Mr. T In Your Pocket

Born Lawrence Tureaud on May 21, 1952, and raised in Chicago's Southside ghetto, Mr. T is the ultimate American entertainment icon. In high school, he was a football star and three-time city wrestling champion. When a knee injury destroyed his chances at pro football, Mr. T began working as a bodyguard and a bouncer, armed with a business card that read, "Next to God, there is no greater protector than I." He found his now-famous mohawk haircut in a National Geographic photograph of a Mandinka warrior. In 1980, he legally changed his name to Mr. T, so that people would have to call him "Mr." He caught Sylvester Stallone's attention when he won the "World's Toughest Bouncer" competition on the television show Games People Play, and landed the role of B.A. Baracus on the wildly popular television show The A-Team. Mr. T was a huge pro wrestling success in the '80s, and a competitor in the first Wrestlemania. An eternal celebrity, he continues to pop up in film and television to the delight of audiences everywhere. Sayings include: "I Pity the Fool," "Don't Gimme No Back Talk, Sucka," "Quit Your Jibba Jabba," "Don't Make Me Mad (growl)," et cetera