Kriti Mehrotra
As the youngest son in a family of 12 kids raised in a 3-bedroom apartment in the projects of Chicago, Illinois, Laurence Tureaud (aka Mr. T) learned the significance of money at an early age. However, no one could have ever imagined that his hunger for financial stability and professional success would result in him eventually becoming an icon within the entertainment industry. He was an undeniable force of nature throughout the 1980s, as explored in Netflix’s ‘Untold: Mr. T: I Pity the Fool,’ but things changed as the years passed, and he gradually faded from the limelight.
How Did Mr. T Earn His Money?
Although Mr. T was born Laurence Tureaud, he shortened his last name to Tero after his father left the family when he was merely 5 years old, only to then legally change it to just T at age 18. That’s also when he self-ordained himself with the moniker that became his identity because he wanted respect as a man, something he didn’t see his father, uncles, or brothers receiving. According to his account, he always heard them referred to as “boy” because of the color of their skin, so he decided to make sure the first word out of everybody’s mouth when they met him was “Mister.”
Mr. T was quite young when he first developed a passion for fitness, health, and physical activity, as his 7 elder brothers instilled in him the idea of the need to protect their family. It inadvertently led him to the gym, martial arts, as well as sports, before he secured the city wrestling championship twice while in high school and a football scholarship to Prairie View A&M University. The mathematics major was expelled alongside roughly 200 fellow students for participating in a protest, but he didn’t let it hold him back in any way as he kick-started his career.
Mr. T dabbled as a gym instructor, served as a janitor, worked in a hotel, and did a few other odd jobs over the years prior to enlisting in the Army around 1975 to serve his nation. He was reportedly in the Military Police Corps until his discharge in the late 1970s, following which he tried his hand at professional football but failed due to a knee injury. It was during this time that the Chicago native realized he could blend his physical skills with his protective instincts and evolve into a bouncer/bodyguard, resulting in him landing a job at Dingbats Discotheque.
The persona of Mr. T really developed during this period, leading to his having such a reputation he became the go-to bouncer that planners/promoters hired for local live events. As a result, he was contracted to guard athletes, designers, law enforcement officers, models, musicians, politicians, and affluent public figures alike. He was so impressive as well as intimidating at his job that professional boxer Leon Spinks even asked him to become his personal bodyguard for a while. By that point, his client list already comprised big-name celebrities such as Diana Ross, Joe Frazier, Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali, and Steve McQueen.
Mr. T’s career only propelled further following his appearances on NBC’s ‘America’s Toughest Bouncer’ and NBC’s ‘Games People Play,’ where he proved his mettle as a tough man. That’s how he caught the eye of actor-filmmaker Sylvester Stallone, soon resulting in him securing the rather legendary role of Clubber Lang in ‘Rocky III.’ He subsequently did ‘Penitentiary 2,’ appeared in sketch comedy shows like ‘Bizarre’ and ‘Saturday Night Live,’ and then went on to star in NBC’s ‘The A-Team.’ The action-adventure series spanned a total of 98 episodes from 1983 to 1987, and he served as the central character, B. A. Baracus, in almost every single one.
The 4 years ‘The A-Team’ was on air were extremely lucrative for Mr. T, as he not only received a weekly salary but also landed guest appearances on several shows. Moreover, he commissioned an animated series titled ‘Mister T,’ which ran on NBC for 30 episodes across 3 seasons from 1983 to 1985. He then spread his wings to establish a name for himself as a professional wrestler, all the while continuing to work in a wide array of films, shows, and advertisements. He featured in ‘T. and T.’ from 1988 to 1990, ‘Freaked’ in 1993, ‘Magic of the Golden Bear: Goldy III’ in 1994, ‘Suddenly Susan’ in 1996-1997, ‘Sabrina: The Animated Series’ in 1999, and did several television commercials.
Mr. T’s debut in professional wrestling was in 1985, when he agreed to be Hulk Hogan’s tag-team partner at WrestleMania I, which they won. He competed in a few rare matches over the ensuing couple of years before making only sporadic appearances at different WWF/WWE events as either a special guest referee, a judge, or a fan. Since the mid-1990s, the once-iconic public personality has seemingly preferred to remain a bit in the back seat, primarily doing voice acting, minor roles in movies/shows, and fan-event appearances. His credits thus also include the ‘I Pity the Fool’ reality show in 2006, ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ in 2009, and ‘Dancing with the Stars’ season 24 in 2017.
Mr. T’s Net Worth
Considering his time in the Army, the several odd jobs he did before, and his establishing a successful reputation as a bouncer/bodyguard in his 20s, Mr. T built a solid foundation for his career. In fact, based on the market value at the time in the late 1970s/early 1980s, we estimate he made at least $50,000 per year when he first started securing contracts to protect big-name celebrities. His base price likely hiked up significantly as time passed, only for him to then potentially earn millions for ‘Rocky III’ in 1982 and $80,000 a week for ‘The A-Team.’ He reportedly also charged $100,000 for his WrestleMania 1 appearance in 1985, probably helping increase his average income to roughly $5 million per year during that period. It’s possible this sum went up even further in the late 1980s/early 1990s.
There was a time when Mr. T could often be seen in public in fancy cars, decked out in gold chains, gold cuffs, and several earrings to represent part of his heritage, but that changed in the late 1990s. He was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called T-cell lymphoma in 1995, and he claims he lost a significant portion of his wealth in paying for his extensive treatments. He said in a 1998 interview with Entertainment Tonight that he was “probably broke. I’ve probably got $200 in the bank,” before adding he had to sell most of his jewelry for survival. Thankfully, he eventually went into remission and has since been regaining his comforts through minor film/television roles, appearances at fan events, and advertisements for brands like Atari, Fuze Iced Tea, Skechers, Snickers, and more. Therefore, taking all these factors into account, along with his assets in terms of his homes in Chicago, Illinois, as well as Albuquerque, New Mexico, his investments, his returns, and his expenses, we believe his net worth to be in the range of $2 million.
Read More: Rachael “Raygun” Gunn Net Worth: How Rich is the Olympian Breaker?
