Mr. T: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox actor |
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|image = MrT.jpg |
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|imagesize = 200px |
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|caption = |
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|birthname = Laurence Tureaud |
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|birthdate = {{birth date and age|1952|5|21}} |
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|birthplace = [[Chicago, Illinois]], [[U.S.]] |
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|occupation = [[actor]], [[motivational speaker]], [[wrestler]], bodyguard, TV personality |
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|yearsactive = 1982–present |
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|homepage = |
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}} |
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'''Mr. T''' (born '''Laurence Tureaud''' on May 21, 1952) is an [[United States|American]] [[actor]] known for his roles as [[B. A. Baracus]] in the 1980s [[television]] series ''[[The A-Team]]'', as [[boxing|boxer]] [[Clubber Lang]] in the 1982 film ''[[Rocky III]]'', and for his appearances as a professional wrestler. Mr. T is also well-known for his distinctive [[mohawk hairstyle]], for wearing large amounts of gold jewelry, and for his tough guy image. He starred in the [[reality show]] ''[[I Pity the Fool (TV series)|I Pity the Fool]]'', shown on [[TV Land]], the title of which comes from his [[catchphrase]] from ''[[Rocky III]]''. |
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==Early life== |
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Mr. T was born '''Laurence Tureaud''' in [[Chicago, Illinois]], the youngest son in a family with twelve children. His father, Nathaniel Tureaud Sr., was a [[Minister (Christianity)|minister]].<ref name="PeopleDotCom">[http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20088784,00.html|People.com article on Mr. T's family ties]</ref> Tureaud, with his four sisters and seven brothers, grew up in one of the city's [[housing projects]], [[Robert Taylor Homes]]. |
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Tureaud attended [[Dunbar High School (Chicago)|Dunbar High School]],<ref name=glance>"Dunbar at a glance". ''Chicago Sun-Times''. December 29, 1993. 76.</ref> where he played football, wrestled, and studied [[martial arts]]. He won a scholarship to [[Prairie View A&M University]]. Tureaud also attended several small Chicago area colleges on athletic scholarships.{{Dubious|date=January 2010}} After leaving school, Tureaud became a [[United States Army Military Police Corps|military policeman]] in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]], before trying out for the [[National Football League|NFL]] football team [[Green Bay Packers]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} |
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Tureaud worked as a [[Bouncer_(doorman)|bouncer]] after he returned from the army. It was at this time that he created the persona of "Mr. T". His wearing of gold neck chains and other jewelry was the result of customers losing the items or leaving them behind at the bar/night club after a fight. A customer, who may have been banned from the club or trying to avoid another confrontation, would not have to re-enter the club if Mr. T wore their jewelry as he stood out front. When a customer returned to claim the item, it was readily visible and available with no further confrontations required. Often, the "former" customers did not return. Mr. T thus built up a large collection and earned a reputation for wearing many gold neck chains and bracelets.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} |
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Mr. T managed eventually to parlay his job as a bouncer into a career as a [[bodyguard]] to the stars that lasted almost ten years. He protected well-known personalities like [[Muhammad Ali]], [[Steve McQueen (actor)|Steve McQueen]], [[Michael Jackson]], [[Leon Spinks]], [[Joe Frazier]] and [[Diana Ross]], charging $3,000 per day.<ref>[http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/mister_t_1_/bio.jhtml Mr. T | View the Music Artists Biography Online | VH1.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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As a bodyguard, Tureaud's business card read, "Next to God, there is no greater protector than I." Mr. T claimed that he never lost a client, saying, "I got hurt worse growing up in the [[ghetto]] than working as a bodyguard." A bald-headed Mr. T can be seen on film accompanying Joe Frazier to the ring in Frazier's rematch against [[George Foreman]] in 1976.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} |
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==Acting roles and work== |
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While reading ''[[National Geographic]]'', Mr. T first noticed the unusual hairstyle, for which he is now famous, on a [[Mandinka people|Mandinka]] warrior.<ref>Mentioned in a number of interviews, including [http://allhiphop.com/stories/features/archive/2006/11/09/18133735.aspx Mr. T: Pity The Fool], allhiphop.com, Published Thursday, November 09, 2006. Mr. T gives a 1977 date, for an article with photos on the Mandinka in Mali. National Geographic Magazine's index has no record of such an article. [http://publicationsindex.nationalgeographic.com/ http://publicationsindex.nationalgeographic.com/].</ref> He decided that adoption of the style would be a powerful statement about his [[African]] origin. It was a simpler, safer and more permanent visual signature than his gold chains, rings, and bracelets. The gold jewelry was worth about $300,000 at the time and took him about an hour to put on. Most nights, Mr. T spent even more time cleaning them using an [[ultrasonic cleaner]]. Occasionally, he slept with the heavy neck chains and bracelets on, "to see how my ancestors, who were [[Slavery|slaves]], felt."<ref>[http://www.tvacres.com/jewelry_mr_t.htm tvacres.com]</ref> |
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In 1980, Mr. T was spotted by [[Sylvester Stallone]] while taking part in NBC's "America's Toughest Bouncer" competition—a segment of NBC's ''[[Games People Play (TV series)|Games People Play]]''.<ref>[http://www.starpulse.com/Actors/Mr._T/Biography/ Biography of Mr. T]</ref> His role in ''[[Rocky III]]'' was originally intended as just a few lines. His catchphrase, "I pity the fool!", comes from the film, in which he played a boxer facing Rocky Balboa. When asked if he hated Rocky, he replied, "No, I don't hate Balboa, but I pity the fool." Subsequently, after losing out on the role of the title character's mentor in ''[[The Beastmaster]]'', Mr. T appeared in another boxing [[film]], ''Penitentiary 2'', and on an episode of [[Showtime]]'s early [[sketch comedy]] series ''[[Bizarre (TV series)|Bizarre]]'', where he fights and eats [[Super Dave Osborne]], before accepting a television series role on ''[[The A-Team]]''. |
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Mr. T appeared in an episode of ''[[Silver Spoons]]'', reprising his old role as bodyguard to [[Rick Stratton|Ricky Stratton]]. In the episode, he explains his name as "First name: ''Mister''; middle name: ''period''; last name ''T''." In one scene, when Ricky's class erupts into a paper ball throwing melee, Mr. T throws his body in front of the objects, fully protecting his client. |
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In ''[[The A-Team]]'', he played [[B.A. Baracus|Sergeant Bosco "B.A." Baracus]] (''B.A.'' is an abbreviation of "Bad Attitude" as well as "Bosco Albert"), an ex-army [[commando]] on the run with three other members from the [[United States|U.S.]] government "for a crime they didn't commit." When asked at a press conference whether he was as stupid as B.A. Baracus, he observed quietly, "It takes a smart guy to play dumb." |
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[[File:NancyReaganMrTChristmas1983.jpg|right|thumb|Mr. T plays Santa Claus with First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]] for Christmas at the White House, 1983]] |
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A [[Ruby-Spears Productions|Ruby-Spears]] produced [[cartoon]] called ''[[Mister T (TV series)|Mister T]]'' premiered in 1983 on [[NBC]]. The ''Mister T'' cartoon starred Mr. T as himself, the owner of a gym where a group of gymnasts trained. He helped them with their training but they also helped him solve mysteries and fight crime. Thirty episodes were produced. |
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In 1984, he made a motivational video called ''[[Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool!]]''. He gives helpful advice to children throughout the video; for example, he teaches them how to understand and appreciate their origins, how to dress fashionably without buying designer labels, how to make tripping up look like [[breakdancing]], how to control their anger, and how to deal with peer pressure. The video is roughly one hour long, but contains 30 minutes of singing, either by the group of children accompanying him, or by Mr. T himself. He sings "Treat Your Mother Right (Treat Her Right)", in which he enumerates the reasons why it is important to treat your mother right, and also raps a song about growing up in the ghetto and praising [[God]]. The raps in this video were written by [[Ice T]]. That same year he released a related rap album titled ''Mr. T's Commandments''. Also in 1984, he starred in the film, ''The Toughest Man in the World''. |
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In 1988, Mr. T starred in the television series ''[[T. and T.]]''. Mr. T was once reported to be earning around $80,000 a week for his role in ''The A-Team'' and earning $15,000 for personal appearances. By the end of the 1990s, he was appearing only in the occasional commercial, largely because of health problems. (In 1995, he was diagnosed with [[T-cell lymphoma]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-09-14-mr-t_x.htm |title=USATODAY.com - For Mr. T, gold chains are out, helping is in |format= |work= |accessdate=2010-02-10}}</ref>) He frequently appears on the [[Trinity Broadcasting Network|TBN]] Christian television network. He has appeared in commercials for [[MCI Communications|MCI]]'s 1-800-COLLECT collect-call service and on ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]''. He has also appeared on some [[Comcast]] commercials, and in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand during 2007, advertising the chocolate bar [[Snickers]] with the slogan "Get Some Nuts!".<ref>[http://getsomenuts.tv/ GET SOME NUTS | Snickers <!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> One of these commercials, featuring Mr. T crashing through a wall on the back of a [[Technical (fighting vehicle)|technical vehicle]] before firing Snickers bars at a speed walker wearing tight-fitting yellow shorts, was pulled by [[Mars, Incorporated|Mars]] following a complaint by the US-based group [[Human Rights Campaign]], despite the fact that the advert had never been shown outside the UK. The group alleged that the commercial promoted the idea that violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people "is not only acceptable, but humorous".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Mars-Pulls-Mr-T-Snickers-Ad-Over-Gay-Row/Article/200807415059196?lpos=UK%2BNews_1&lid=ARTICLE_15059196_Mars%2BPulls%2BMr%2BT%2BSnickers%2BAd%2BOver%2BGay%2BRow|title=Mr T Ad Pulled In Anti-Gay Row|publisher=[[Sky News]]|date=2008-07-29}}</ref> The commercials are still shown on Australian television. |
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Mr. T appeared in a popular commercial for the [[Oregon Lottery]] which parodied the current popularity of reality TV shows. The commercial was a satire, in which Mr. T starred in a fictitious reality show entitled ''Who Can Spend 30 Days in a Trailer with Mr. T?''.{{Citation needed|reason=Video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KslWOw9FsQk was removed by user|date=May 2009}} |
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Mr. T did a video campaign for [[Hitachi Data Systems Corporation|Hitachi's Data Systems]] that was created and posted on consumer video sites including [[YouTube]] and [[Yahoo! Video]]. According to Steven Zivanic, senior director and corporate communications of HDS, "this campaign has not only helped the firm in its own area, but it has given the data storage firm a broader audience."<ref>[http://www.dmnews.com/cms/dm-news/internet-marketing/42045.html Mr. T attracts viewers, buyers for Hitachi - DMNews<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In November 2007, Mr. T appeared in a television commercial for the online role playing game ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' with the phrase ''"I'm Mr. T and I'm a [[Warcraft (series)#Night Elves|Night Elf]] Mohawk"''.<ref>[http://www.wow-europe.com/en/downloads/commercials.html#mrt World of Warcraft Europe -> Downloads -> Movies -> TV Commercials<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> A followup to this commercial appeared in November 2009 where he appeared promoting the "mohawk grenade" item, which appears in game and turns other players into Mr T's likeness. |
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In 2008 Mr. T appeared on the American channel ''Shopping TV'' selling his "Mr. T Flavorwave Oven".<ref>[http://www.thane.com/products/housewares/flavorwave-turbo/flavorwave-turbo.php]</ref> |
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Mohawk Media, publisher of the Mr. T graphic novel, has announced on its website that [[Sony Pictures]] will be producing a [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] movie starring Mr. T, scheduled for release in 2009,<ref>[http://www.mohawkmedia.co.uk/preview.htm]</ref> as well as [[Mr. T (video game)|a video game]] by [[ZootFly]].<ref name=IGN>[http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/976/976832p1.html Zootfly Announces Mr. T Games]</ref> |
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===Wrestling=== |
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Mr. T entered the world of [[professional wrestling]] in 1985. He was [[Hulk Hogan]]'s tag-team partner at the first [[WrestleMania (1985)|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. |
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Remaining with the WWF, Mr. T became a special "WWF boxer," in light of his character in ''Rocky III.'' He took on [[Bob Orton, Jr.|"Cowboy" Bob Orton]] on the [[Saturday Night's Main Event results#Saturday Night's Main Event V|March 1, 1986 edition]] of ''[[WWE Saturday Night's Main Event|Saturday Night's Main Event]],'' on NBC. This boxing stunt ultimately culminated in another boxing match against Roddy Piper at [[WrestleMania 2]]. Mr. T returned to the World Wrestling Federation as a special guest referee in 1987 as well as a special referee enforcer confronting such stars as the Honky Tonk Man. |
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Seven years later, Mr. T reappeared as a special referee for a Hogan-[[Ric Flair]] match, in October 1994, at [[Halloween Havoc#1994|Halloween Havoc]], and then went on to wrestle again, defeating [[Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)|Kevin Sullivan]] at that year's [[Starrcade#1994|Starrcade]]. |
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Mr. T returned to wrestling another seven years later, appearing in the front row of an episode of [[WWE Raw|WWF Raw]] on November 19, 2001.<ref>[http://slashwrestling.com/raw/011119.html]</ref> |
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===Albums=== |
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In 1984 Mr. T released an album titled ''[[Mr. T's Commandments]]'' ([[Columbia Records|Columbia]]/[[Sony Music Entertainment|CBS Records]]), much in the same tone as his 1984 educational video, which instructed children to stay in school and to stay away from drugs. He later followed up with a second album the same year, titled ''Mr T's [[Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool!]]'' ([[MCA Records]]), which featured music from the film of the same name. |
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In 2002, Mr. T appeared in the video for "Pass The Courvoisier" by [[Busta Rhymes]] featuring [[P. Diddy]] and [[Pharell Williams]]. [[John Cena]]'s music video "[[Bad Bad Man]]" also featured an imitation of Mr. T/B.A. by [[Freddie Foxx]] throughout. |
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==Personal life== |
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Mr. T is a [[Born again Christianity|born-again Christian]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.beliefnet.com/story/201/story_20189_1.html |accessdate = 2007-11-22 |title = Words of Wisdom from Mr. T |publisher = Beliefnet}}</ref> |
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In 1990, a Chicago woman, Vanessa Taylor, filed a Petition to Establish Parentage regarding a minor child, a boy, which she claimed Mr. T had fathered. The case was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois under the docket number 1990 D 79322. There was no disposition recorded on the court docket as of 1994.<ref>[https://w3.courtlink.lexisnexis.com/cookcounty/Finddock.asp?DocketKey=BJJADAHJDCC0DR Petition to establish parentage]</ref> |
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In 2005, Mr. T stated that he would never wear his chains again. He arrived at this decision after seeing the effects of [[Hurricane Katrina]]. However, he has been seen wearing some chains for several commercial appearances, such as the 2007 [[United Kingdom|U.K.]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] [[Snickers]] advertisement, and the 2007 ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' ad. He can also be seen wearing some chains in the 2009 ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' ad where he introduces the new in game Night Elf Mohawk grenade. Mr. T donated a great deal of clothing and money to Katrina victims.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} |
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==Filmography== |
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{|class="wikitable" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |
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|- align="center" |
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! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year |
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! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film |
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! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role |
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! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |
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|- |
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|rowspan=3| 1982 |
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| ''[[Penitentiary II]]'' |
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| Himself |
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| |
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|- |
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| ''[[Rocky III]]'' |
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| [[Clubber Lang|James "Clubber" Lang]] |
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| |
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|- |
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| ''[[Twilight Theatre]]'' |
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| |
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| TV Series |
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|- |
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|rowspan=4| 1983 |
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| ''[[D.C. Cab]]'' |
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| Samson |
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| |
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|- |
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| ''[[Mister T (TV series)|Mister T]]'' |
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| Himself |
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| TV Series |
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|- |
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| ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]'' |
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| Himself |
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| TV Series |
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|- |
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| ''[[Alvin and the Chipmunks (TV series)|Alvin and the Chipmunks]]'' |
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| Himself |
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| Children's animated series, episode "The C — Team" |
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|- |
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| 1983 - 1987 |
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| ''[[The A-Team]]'' |
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| [[B. A. Baracus|Sergeant Bosco "B.A." Baracus]] |
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| TV Series |
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|- |
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|rowspan=2| 1984 |
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| ''[[The Toughest in the World]]'' |
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| Bruise Brubaker |
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| TV |
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|- |
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| ''[[Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool!]]'' |
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| Mr. T |
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| Video |
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|- |
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| 1984 - 1986, 1988 |
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| ''[[WWF Superstars of Wrestling]]'' |
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| Himself |
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| TV Series |
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|- |
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| 1985 |
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| ''[[WrestleMania (1985)|WrestleMania]]'' |
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|Himself |
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| Video |
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|- |
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| 1986 |
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| ''[[WrestleMania 2]]'' |
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| Himself |
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| Video |
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|- |
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| 1988 - 1990 |
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| ''[[T. and T.]]'' |
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| T. S. Turner |
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| TV Series |
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|- |
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|rowspan=2| 1993 |
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| ''[[Freaked]]'' |
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| The Bearded Lady |
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| |
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|- |
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| ''[[Terrible Thunderlizards|The Terrible Thunderlizards]]'' |
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| Mr. T-Rex |
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| |
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|- |
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|rowspan=2| 1994 |
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| ''[[Blossom (TV series)|Blossom]]'' |
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| Himself |
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| TV Series |
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|- |
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| ''[[Magic of the Golden Bear: Goldy III]]'' |
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| |
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| |
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|- |
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| 1995 |
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| ''Kids Against Crime'' |
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| Himself |
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| [[Trinity Broadcasting Network|TBN]] |
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|- |
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| 1996 |
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| ''[[Spy Hard]]'' |
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| Helicopter Pilot |
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| |
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|- |
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| 1998 |
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| ''[[Saturday Night Live]]: The Best of [[Eddie Murphy]]'' |
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| Mister Robinson's Neighbour |
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| Video |
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|- |
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| 1999 |
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| ''[[Inspector Gadget]]'' |
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| Himself |
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| |
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|- |
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|rowspan=3| 2001 |
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| ''[[Not Another Teen Movie]]'' |
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| The Wise Janitor |
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| |
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|- |
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| ''[[Apocalypse IV: Judgment|Judgment]]'' |
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| J. T. Quincy |
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| [[Cloud Ten Pictures]] |
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|- |
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| ''[[The Proud Family]]'' |
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| Doctor Payne |
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| |
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|- |
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|rowspan=2| 2004 |
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| ''[[Johnny Bravo]]'' |
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| Himself |
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| "T is for Trouble" |
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|- |
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| ''[[The Simpsons]]'' |
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| Himself |
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| episode "[[Today I Am a Clown]]" |
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|- |
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| 2005 |
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| ''[[Return of the Lads]]'' |
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| Lad No 3 with Mark Egan and Cian Duffy |
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| |
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|- |
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| 2006 |
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| ''[[I Pity the Fool (TV series)|I Pity the Fool]]'' |
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| Himself |
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| |
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|- |
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|rowspan=2| 2009 |
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| ''[[The One Show]]'' |
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| Himself |
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| |
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|- |
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| ''[[Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (film)|Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs]]'' |
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| Earl Devereaux |
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| |
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|} |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist|2}} |
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==External links== |
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{{Commons category}} |
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{{wikiquote}} |
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{{Portal|Professional wrestling|break=yes}} |
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* {{imdb name|id=0001558|name=Mr. T}} |
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* [http://www.mohawkmedia.co.uk Official Mr. T site] |
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* [http://www.tvland.com/originals/ipitythefool/ TV Land's official I Pity The Fool page] |
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* [http://www.legendarytv.com/the_a-team/the_a-team_mr_t.asp Legendary TV's Mr. T profile] |
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* [http://www.beliefnet.com/story/201/story_20189_1.html Mr. T discusses his Christian faith] |
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* [http://channelbee.com/comedy/show/video/1167' Mr T talks technology] |
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{{Mr. T}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:T, Mr.}} |
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[[Category:1952 births]] |
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[[Category:Actors from Chicago, Illinois]] |
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[[Category:African American actors]] |
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[[Category:African American professional wrestlers]] |
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[[Category:American Christians]] |
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[[Category:American film actors]] |
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[[Category:American professional wrestlers]] |
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[[Category:American television actors]] |
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[[Category:American television personalities]] |
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[[Category:Bodyguards]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:Prairie View A&M Panthers football players]] |
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[[Category:United States Army soldiers]] |
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[[es:Mr. T]] |
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[[fr:Mister T.]] |
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[[gl:Mr. T]] |
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[[hr:Mr. T]] |
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[[id:Mr. T]] |
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[[it:Mr. T]] |
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[[he:מיסטר טי]] |
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[[lt:Laurence Tureaud]] |
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[[nl:Mr. T]] |
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[[ja:ミスター・T]] |
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[[no:Mr. T]] |
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[[pt:Mr. T]] |
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[[ru:Мистер Ти]] |
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[[simple:Mr. T]] |
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[[th:มิสเตอร์ที]] |
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Revision as of 23:20, 3 March 2010
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