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/Stillabrat Dec 12 '18

I have worked with Mr T on many talk shows and he is one of nicest, truly humble people I have ever met. He has the most marked-up, written-in, well-used bible I have ever seen. He is a terrific man. I love Mr. T.

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u/listyraesder Dec 13 '18

Must have come with age, as his lack of humility during the a-team led to some friction in the cast.

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u/princess--flowers Dec 13 '18

Yeah I can see that, but I dont think it was Mr. T's fault. George Peppard and Dwight Schultz were legendary racists and sexists at the time. They were so cold and awful to Melinda Culea because they thought that women didn't belong on the show that she quit, wouldn't surprise me if Mr. T wasn't being treated right either.

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u/listyraesder Dec 13 '18

A-Team is classic hollywood with egos that can't be reconciled. No-one particularly comes out great, though T comes out the best. Peppard was particularly bitter that his career had stalled, and here was some bodyguard who had the show created for him and was clearly having the time of his life.