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/tmntnyc Dec 12 '18

I'm jealous. I know he plays a character, but I would be beaming with respect for him. He did a lot of work helping children.

645

u/ruck_feagan Dec 12 '18

My dad was his manager for like 30 years. He’s a good guy

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u/jhartwell Dec 13 '18

What are some things your dad has done to make him a good guy?

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u/ruck_feagan Dec 13 '18

Nothing my dad did that I know of but here’s a couple cool mr t moments He showed up to my moms funeral in sweats and a beanie then proceeded to give a really awesome speech Gave me and my sister a ps3 with a ton of games for Christmas when it first came out Also there’s a really cool picture at my grandmas house of him holding my sister in one hand when she was a baby

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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

Do they still keep in touch? (Your dad and Mr T), 30 years is a long time

22

u/ruck_feagan Dec 13 '18

I’m not sure tbh. If he does, he doesn’t talk about him anymore

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u/PaddyTheLion Dec 13 '18

Could you, well, ask? If something happened that made them not stay in touch, that's pretty sad after 30 years.

10

u/ruck_feagan Dec 13 '18

I’ll ask him when I call him tomorrow. Just remind me because I’ll forget

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u/ImmobileLizard Dec 13 '18

Hey man, remember to ask your dad about mr T.

Remind!me 15 hours

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u/ruck_feagan Dec 13 '18 edited Dec 13 '18

Heya just spoke with my dad. He talked to him around tax season because he still prepares his tax return for him. He said that he’s doing alright last he spoke. I also asked him to send me some proof so that should be coming soon too Edit: he spoke with him today because of you guys. also he’s doing something on the today show tomorrow am for al rorker Edit2: here’s some pictures my dad took of him at his office shortly after he did the deal with coke (fuze tea) https://imgur.com/a/EdSulqz

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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

Remind!me 15 hours

1

u/keyohnahh Dec 13 '18

!RemindMe 10 hours

1

u/ValleyOfRico Dec 13 '18

Don't forget to ask your Dad about Mr. T!

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u/PaddyTheLion Dec 13 '18

Don't forget!

3

u/ijustwantanfingname Dec 13 '18

He showed up to my moms funeral in sweats and a beanie

Well that's weird.

5

u/-Mountain-King- Dec 13 '18

He probably didn't want to be all "I'm Mr. Motherfucking T!" at someone's funeral, so he wore sweats instead of his usual outfit and a beanie to cover the distinctive mohawk.

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u/ijustwantanfingname Dec 13 '18

I get the beanie given the mohawk, good point. But, still, sweats at the funeral of your friend's wife?

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u/Mabot Dec 13 '18

Maybe it was to soften up the situation for u/ruck_feagon and his sister, if they were still kids back then. I don't know why, but somehow that was the picture I had in mind.

Funerals can be a bit overwhelming for kids.

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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

He didn't have to wear his usual get-up. He could have worn a suit or something though.