Before the Chains and the Mohawk, There Was Laurence Tureaud
Before the gold chains, before the mohawk, before Clubber Lang and before B.A. Baracus, there was Laurence Tureaud — and Netflix is finally digging into the man who became Mr. T.
The streamer has dropped the official trailer for Untold Mr. T: I Pity the Fool, a new standalone documentary in its Untold series that looks back at one of entertainment’s most instantly recognizable personalities.
Discover More
Before the catchphrase became a legend.
Revisit Mr. T’s rise, his biggest screen moments and the pop-culture era that turned Laurence Tureaud into an icon.
Some links may be affiliate links. INYIM may earn from qualifying purchases.
Netflix describes the film as the extraordinary origin story behind the man who would become a pop-culture phenomenon — one whose image became so huge that, for a while, the mohawk, chains and “I pity the fool” swagger practically operated as their own international language.
But the hook here is everything that happened before that image swallowed the room.
Born Laurence Tureaud in Chicago, Mr. T’s path to fame was anything but traditional. Before Hollywood, he worked as a bouncer and bodyguard, building the imposing presence that would eventually become part of his screen persona.
Then came the turn that changed everything: Rocky III. As Clubber Lang, Mr. T went toe-to-toe with Sylvester Stallone and instantly became one of the most memorable opponents in the franchise. His combination of physical intensity, attitude and pure star power made the leap from supporting role to cultural event feel almost immediate.
That momentum rolled straight into The A-Team, where B.A. Baracus made Mr. T a weekly fixture in American homes. The gold chains got bigger, the catchphrases got louder and the image became impossible to separate from the man.
And that is exactly why a documentary like this has some juice. Mr. T has spent decades as a symbol — tough guy, cartoon hero, pitchman, wrestler, actor, celebrity shorthand — but Netflix is positioning I Pity the Fool as a chance to go back underneath all of that and trace how Laurence Tureaud built the character the world thought it already knew.
The film is part of Netflix’s latest batch of Untold documentaries, which also includes new installments centered on former football star Vince Young and Olympic breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn. Mr. T’s chapter arrives last in the three-week run.
Untold Mr. T: I Pity the Fool premieres September 8, 2026 on Netflix.
And yes, after all these years, that title still works. We pity the fool who skips it.
Watch the Official Trailer for Netflix’s Untold Mr. T: I Pity the Fool
Netflix’s trailer introduces the documentary’s look back at Laurence Tureaud’s transformation into the larger-than-life Mr. T before Rocky III, The A-Team and worldwide fame.
Sources: Netflix Tudum; Netflix Media Center.
