When you hear the name Tureaud, your mind probably jumps straight to gold chains, a mohawk, and “I pity the fool!” — and yeah, that’s fair. Mr. T is impossible to forget. But tucked behind all that icon-level fame is a quieter story — the story of his son, Laurence Tureaud Jr., who made a choice that most celebrity kids don’t: he chose not to be famous.
And honestly? That makes him way more interesting.
Who Is Laurence Tureaud Jr.?
Laurence Tureaud Jr. was born in 1986 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of the famous actor and TV personality Mr. T (real name Laurence Tureaud Sr.) and his former wife, Phyllis Clark. He grew up during the height of his father’s pop culture dominance — The A-Team, Rocky III, the gold chains, the whole spectacle — and yet somehow managed to stay completely off the radar.
That’s not an accident. That’s a conscious decision, and it says a lot about who he is.
Quick Bio at a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Laurence Tureaud Jr. |
| Born | 1986 |
| Birthplace | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Father | Mr. T (Laurence Tureaud Sr.) |
| Mother | Phyllis Clark |
| Siblings | Lesa Tureaud, Erika Clark |
| Half-Sibling | Alexander Taylor |
| Estimated Net Worth | ~$300,000 (2024) |
| Social Media | None publicly known |
Growing Up Tureaud — More Normal Than You’d Think
You’d expect the son of Mr. T to have had a wild, Hollywood-dipped childhood. But that’s actually not the case at all.
Despite living in the spotlight, Laurence Jr.’s parents worked hard to give him a normal upbringing, protecting him from the intense media attention surrounding their family. His mother, Phyllis Clark, played a vital role in creating a stable and loving home environment — humility and faith were valued above fame.
Mr. T, for all his tough-guy bravado on screen, was apparently very different at home. He has spoken in several interviews about the importance of family, responsibility, and being a role model, once stating that being a father was the most important role in his life.
So while Dad was out there body-slamming people on TV, back home he was raising his kids with discipline, values, and faith. Laurence Jr. absorbed all of that — and it shaped him deeply.
His Father: The Legend That Is Mr. T
You can’t talk about Laurence Jr. without understanding just how massive his dad was — and still is.
Mr. T, born Laurence Tureaud on May 21, 1952, is known for his roles as B.A. Baracus in The A-Team and as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III. He’s also known for his distinctive hairstyle inspired by Mandinka warriors in West Africa, his copious gold jewelry, and his catchphrase “I pity the fool!”
But here’s what a lot of people don’t know — Tureaud grew up in a three-room apartment in the Robert Taylor Homes, public housing, as the youngest of twelve children. He came from nothing and built everything himself. That kind of origin story doesn’t just disappear when you become famous. It becomes the foundation for how you raise your kids.
And it shows in how Laurence Jr. turned out.
Mr. T’s Career Highlights
- Rocky III (1982) — Played fearsome boxer Clubber Lang alongside Sylvester Stallone
- The A-Team (1983–1987) — Iconic role as B.A. Baracus
- D.C. Cab (1983) — Film starring role
- WrestleMania 2 (1986) — Professional wrestling career
- I Pity the Fool (2006) — Reality TV series on TV Land
- Dancing with the Stars (2017) — Last known major TV appearance
His Mother: Phyllis Clark — The Quiet Backbone
Phyllis Clark, born in 1951, preferred a life away from cameras, focusing on nurturing her family in a grounded environment. She and Mr. T were married but eventually separated, and Phyllis continued to raise their children with a focus on privacy.
She’s honestly the unsung hero of this story. While Mr. T was the one in the headlines, Phyllis was the one doing the steady, daily work of raising kids who turned out to be genuinely grounded people. Laurence Jr. clearly took that lesson to heart.
Siblings: The Tureaud Family Tree
Laurence Jr. isn’t an only child. He has two older sisters and a half-brother whose story took a very different — and public — turn.
Lesa Tureaud (born ~1971)
The oldest sibling, Lesa has dedicated her career to helping others, working as a therapist in various settings, including court systems and healthcare. She’s lived a quiet, purposeful life completely outside the spotlight.
Erika Clark (born ~1979)
Erika Clark is a budding stand-up comedian who often performs on Chicago’s competitive stand-up comedy circuit. She is also a host of a morning radio show in Chicago. Of the three Tureaud siblings, she’s the most publicly visible — though still nowhere near celebrity territory.
Alexander Taylor (born 1988) — Half-Brother
Here’s where things get complicated. Alexander Taylor attracted huge media attention following a $5.2 million lawsuit against Mr. T in June 2013. He claimed in his petition that his dad had abandoned him early and was contactless forever, and also alleged that Mr. T abused him as a child.
Laurence Jr. and his sisters stayed completely out of that public drama — which says a lot about their character and the way they were raised.
Career: What Does Laurence Tureaud Jr. Actually Do?
Here’s the honest answer: we don’t really know, and that’s by design.
Laurence Tureaud Jr. does not have a presence on social media platforms like Instagram, further adding to the mystery surrounding his life. Details about his professional life are scarce, with no public records of career endeavors.
Despite the lack of public information, it is known that Laurence has an estimated net worth of $300,000 as of 2024 — suggesting that he is carving out his own path, possibly in a field outside of entertainment.
Some sources suggest he may be involved in private business or behind-the-scenes media work, but none of this is confirmed. And you know what? That’s his right.
What we can say is that unlike a lot of celebrity kids who coast on their parent’s name, Laurence Jr. appears to have built whatever he has on his own terms, quietly and without fanfare. There’s something genuinely refreshing about that.
Why Did He Choose Privacy? The Real Insight
This is the question people actually want answered, so let’s get into it.
For many children of celebrities, identity can often become entangled with their parent’s image. But in Laurence Jr.’s case, he crafted a sense of individuality rooted in personal values rather than public approval.
Think about the pressure that comes with being Mr. T’s kid. Every time you walk into a room, people already have expectations. You’re either trying to be like him or trying hard not to be. Laurence Jr. seems to have found a third path: just being himself, completely independent of the Mr. T legacy.
Faith also plays a big role here. The Tureaud family is deeply religious, and Mr. T has always been vocal about his faith guiding his life decisions. That spiritual grounding likely gave Laurence Jr. a compass that didn’t need external validation to point true north.
His choice to live privately reflects a desire to maintain normalcy away from celebrity culture, protect family privacy and personal relationships, and avoid public pressure linked to being the child of a famous figure.
In today’s world where everyone is fighting for likes and followers, that kind of intentional invisibility is almost radical.
Net Worth Comparison: Father vs. Son
| Mr. T | Laurence Tureaud Jr. | |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated Net Worth | ~$1.5 million | ~$300,000 |
| Source of Income | Acting, wrestling, TV, speaking | Unknown / private |
| Public Profile | Very high | Virtually none |
| Social Media | Minimal | None known |
The gap makes sense — Mr. T had a decades-long entertainment career. But what’s interesting is that Laurence Jr. has clearly built something for himself, even without riding his father’s coattails.
What Can We Learn from Laurence Tureaud Jr.?
Honestly, quite a bit:
1. Fame isn’t the only measure of success. Laurence Jr. has built a life, a net worth, and presumably a community around him — all without ever seeking the spotlight. That’s a win by any real standard.
2. Strong parenting leaves a lasting mark. The fact that all three Tureaud kids turned out to be grounded, private, purposeful people is not a coincidence. That’s the result of intentional parenting from both Mr. T and Phyllis Clark.
3. Your identity doesn’t have to be defined by who your parents are. One of the most powerful things a person can do is step out of a famous shadow and build something of their own. Laurence Jr. did exactly that.
4. Privacy is a choice worth respecting. In an era of radical oversharing, choosing not to share takes real conviction. Laurence Jr. has that conviction in abundance.
Where Is Laurence Tureaud Jr. Now?
Laurence Tureaud Jr. is estimated to be 38 or 39 years old. Unlike many children of celebrities who enter acting, modeling, or music careers, Laurence Jr. has chosen a path away from entertainment entirely.
He has no confirmed social media presence, no known public-facing career, and has made no media appearances. He remains, as he has always been, deliberately and quietly private.
And honestly? Good for him.
Conclusion
Laurence Tureaud Jr. is proof that being famous isn’t the same as being significant. He grew up in the shadow of one of pop culture’s biggest personalities, absorbed the best of what his parents taught him — faith, integrity, hard work, and humility — and built a life that doesn’t need validation from anyone. In a world obsessed with visibility, he chose depth over display. That’s a legacy worth knowing about, even if he’d rather you didn’t make a fuss about it.
