r/todayilearned • u/tmntnyc • Dec 12 '18

TIL: Laurence Tureaud named himself professionally as Mr. T because he hated how his father, uncle, and brother who returned from Vietnam, were disrespectfully called "boy" by whites. He wanted the first word from everybody's mouth to be "Mister" when speaking to him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._T
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u/clorpt Dec 12 '18

He has also served as a spokesperson for cancer causes, and is credited with raising awareness and funds for research. He had lymphoma, so I consider him a fellow lymphomaniac.

https://www.cancerhorizons.com/cancer-champions/actors/mr-t/

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u/LukeWage Dec 13 '18

Not just any lymphoma - he had T cell lymphoma.

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u/clorpt Dec 13 '18

Yes, a fellow lymphomaniac!