Several years ago, I became a friend of Laurence Tureaud- an actor, spokesman, Christian and Patriot. Over the past several months, I've had the opportunity to see "Larry" on a more regular basis (he hates when I call him that, since he's legally changed his name to Mr. T. That's "Mr" as a first name, "period" as a middle name, and "T" as a last name!). Now, I have worked with some of the most famous celebrities in the world over the past ten years or so, and I can honestly say that T is the nicest, most genuine and friendly of all of them. I also know of several friends who would agree with me in that assessment.Most of us remember T during the blockbuster television show "The A-Team". We remember him as Clubber Lange in "Rocky III". We remember his children's cartoon and his many television appearances. We know T with the Mohawk, with the chains around his neck, the bulging muscles and the huge laugh and smile.
What many people don't know (because he will not talk about this side of his life) is that Mr. T has visited the American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq many times. He has volunteered hours upon hours of his time to the children at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles and St. Jude's Hospital for Children in Memphis. He spends many days down at various homeless shelters, helping to feed the homeless and spread his word. He is the most upbeat, positive person I've ever known. He understands that he is highly recognizable and doesn't shy from that. When he immediately notices that someone recognizes him, but is too shy to approach, he will go out of his way to introduce himself to them. He will ask a passersby to snap a picture of he and his new friend as if he's posing with them like THEY are the celebrity. I know this as a fact- I've seen it first hand, many, many times.
I've been fortunate to introduce T to many of MY friends at work, and each one has come away smiling and sharing the story of their meeting. He genuinely gets inside your heart and brightens your day- it's uncanny!Now, is Mr. T the most famous actor in the world? No, of course not. However, even though it's been ten years since his last television appearance and 25 years since the series, he is still as recognizable as Coke, Elvis and Mickey Mouse.Many lesser-known actors and actresses have ignored their public and have hidden from their fans behind large sunglasses, hats and wigs. I just wanted to publicly acknowledge T for his friendship, his patriotism to our country and support of our troops, and for personally brightening up even the toughest of days at work just by stopping by and bringing a smile to my friend's faces.
He's a special man.
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