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Mr. T BiographyThe 11th of 12 children, the future Mr. T was born Laurence Turead on May 21, 1952 in Chicago, IL. Growing up dirt poor on welfare in Chi-town's dismal housing projects, Turead became especially close to his mother.
To occupy himself, the gifted athlete immersed himself in sports while attending Dunbar Vocational High School; his skills on the gridiron were strong enough to win him a football scholarship to Prairie View A&M University in Texas in 1971, where he began majoring in mathematics. Unfortunately, he was thrown out a year later, for reasons unclear. After a short stint in the U.S. Army, where he served as a military policeman, Turead returned to Chicago, where he found employment as a bouncer at a number of bars. Accustomed to throwing out belligerent drunks from his policeman days, Turead quickly gained a reputation as one of Chicago's baddest of the bad bouncers. Around this same time, he began sporting the radical mohawk which ultimately became his signature look - a hairstyle which he claimed was inspired by Africa's Mandikan warriors.
He became a well-known celebrity bodyguard, charging $3,000 a day and handing out business cards that read, "Next to God, there is no greater protector than I." Mr. T transformed himself into a shameless self-promoter. In 1982, Mr. T was cast in his first film, the ultra low-budget "Penitentiary II" directed by Jamaa Fanaka. Mr. T fared far better on his sophomore movie. Cast as Sylvester Stallone's imposing new opponent, Clubber Lang, in "Rocky III," Mr. T made a solid impression as the glowering boxer, sweating pure menace and venom in every scene. Released in summer of 1982, the film, arguably the best of the punch-drunk film franchise's sequels, became a monster hit, grossing over $125 million at the domestic box office.
Capitalizing on his white-hot popularity, Mr. T next landed a starring role in the Joel Schumacher-directed comedy, "D.C. Cab." Mr. T's greatest fame, however, would be on the small screen, where his muscle bound machismo threatened to burst into viewers' living rooms. In 1984, veteran producer Stephen J. Cannell cast the new actor in his most famous role of Sgt. Bosco "B.A." Baracus on the seminal 1980's action-drama, "The A-Team."
After a decade of merchandising, cartoons, and a heavily hyped dalliance with professional wrestling, the overexposed Mr. T was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma, a form of cancer. Into the new millennium, Mr. T continued to keep a low profile. Apart from doing some radio interviews and starring in the occasional skit on "Late Night with Conan O'Brian, Mr. T remained under the radar. However, he was still greeted like a conquering hero wherever he went, by the same adults who loved him as kids. By 2005-06, Mr. T. announced his comeback. To spearhead this effort, Mr. T got his own reality show on TV Land titled aptly "I Pity the Fool."
Mr. T was offered a cameo appearance in the film adaptation of "The A-Team," but he decided to turn it down, whereas Dwight Schultz and Dirk Benedict both made cameos in the film. These scenes were shown after the credits but were reinserted during the film in the Extended Cut. In the 2009 movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," Mr. T provided the voice for Officer Earl Devereaux, the town's athletic cop who loves his son very much.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Mr. T and other top speakers and celebrities.
-Mr. T guest-stars as a living pun in this Crispin Porter + Boguksy ad for Old Navy Best Tees, which are more stylish and durable than their previous ones.
Mr. T showed up at the Blackhawks game to score from center ice.
Whether you think of the "A-Team" or his portrayal of ruthless boxer Clubber Lang in "Rocky III" you probably don't think of hockey when you think of Mr. T. Get ...
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All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
If you are the talent, and wish to request removal from this catalog or report an issue with your profile, please click here.
The 11th of 12 children, the future Mr. T was born Laurence Turead on May 21, 1952 in Chicago, IL. Growing up dirt poor on welfare in Chi-town's dismal housing projects, Turead became especially close to his mother.
To occupy himself, the gifted athlete immersed himself in sports while attending Dunbar Vocational High School; his skills on the gridiron were strong enough to win him a football scholarship to Prairie View A&M University in Texas in 1971, where he began majoring in mathematics. Unfortunately, he was thrown out a year later, for reasons unclear. After a short stint in the U.S. Army, where he served as a military policeman, Turead returned to Chicago, where he found employment as a bouncer at a number of bars. Accustomed to throwing out belligerent drunks from his policeman days, Turead quickly gained a reputation as one of Chicago's baddest of the bad bouncers. Around this same time, he began sporting the radical mohawk which ultimately became his signature look - a hairstyle which he claimed was inspired by Africa's Mandikan warriors.
He became a well-known celebrity bodyguard, charging $3,000 a day and handing out business cards that read, "Next to God, there is no greater protector than I." Mr. T transformed himself into a shameless self-promoter. In 1982, Mr. T was cast in his first film, the ultra low-budget "Penitentiary II" directed by Jamaa Fanaka. Mr. T fared far better on his sophomore movie. Cast as Sylvester Stallone's imposing new opponent, Clubber Lang, in "Rocky III," Mr. T made a solid impression as the glowering boxer, sweating pure menace and venom in every scene. Released in summer of 1982, the film, arguably the best of the punch-drunk film franchise's sequels, became a monster hit, grossing over $125 million at the domestic box office.
Capitalizing on his white-hot popularity, Mr. T next landed a starring role in the Joel Schumacher-directed comedy, "D.C. Cab." Mr. T's greatest fame, however, would be on the small screen, where his muscle bound machismo threatened to burst into viewers' living rooms. In 1984, veteran producer Stephen J. Cannell cast the new actor in his most famous role of Sgt. Bosco "B.A." Baracus on the seminal 1980's action-drama, "The A-Team."
After a decade of merchandising, cartoons, and a heavily hyped dalliance with professional wrestling, the overexposed Mr. T was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma, a form of cancer. Into the new millennium, Mr. T continued to keep a low profile. Apart from doing some radio interviews and starring in the occasional skit on "Late Night with Conan O'Brian, Mr. T remained under the radar. However, he was still greeted like a conquering hero wherever he went, by the same adults who loved him as kids. By 2005-06, Mr. T. announced his comeback. To spearhead this effort, Mr. T got his own reality show on TV Land titled aptly "I Pity the Fool."
Mr. T was offered a cameo appearance in the film adaptation of "The A-Team," but he decided to turn it down, whereas Dwight Schultz and Dirk Benedict both made cameos in the film. These scenes were shown after the credits but were reinserted during the film in the Extended Cut. In the 2009 movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," Mr. T provided the voice for Officer Earl Devereaux, the town's athletic cop who loves his son very much.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Mr. T and other top speakers and celebrities.
Mr. T is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Mr. T for your event is $100,000 - $200,000. Mr. T generally travels from and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Sherry Stringfield, Brendan Fraser, Henry Winkler, Bob Newhart and Gale Harold. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Mr. T for an upcoming event.
Mr. T guest-stars as a living pun in this Crispin Porter + Boguksy ad for Old Navy Best Tees, which are more stylish and durable than their previous ones.
Mr. T showed up at the Blackhawks game to score from center ice.
Whether you think of the "A-Team" or his portrayal of ruthless boxer Clubber Lang in "Rocky III" you probably don't think of hockey when you think of Mr. T. Get ...
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This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.
All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
If you are the talent, and wish to request removal from this catalog or report an issue with your profile, please click here.
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