page. Philwelch 00:32, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Is this someone's sick joke?

Lots of people are talking about how he died April 1st. Not one reliable news source has anything about it. CardinalFangZERO 20:19, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

  • I received a bulletin on MySpace that said this. Naturally, I could find nothing to confirm it...--SigmaX54 15:00, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

April 1st is April Fools Day. It obviously was a prank someone pulled. - Intensezkramer1993

[edit] RIP Section

The following was removed from the top of the article for obvious reasons.;


Rest In Peace

Lawrence "Mr T" Tureaud died last night in his sleep of unknown causes. He was best known as "B.A." Baracus from the "80's" tv show The A-Team, he was also involved in professional wrestling for a number of years, after starring in Rocky III as "Clubber Lang" where he met Hulk Hogan. Hulk was quoted today as saying " I'm very sorry to hear that, he was a great man who loved god and his mother. I know he always trained and said his prayers but unfortunately he did'nt take his vitamins." According to his family he could not handle swallowing pills, so they would try and put them in his milk, but eventually gave up because Mr T complained that "This milk tastes funky"

Mr. T was born Laurence Tureaud on 21 May 1952 in the rough south side ghetto of Chicago. He is the second to youngest of twelve children (he has four sisters and seven brothers) and grew up in the housing projects. His father left when Laurence was 5, and his mother raised the family on $87 a month welfare in a three-room apartment.

Mr. T's brothers encouraged him to build up his body in order to survive in the area; he has commented, "If you think I'm big, you should see my brothers!". His mother is a religious woman, who has had a strong influence on him. He says, "Any man who don't love his momma can't be no friend of mine." He was an average student in school. "Most of the time", he says, "I stared out the windows, just daydreaming. I didn't study much because I have a photographic memory." Apart from one spell between 5th and 7th grades when he went a little astray -- playing hooky, cursing, acting tough, being disrespectful -- he was a well-behaved child. (He worried about how his mother would feel if he ended up in jail, and stayed out of trouble.)

He attended Dunbar Vocational High School. He was a football star, studied martial arts, and was three times city wrestling champion. He won a scholarship to play football at Prairie View A&M University in Texas, but he was thrown out after a year.

You will be missed.


Sparky 20:22, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

HAHAHA! Don't take this the wrong way, but I wish it was still there!

[edit] and taking stiff ones

Removed a sentence fragment

Who on earth wrote "and taking stiff ones up the tuhuhs.." ?

Oh, never mind, someone else deleted it for me. --88.108.37.77 15:35, 21 May 2006 (UTC)


[edit] President of Russia?

Someone seems to have written that Mr. T is the President of Russia (under "Recent Events").

I think Mr. T will become the next Internet fad, similar to all the Chuck Norris stuff. CardinalFangZERO 23:31, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
Next? He was one of the very first! Now get off my lawn. Rob T Firefly (talk) 17:34, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Possible hoaxes

[edit] Indecent exposure and public intoxication incident

Is this a real, verifiable event, or a troll? Owen× 18:31, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Source

Another theory is that Mr. T wanted his hair cut in the shape of a "T," so that when people asked him his name, he would show them the "T" on his head. However, the haircut went awry, so, to save face, he decided to say that he cut his hair in the same fashion as the Mandinka warriors.

Is there a source for this? Sam Spade 22:57, 14 December 2005 (UTC)
Doubtful. The Mandinka explanation is the one given in his autobiography.--Agent Aquamarine 01:44, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

I seem to remember this being mentioned in an article on www.seanbaby.com, a comedy website active in the late 90's/early 00's. I'm pretty sure Sean made it up as a joke. 88.104.168.187 04:54, 28 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Quotes

Shouldn't there be a distinction made between quotes said by Mr. T and those said by characters he played (mostly BA, I suppose)? Should the latter be included at all? If we start including quotes in actors' pages that were spoken by villians they played we could have some seriously misleading statements. Not so much the case here, but it is something to think about. -R. fiend 16:36, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Well, he plays remarkably the same persona regardless of what role he's playing, but I guess we could clarify some of the quotes. Philwelch 21:16, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC)


[edit] Autobiography

And who could forget about his autobiography, written at the height of his career? Mr. T (1984). Mr. T: The Man With The Gold. New York: St. Martin's Press. It's a classic. Skreechio 21:10, 20 December 2005 (UTC)


[edit] Stay Away from the Bins

Nice to see Mr.T's 43 minute prog-rap epic about staying away from his bins features prominently on his album 'Commandments'. I don't have this on my release, can anybody get hold of it for me?


Mr. T was in The Blues Brothers as an extra, it was a very small part, but he was in it. I know for a fact that he was. I have seen him explain that he was in it on an interview. I cant be one of 2 people in the world who knows this can I? Me and Mr. T

[edit] B. A. "Baracas"

New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle (89 Across, '06 Apr 23) used the erroneous "B. A. Baracas portrayer on TV" as a clue for "MRT" (Mr. T). I'm not sure WP needs to accommodate this error in any way, especially since the correct names B. A. Baracus, and B.A. Baracus, are neither rd links nor Rdrs intended for the character. (Baracus, however, is a rd lk w/in Baracus vittatus, intended for the genus of butterflies.)
--Jerzyt 02:48, 24 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Album

I removed the album track listing as it contained two tracks with impossible times (19:62 and 3:71) and a separate track entitled "Crack is Good for Your Bones." These are not cited by any source in the article and I can't find information on-line to back them up. Until someone can provide a verifiable track listing, we should do without one. 141.158.79.141 19:33, 29 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Gay?

The article claims MR T is living with his male partner, is this true, is he gay? Adamshappy 12:54, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

It's a bad joke, a childish vandalism. I think this page needs to be protected.--Agent Aquamarine 09:33, 21 May 2006 (UTC)
I pity the fool who vandalizes this page! The Gerg 16:49, 21 May 2006 (UTC)
Unfortunately, the request for protection was turned down.--Agent Aquamarine 01:57, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Doorman?

During his stint as a doorman, he would take jewelry from disorderly people and wear them himself as a testament to how well he performed his job as a bouncer.

Did he commit robbery? -- Toytoy 01:02, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

I actually hadn't heard about that before reading this article, and I've read his autobiography. Is it sourced? --Agent Aquamarine 01:57, 23 May 2006 (UTC)
It was added here by an anonymous IP who only made three edits to the Mr. T page. Probably looked over vandalism.
Then how did he get all these jewelry? -- Toytoy 23:59, 2 June 2006 (UTC)
Perhaps he bought it?--Agent Aquamarine 18:46, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Laurence or Lawrence?

Which is correct? It's listed both ways in the article.

According to IMDB it's "Laurence." Will change erroneous entries. Wavy G 06:49, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Mr.T vs

These pages are listed as being on Newgrounds, and a link to that site's wikipedia page is included. However, at the end of that statement, the link is to another site, www.mrtvseverything.com. I don't think that both of these are correct. I'm not familiar with Newgrounds enough to comment on whether or not that is correct, but it looks like the second site is the one that should have the link. What do all of you think? Which one is right? --130.76.64.15 21:23, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "Take" vs "Steal"

"During his stint as a doorman, he would steal jewelry from disorderly people"

versus

"During his stint as a doorman, he would take jewelry from disorderly people"

The phrase describes theft almost euphemistically. The wod "steal" is much more clear. The fact that my ONE WORD change was reverted and called "vandalism" in the notes indicates to me that someone is trying to sugar-coat the facts in this article. I really doubt those disorderly people were happy to donate their jewelry to Mr T. Qwasty 04:31, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

I'm sure that nobody thinks the people he threw out of clubs were willing to "donate" their jewelery to Mr. T, but using the word "steal" makes it sound like he was only there to rob people. He was working as a bouncer. Considering some of the people he probably threw out of clubs, the story was probably just PR to help build up his tough guy image back in the 1980s. If it had really happened, don't you think someone would have called the police on him? ONE WORD can change the entire tone of a sentence, and therefore can certainly constitute vandalism. I apologize for jumping the gun, though. Also, I'm moving this to the bottom of the page, since it's the newest discussion. Thanks! TheQuandry 04:41, 14 July 2006 (UTC)
The phrase describes theft, it's more clear when a synonym is used. I'm also skeptical whether it's true, so I've been searching for references. The best I've found so far just state that he bought his jewelry, but since I've heard plenty of entirely believable stories about thieving bouncers, I think the anecdote could be true and it's worth more reference searching.
As I understand it, the "disorderly people" are just as likely to end up in jail as the thieving bouncer, so when the bouncer steals their possessions - BUT DOES NOT CALL THE POLICE - The issue is not pressed by the victim of the theft. One scenario I envision is the bouncer catches someone dealing drugs in a club, tries to throw them out but they put up a fight, and so the bouncer essentially beats the crap out of them and takes their valuables. The victim doesn't complain because the incident was prompted by his drug dealing, and police are likely to be unsympathetic.
I've heard a few stories along those lines, and for Mr T to both engage in that practice, and openly admit it, is neither surprising, unusual, or even particularly alarming. So, there's probably a source for that phrase out there somewhere if I can find it... Either way though, the phrase does provide an explaination for the origin of the eccentric jewelry habits of Mr T. Supposedly he bought his first chain in 1976 [5]
Qwasty 05:07, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] T's gold

Mr. T was interviewed on TV recently - they asked why he isn't wearing his gold anymore and he said he stopped wearing the chains and earrings etc after hurricane katrina - he couldn't see the sense in it after seeing the suffering people in the south. Now, I'd like to add this info but there isn't a section to put it in. Maybe we can do a T in the 90's/T Today thing?
Kether83 23:23, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

I just read the same thing in the paper today. Mr. T has given up the Gold.

At one point, his gold chains, rings, and bracelets were worth about $5.00.

Que?? 5 dollars? Am I missing the point here or did someone write down the wrong figure? The Dutch version mentions $300.000

[edit] Disambiguation

I added a link to Tomoyuki Uchida. If he has an article, his most common pseudonym, "Mr.T", should probably lead to him somehow. I hope no one has a problem with this. --Boss1000 03:58, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

When it gets to be that many, Mr. T (disambiguation) is the way to go. Cheers! bd2412 T 04:10, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Texas

Adding the text WikiProject Texas so User:WatchlistBot won't tag the article again. Ingrid 21:53, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Fishing Rod

I remember back in the mid 90s there was a line of children's fishing rods with a variety of nautical characters on them. One of the rods was devoted to the character of "Mr. P", a pihranna who was an obvious parody of Mr.T. I'd like to get this into the article, but I want a source for something like this first.--Agent Aquamarine 18:57, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Green Bay Packers?

I can find no record of him ever playing for the Green Bay Packers as claimed in this article. Perhaps he took part in a tryout or even attended a minicamp or training camp, but this is not the same as playing for the team. Perhaps this could be clarified or else deleted. Does he mention this in his autobiography? —Xanderer 19:14, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

It's been years since I've read it, but I believe he mentions trying out for them.--Agent Aquamarine 02:05, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Unlockable

"an unlockable costume" ?

Must be a video game thing. Wavy G 18:26, 9 October 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Picture

There should be a picture only with Mr. T. If you don't know Mr. T or Sylvester, you can't tell who is who.

Yeah, that's why (pay attention here) the picture specifies: "Mr. T (right)." Wavy G 23:01, 20 October 2006 (UTC)

Why must the main picture be a stopsign vandalized with a Mr. T sticker?Eastend 13:47, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Mary Gross/Robin Duke

I know this is just as trivial as it can be, but I'm pretty sure it was Robin Duke alongside Mr. T in the SNL "Mr. and Mrs. T's Bloody Mary Mix" sketch, not Mary Gross.

[edit] ledgend status

although this is not something that can be technically claimed, i think it has to be mentioned the status that he has gained as ledgend online and on T.V —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 212.219.92.232 (talk) 12:40, 1 February 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Japanese?

"...is a Japanese actor" WTF???

[edit] Does Anyone Know What the Old Link Here Was?

The one that used to have the Mr. T versus stuff?--Mullon 22:24, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

You can search the page history, or you can use Google. The first link that pops up for "MT versus" is http://www.mrtvseverything.com/. -Will Beback · · 22:32, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Work as bodyguard.

I remember reading earlier in this entry that Mr. T had done work as a body guard. Shouldn`t this be mentioned? Quotes from the Trivia section on Mr. T`s entry on IMDB

My fault, didn`t se this mentioned. But maybee a reference to IMDB could be added, or that he worked for steve mcqueen?

Previous occupations include gym teacher, military policeman, bouncer and bodyguard. Once worked as a bouncer and a bodyguard to Steve McQueen, Muhammad Ali & Diana Ross.

—The preceding unsigned comment was made by --129.240.169.120 18:04, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What does Jibba Jabba have to do with Mr. T?

Well? 68.161.210.106 19:30, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

It's one of his most famous phrases, along with anything that has the words, pity, plane and fool. --I don't like football 05:38, 23 March 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Religious bias?

"In October, 2006 his new reality television show for TV Land, called I Pity the Fool began, in which the devout Christian assists those in need"

How is his religion relevant here? Ilkali 18:31, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

In the current version, there's no mention whatsoever of his religion. In Mr. T's case, he has been a flamboyant character in person and in his roles for all of his public life. Recently, he has been vocal in discussing his faith, demonstrating the importance of his relationship with God to people. It seems like a pretty basic aspect of his persona that should be worthy of mention. Aren't many famous people's religions mentioned at least as factual information in Wikipedia and other encyclopedic references? Could the total absence of mention of his religion be "biased"? If he had converted to Islam, for example, and made public statements about it, and changed some of his very public behaviors as a result of it, wouldn't that be worthy of mention? (Think Ali.) Holy 03:58, 5 August 2007 (UTC)
Look at the text I quoted. It draws an implicit link between 'Mr. T is a devout Christian' and 'Mr. T assists those in need'. They're irrelevant. I'm not saying the article shouldn't make any mention of his religion. Ilkali 21:01, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Haircut

About the African roots thing, I've heard there was a documentary on Mr. T that said the haircut came about because he wanted his hair to be in the shape of a T so he could point to his scalp when people asked him his name, but they messed it up. I don't know the documentary, nor any sources aside from "Be Somebody or Be Somebody's Fool" that states the haircut was African inspired. Can anyone clear this up. --24.255.171.205 20:12, 16 June 2007 (UTC)

It was in a recent episode of his TV show I believe, he mentioned that his haircut wasn't actually a Mohawk, he started wearing it because of some other Indian tribe that he respected. Of course, that hairstyle is referred to as a Mohawk regardless of why one cuts it that way. I don't recall the name of the other Indian tribe he referred to and couldn't find it on a quick google search. Jonathan Roy (talk) 16:39, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
Sorry, you were right, African not Indian. http://www.tvacres.com/hair_mr_t.htm says his haircut comes from the Mandinka tribe in Africa. If you search google for "mr t" Mandinka you'll find many other such references. Jonathan Roy (talk) 16:51, 21 November 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Looks I've learned something.

Yes it's true: I thought it's important to distinguish between the BA Baracus *ROLE* and the *PERSON* Mr. T. Never knew he was wearing this gold stuff also apart from the A Team role. Just thought he was merely flipping a switch when he was finished acting and did a sort of metamorphosis from BA (decked in gold) to Mr. T (private person, no gold). Compare serious person Rowan Atkinson with his ROLE "Mr. Bean". -andy 194.138.39.140 09:19, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Can anyone count?

The article states "the youngest boy of thirteen children. He, his four sisters and his seven brothers". So four sisters plus seven brothers makes eleven siblings - plus Mr T himself makes twelve. How come it says thirteen? TinyMark 16:57, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Youtube link?

It seems like someone was lazy and put a link to Youtube and not a specific video. Too bad I'm too lazy to find that video :P —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.124.125.120 (talk) 11:46, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

Specific YouTube videos are not allowed for reasons of possible copyright infringement. Anyone with half a brain can find what they are looking for with a search in YouTube! TinyMark 18:14, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] general biography?

What happened to the general biographical information section? I checked a revision from a few months ago and it had a section about where he grew up and whatnot. GetsEclectic (talk) 00:06, 17 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Bodyguard for Bruce Lee!?!

Checked the source article, does not say anything about Bruce Lee!--71.179.235.178 (talk) 22:29, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Cancer diagnosis?

I vaguely remember that Mr. T had an illness of some kind in the 90s - I did some looking and I found an interview where he states he had cancer in 1995 though it's not any more specific. http://www.beliefnet.com/story/201/story_20189_1.html Perhaps this should be added? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 151.204.255.147 (talk) 21:13, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] WrestleMania problems?

I was reading the WrestleMania article and read there were some troubles with Mr. T, i highlighted the exact thing i'm addressing.

"Mr. T entered the world of professional wrestling in 1985. He was Hulk Hogan's tag-team partner at the first WrestleMania. Hulk Hogan wrote in his autobiography that Mr. T saved the main event of WrestleMania I between them and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff because when he arrived, security would not let his entourage into the building. Mr. T was ready to skip the show until Hogan personally talked him out of leaving. Piper has said that he and other fellow wrestlers disliked Mr. T because he was an actor coming into wrestling and had never paid his dues as a professional wrestler."

My question is what exactly did they mean "entourage" ? Was it like the entourage they have in boxing? I just don't get what Mr. T needed all that for, although in the early 1986 SNME i did notice Mr. T had a group of people with him, i wonder if that's who they were making reference to. Terminator14 (talk) 11:08, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Image copyright problem with Image:BABaracus.jpg

The image Image:BABaracus.jpg is used in this article under a claim of fair use, but it does not have an adequate explanation for why it meets the requirements for such images when used here. In particular, for each page the image is used on, it must have an explanation linking to that page which explains why it needs to be used on that page. Please check

  • That there is a non-free use rationale on the image's description page for the use in this article.
  • That this article is linked to from the image description page.

This is an automated notice by FairuseBot. For assistance on the image use policy, see Wikipedia:Media copyright questions. --11:58, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Kids in court

I can't find the reference to it but I remember reading an article about how when he was being treated for cancer a huge amount of people he'd visited in kids cancer wards over the years showed up to repay the favour. Also that when the A team was on TV a child was involved in a real life court case but wouldn't be a witness unless Mr. T was there to protect them. He was requested to show up and did so, and the kid testified. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.202.189.244 (talk) 08:57, 5 June 2008 (UTC)