Mr. T is a born-again Christian who battled cancer, flogged ovens and nearly became a professional ASSASSIN after A-Team fame
Yesterday it was announced the 64-year-old will take part in the US version of Strictly Come Dancing - and he's certainly no stranger to trying something new
WITH his distinctive mohawk hairstyle and tough guy image, Mr T will certainly raise eyebrows when he swaps wrestling clobber and gold chains for sequins later this month.
Yesterday it was announced the 64-year-old muscleman will take part in the upcoming series of Dancing with the Stars – the US version of Strictly Come Dancing.
Despite having played ‘himself’ in the majority of shows he’s appeared on, this is Mr T’s first foray into the modern realm of reality TV.
But he’s never been shy of trying out something new - suffice to say, the star has had a pretty colourful life.
Born Lawrence Tureaud, the American actor is the youngest son in a family of 12 children and grew up in the projects of Illinois, Chicago.
In his 1984 biography, The Man With The Gold, he told how he witnessed murder, rape, and other terrible crimes on a daily basis as a kid.
He puts his survival and success down to his mum, who brought him up alone after his father left when he was five.
Tureaud was fiercely protective of his mother, as he once described when discussing two criminals who robbed her.
In his book he explained: “I am at peace once again because I did what had to be done. And I pity the fool who don’t protect his mother.”
During his youth he also once beat up a policeman, though apparently this was “accidental”.
This was before Tureaud became a born-again Christian.
Having been expelled from university after his first year, Tureaud enlisted in the US Army, serving in the Military Police Corps, where he excelled.
After his discharge he tried to make it as a professional American footballer, but failed to make the team due to a knee injury.
In the Seventies he started working as a bouncer, during which time he created the Mr T persona and started cladding himself in gold jewellery – usually left behind by customers at the end of a night.
His famous Mohawk hairstyle is modelled on a Mandinka warrior. After reading a copy of National Geographic, Mr T decided it would be make a powerful statement about his African heritage.
Having earned a legendary reputation working as the doorman at Dingbats Disco in Chicago, where he had “over two hundred fights”, he branched out to earn a living as - in his words - “one of the most famous and highest-paid bodyguards in the business”.
His client list was certainly varied – he looked after 42 millionaires, eight airline stewardesses, 16 prostitutes and celebrities including Steve McQueen, Muhammad Ali and Michael Jackson.
For his protection, clients would pay between $3,000 (£2,440) and $10,000 (£8,140) a day.
While working in security, Mr T was approached by NBC to take part in a TV show called America’s Toughest Bouncer.
The show involved pitting people from different countries against each other for various bonkers ‘tough guy’ challenges, from throwing a stunt man as far as they could to running through a solid wooden door.
To train for this, Mr T said he returned to his old ghetto neighbourhood, found some condemned buildings and charged down walls and doors for “two weeks”.
It clearly worked – he won the honour of America’s Toughest Bouncer twice and caught the eye of Slyvester Stallone, who offered him the role of Clubber Lang in 1982 flick Rocky III – cementing his reputation as the ultimate tough guy.
His famous line, “I don't hate him but...I pity the fool”, is said to have been inspired by the interview Mr T gave before finishing off his opponent in the boxing ring in the final of America’s Toughest Bouncer in less than 54 seconds.
Mr T’s hardman reputation led to him once being offered $75,000 (£61,110) to assassinate a target.
He was sent an advance of $5,000 (£4,070) along with a first class round-trip airline ticket, but he turned down the commission.
Mr T landed his most famous role, as ex-Army commando B. A. Baracus in cult TV series The A-Team, in 1983.
We went on to appear in sitcom Diff’rent Strokes and starred in film DC Cab alongside Adam Baldwin and Gary Busey.
He was even the inspiration for a cartoon – Mister T, which premiered on NBC in 1983.
Embracing his “fool” catchphrase, in 1984 he made a motivational video called Be Somebody… Or Be Somebody’s Fool, giving advice to children and rapping about growing up in the ghetto.
At the time he also released an album – Mr T’s Commandments.
In 1985 he entered the world of professional wrestling, becoming Hulk Hogan’s tag-team partner at WrestleMania, which he won.
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Thanks to his role in Rocky III, Mr T became a special ‘WWF boxer’ and he made it into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014.
His acting career took a downturn when, in 1995, he was diagnosed with rare T-cell lymphoma, yet he continued to appear on talk shows and commercials.
To treat the cancer, Mr T underwent chemo and radiation – supported by wife Phyllis, the mother of his three children Lesa, Erika, and T Junior, whom he married in 1971, though the couple are now divorced.
In 2008 he featured in a Snickers advert, calling a speed-walking man in tight yellow shorts a “disgrace to the man race” before firing chocolate bars at him and booming the now infamous slogan: “Get some nuts!”
The commercial was axed in America after US human rights groups complained they were “homophobic”.
He’s also put his name to whistles, breakfast cereal and even torches, operated by Mr T branded batteries.
In 2008 he appeared on the American channel Shopping TV, flogging his 'Mr. T Flavorwave Oven' and in 2009 he provided the voice for Officer Earl Devereaux in animated flick Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
Not letting go of his catchphrase, he presented a clip show on BBC Three called ‘World’s Craziest Fools’ in 2011 and in 2015 he fronted DIY show ‘I Pity the Tool’.
In 2015 Mr T starred in a series of Fuze Iced Tea advertisements, adopting the catchphrase: "The only thing bolder than Fuze Iced Tea is ME!"
The brand, which is owned by Coca-Cola, also briefly focused its social profiles and website around the star.
Now Mr T has been paired with professional dancer Kym Herjavec for Season 24 of Dancing with the Stars and will go up against the likes of Fifth Harmony singer Normani Kordei.
Despite his admission that he "can't dance", we pity the fools that take him on.