Mr. T

An unmistakably coiffed self-promotion machine, former bodyguard-turned- actor, Mr. T was one of television's most recognized faces during the peak of his fame in the early to mid 1980's. Famed for his fearsome physique and eye-catching Mohawk haircut, Mr. T shot to stardom in 1983 when he was handpicked by director-writer-star Sylvester Stallone to play the brutal brawler Clubber Lang in "Rocky III" (1982). But it was his role of Sergeant B.A. Baracus - the rough-talking ex-Army commando on the run with his eclectic group of comrades on "The A-Team" (NBC, 1983-87) which solidified his celebrity from that point on. Although he often teetered on self-parody, Mr. T made such an indelible impression that even two decades on, he remained a familiar touchstone for children of the eighties turned adults who still loved hearing him bark, "I pity the fool!"