How Mr T went from knocking man’s teeth out with a shotgun to protecting Michael Jackson before finding global fame

FACEMAN brought the looks, Murdock the humour and Hannibal “the plan”, but if it was not for Mr T’s B.A. Baracus, there would be no A-Team. But the Eighties icon, who played the genius mechanic with a fear of flying, also sparked the show’s demise — with his cast-mates jealous of his global fame. Mr T is the subject of a Netflix documentary, in which he reveals the secrets behind The A-team’s success and why his career peaked and fell away Credit: © 2026 Netflix, Inc. The star played B.A. Baracus in The A-Team, above alongside Melinda Culea, Dwight Schultz, Dirk Benedict and George Peppard Credit: Getty At one point during The A-Team’s four-year run from 1983, the former nightclub bouncer from the projects of South Chicago was considered the most famous man on the planet. With his distinctive mohawk and heavy gold chains, he had been plucked from virtual obscurity by Sylvester Stallone in 1982 to star in the third instalment of his Rocky films. Mr T, real name Laurence Tureaud, is now the subject of a Netflix documentary, out on Tuesday, in which he reveals the secrets behind The A-team’s success and why his career peaked and fell away due to his ego. He recalls: “The president of NBC says, ‘I want to create a series on this guy Mr T, with the mohawk, where he’s driving a car or bus or something. Then we’ll build some other people around him’. “So he brought in ‘Faceman’ Dirk Benedict, ‘Murdock’ Dwight Schultz and ‘Hannibal’ George Peppard. “I was the only guy who didn’t audition for The A-Team.” The four men played ex-special forces soldiers, branded war criminals for a crime they did not commit. They became heroes for hire in a classic good versus evil caper with cartoonish violence, a famous black van and an epic theme tune. Of the show’s success, Mr T, 74, says: “We beat up the Fonz (Happy Days), we beat up Magnum and then we started kicking 60 Minutes’ butts. “We was number one. Like we say, ‘We love it when a plan comes together’.” But just like Mr T’s gold chains, the actor’s mass appeal weighed heavy on veteran actor Peppard, who struggled to hide his jealousy towards his co-star, who by now was “the hottest star on television”, according to his ex-agent Peter Young. NBC created a Mr T cartoon which aired on Saturday mornings and he also became an advertiser’s dream, featuring on countless commercials with his “you crazy fool” catchphrase. He was also known for the famous line “I pity the fool”, which came from Rocky III. Mr T’s sheer level of fame took its toll on Peppard, triggering clashes between the pair. Young explains: “I believe season one and two everyone was getting along. It was called The A-Team and they were a real team, but George Peppard was always jealous of T because of the fame. “Then it was the third or fourth season when George was very insulting to him and T wanted off the show. “T was very unique. I think right time, right place, right everything fuelled the fire to make him hot and then the fire kind of dwindled.” Mr T, who was born into poverty in the Robert Taylor Housing projects in Chicago., first became a bodyguard after an incident involving his beloved mum Willie Credit: Alamy With his mohawk and gold chains, he was plucked from virtual obscurity by Sylvester Stallone in 1982 to star in the third instalment of his Rocky films Credit: Alamy Stock Photo The A-Team was widely expected to launch Mr T on to even greater things, but the mass marketing of his brand turned him into a caricature and softened his impact as an actor. Plus, by this stage, Mr T was believing in his own hype. Young recalls: “In his stardom he did expect to be treated better and better. When he became extremely famous and made an appearance, he said he’d ‘only go if they send me a white stretch limo. I want bottles of Calgon Bouquet by the bath’. “If it wasn’t the right way, it would be disrespectful to him. At one point during The A-Team’s four-year run from 1983, Mr T was considered the most famous man on the planet Credit: Getty The A-Team was widely expected to launch Mr T on to even greater things, but the mass marketing of his brand turned him into a caricature Credit: NBCUniversal via Getty Images “There have been projects certainly worth doing where T had blown the deal over monies. Not enough. I think he does self-sabotage.” The resulting years saw his career blighted with money squabbles with his family and flop film roles, including playing a bearded lady in 1993 black comedy Freaked. However, it was still a career beyond the wildest dreams for a kid born into poverty in the Robert Taylor Housing projects in Chicago. “Poor black people packed on top of each other,” is how he describes it. Raised by his parents alongside seven brothers and four sisters, Mr T sculpted his famous physique by performing pull-ups on trees as a youngster. Shocked teachers could not believe he was not using weights. He excelled at sports in school, namely wrestling and American football, but after an incident involving his beloved mum Willie, Mr T’s calling in life changed. She was mugged for her welfare cheque while returning to her high-rise flat and after receiving a call from his sister, Mr T was intent on revenge. He said: “I had a pump shotgun, 12 gauge, put it in my car, drive down there, guys waiting downstairs. I said ‘Hey man, my mother got robbed, know anything about it?’. Mr T pictured with Muhammad Ali in 1985 Credit: Getty Images First Lady Nancy Reagan sits on the lap of the television personality Credit: Bettmann Archive “ ‘No, man, know nothing about it’. Bam, knocked the guy’s teeth out with the butt of the gun. “ ‘Don’t lie to me MF, you know something. I’m going to kill you for not knowing nothing’. “Guys got to know we gonna bring the heat, we coming, and after a couple of days, found them one at a time and I had to do what I had to do. “I was insane, it was like an out-of-body thing, thinking about my mother and seeing her shaking there. The four A-team men became heroes for hire in a classic good versus evil caper with cartoonish violence, a famous black van (above) and an epic theme tune Credit: Getty Images I’m ‘MR’ for a reason MR T has revealed the reason he changed his name shortly before becoming a bodyguard. Born Laurence Tureaud, the A-Team star wanted to command a level of respect not given to his father and brothers. He explains: “As a black man being brought up in white society I saw my father being called ‘boy’, then I saw my brother who came back from Vietnam being called ‘boy’. “I self-ordained myself Mr T so the first word out of everybody’s mouth would be ‘Mr’. That’s a sign of respect my father didn’t get. “So when they’re addressing me as ‘Mr T’, you’re addressing my father, my brothers and other black men who came up from the ranks who were disrespected. “If you respect the man, respect the name, you will address me as ‘Mr T’.” He used the new name when appearing on 1980 game show Games People Play to test the skills of security guards, where he was crowned America’s Toughest Bouncer. His role in the series caught the attention of Sylvester Stallone, who later cast him in Rocky III. “You know why I feel so bad? Because I wasn’t there to protect her. “I could be like a magician and make people disappear. I was born for that moment. I’m that shield, my job is to protect you from whoever come near and do harm. “That’s when it hit me, I’m going to become a bodyguard.” He changed his name to Mr T and got business cards printed, which read: “Mr T, bodyguard extraordinaire — next to God, there is no better protector than I.” And he lived up to the billing, as word soon got round that this burly security guard working at Dingbats Discotheque was no ordinary bouncer. He was later hired to protect A-listers including Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. But it was a job shepherding boxer Leon Spinks, who had just beaten his hero Muhammad Ali to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in 1978, which caught Hollywood’s attention. He appeared in a game show for bouncers in 1980, where he was spotted by Stallone, who was looking for a new opponent for Rocky Balboa to fight in his third Rocky film. Mr T successfully landed the role of Clubber Lang, a big-punching bruiser from Chicago, which catapulted him to stardom. And the world became obsessed by this mohawked hardman with gold chains, combat boots and feather earrings. Due to his Christian beliefs, Mr T never fell victim to the rampant drug culture of 80s Hollywood like so many of his contemporaries. He married wife Phyllis Clark in 1971 and the pair had three children, including daughter Erika Clarke, who is now a comedian. They divorced in the mid-80s but the veteran star recently revealed he is engaged and set to marry his partner, who is keeping out of the spotlight. Mr T brought his mother a house so she could finally leave the projects, but you get the impression he is not living a lavish lifestyle off the proceeds of his career. Having successfully beaten a rare form of cancer in 2001, he is now a born-again Christian with close links to the United States Army and Make-a-Wish Foundation. And he feels this last points were underplayed in the documentary, which he has blasted for focusing too much on his bad business decisions. However, he still embraces his most famous role, regularly meeting A-Team fans at events including Comic Con, where they fly out in droves to meet him because, obviously, he “ain’t getting in no plane”. Untold Mr. T: I Pity The Fool is released on Fr­iday on Netflix.