Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith:
Played by George Peppard (1983-87). Hannibal, who came from the midwest was nicknamed after the great Carthaginian general, who in 218 BC beat the Romans after launching a surprise attack by traveling on elephants to Italy over the Alps. He Was the A-Teams Cigar smoking maverick leader who had previously served in the Korean War. unlike his Carthaginian predecessor, Smiths "classic half-pincer" surprise attacks and "On the jazz" (ready for action) approach rarely worked in the way in which he had intended them to, but he always brought the team out on top.
In order to protect himself and rest of the A-Team from being caught out by a military ploy, Hannibal would use his skills as a 'master of disguise' to check out possible clientele, most famously as Mr. Lee a hunchback Chinese laundryman with doggy teeth. Face Murdock and B.A where usually close by to make a quick get away if things turned pear-shaped.
Away from the A-Team Hannibal made a living as latex wearing actor mostly in cheesy monster flicks, with his most famous role as a eight feet tall lizard known as the "Aquamaniac" in the film of the same name. Other minor roles included a "old woman" acting under the name of Lynch, as in Colonel Lynch (William Lucking) the A-Team's first pursuer.
Lieutenant Templeton Arthur "Faceman" Peck:
Played by Tim Dunigan (1983), Dirk Benedict (83-1987). Templeton was a troubled four-year-old orphan from the streets of Los Angeles raised by highly spirited irishman Father David Magil (Peter Brocco) at the Sacred Heart orphanage where he enjoyed to play sports which continued into his High School years. At colleague Peck was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity where he met his first love Leslie Bektall (Markie Post) who left him and colleague without explanation to become a nun at the Santa Maria Orphanage in Ecuador, this was to be his only serious relationship, leaving his education behind at the end of his sophomore year.
Faceman was the A-Teams womanizing, smooth-talking conman, hence the nickname and second in command to Hannibal altought not by default. Face was in charge of the teams finances and supplies, he was capable of getting just about anything dressed in a designer suit and Gucci footwear from equipment to classified information that he almost always obtained from innocent females.
Away from the A-Team, Face had a string of love 'em and leave 'em relationships, impressing the ladies using his talents as conman to get jobs working in film studios, museums or by impersonating the likes of famous artists and living in their expensive penthouses. It seems that the only real commitments Peck made in life where to his team mates and Father Magil, who he would visit each Saturday at the Convalescent Hospital.
Captain H.M "Howling Mad" Murdock:
Played by Dwight Schultz (1983-87). Murdock was One of the best combat pilots in the army who had previously flown in Thunderbirds demonstration team before the Vietnam war. During Vietnam he worked for the CIA on 2 missions before dropping Hannibal, Faceman and B.A of for their bank of Hanoi mission after the war had ended. Later becoming discharge by the army on the grounds of insanity based on his paranoid anxiety delusions and intermittent memory loss.
Murdock now resides at the V.A (Veteran's Administration) Hospital in Westwood, California under the care of Dr. Alan M. Richter (Richard Anderson) and closly watched by the army due to a disbelief of his symptoms and the fact that he may still be working with the team. Surprisingly, his room with its white walls and bared windows had many luxuries, wall hangings, video game machines and a telephone with which he could use to phone his mum who had died when he was five-years-old.
Unfortunatly, for the rest of the team Murdock's services are still very much required by them and its usually left to face to scam him out of the V.A by any means possible, bringing along with him his invisible dog Billy even thought B.A does'nt like animals in the van.
Sergeant Bosco Albert "B.A" (Bad Attitude) Baracus:
(Albert acdoring to some Universal video packaging) Played by Mr. T. Nicknamed 'Scooter' by his mother (played by Della Reese in "Lease With an Option to Die"), derived from a gift of a ride-on car given to him by his father, B.A lead an active childhood which continued to thrive at high school where he actively enjoyed partaking in football games later becoming the teams captain. After dropping out of colleague he signs up for the army where he serves at Da Nang during the Tet Offensive, being label as the best field infantry mechanic, Baracus had one of the worst conduct records in the army giving rise to his nickname "Bad Attitude" due to physical aggression towards fellow officers.
After the incident at the "Bank of Hanoi", he applies his talents with the rest of the A-Team to helping others, employing his skills as wheelman and a mechanical genius. B.A created for the protection of the team and their clients some of the worlds 'finest' weapons and armour plated escape vechicles, mostly created out of rusty old corrugated roof sheets using only a blow torch and bicycle puncture repair kit. Thankfully B.A gave his private vechicles alot more care and attention, first a Nash Rambler convertible and then a fully customized GMC Van crafted by himself, which was used by the team not only as transport but a mobile base.
Baracus had a notourious phobia for flying as to when and how this came about is unclear, with the sistuation made dramatically worse, with the knowledge that Murdock was going to be the pilot. The teams services would often require them to make airborne trips to far-flung destinations, unfortunately for B.A this meant getting onboard one of these beasts, occasionally with a certain reluctance, but would always be K.O'd by a swift knock on the head just in case he decided to renew his army conduct records. The rest of time the team would drug him either by digestion or more commonly an administration of the drug Novocain™ by injection which produce almost instant results, knocking him out stone cold.
Despite his aggressive look and Bad Attitude, Baracus a had a very warm and caring nature which comes to light away from the A-Team, working volontarily at Watts Day Care Center teaching 10-18 year old street kids how to make ash trays as well as using his high school skills as a coach in various sporting activities.
The Team also had several associates during their years on the run:
Amy Amanda "Triple A" Allen:
Played by Melinda Culea (1983). Amy was a 25 year old Journalist working at the L.A. Courier-Express, who recieves a two week suspension after falling out with her editor Grant Eldridge (Philip Sterling) who refuses to help find her friend and fellow reporter Al Massey (William Windom) after he was sent to San Rio Blanco on a story.
Before leaving the paper she meets up with fellow office colleage Bill Zachery (Ron Palillo) who has accuried some 6 month old research files on the A-Team, Amy becomes significantly intrigued and atempts to track down the team to help free her friend. A small file of information leads her to visit Murdock at the VA hospital, who tells her to wait at the Kozy Kat Klub at 2.00am, a sleazy strip club in Hollywood.
After several meetings with Hannibal dressed in various disguises, they meet properly for the first time in a multi-story car park, after acepting the case Amy gets quickly suffled into B.A's car where thay arrive at the airport to meet up with Face and Murdock. successfully freeing Massey from his captives, now on there way home Hannibal discovers a cassette recorder of Amy's voice notes for an exposé. With the team expressing strongly how they don't want an article written about them Amy still refuses to listen, "You let me in, or I write the book and blow your cover." Now nicknamed by Hannibal as "Triple A" (this is only time we hear this used), Amy in effect becomes the teams fith member bringing with her computer access and other proffesional skills.
With thanks to the A-Team she gets to cover many great stories in the short time she is with them, which in turn wins her a job as a foreign corespondent in Jakarta. Amy's last appearance is in the second season episode "The White Ballot" airing on the 6th December 1983.
Tawnia Baker:
Played by Marla Heasley (1984). Tawnia was a newsreporter at the L.A. Courier-Express and a friend of Amy's from whome she had learn't alot about the team. With Amy now in Jakarta, Tawnia becomes determined to take her place on the team and decides to track them down while working as a undercover clerk at Intermode Worldwide Security Systems where She uses their computers to hack into the US military and descovers a Code Red Personnel Dispatch on the A-Team and decides to warn them that Colonel Decker is on his way.
The team don't take to Tawnia and her services are very rarly called upon making her last appearance in the third season episode "The Bend in the River (Pt. 2)" where she leaves for South America to marry her archaeologist fiance Brian Lefcourt (Barry Van Dyke).
Frankie 'Dishpan' Santana:
Played by Eddie Valez (1986, Season 5). Frankie was a Mr. know-it-all special effects expert working on films with Hannibal, making his first appearance in episode "Dishpan Man" (5-01, 26th Sep 1986) taking an injured Hannibal to the hospital after 'Frank' accidentally set him on fire while wearing his Aquamaniac Costume. Hannibal, later gets kidnapped and brought before Stockwell, who proposes a mission to free the passengers of a high jacked spanish aircraft. One passenger in particular interests them both; Captain Josh Curtis, the one man who could prove the A-Team's innocence in the Hanoi bank job.
Hannibal decides to take along Frankie after he gets fired from the film production later dicscovering that he has been working undercover against them for General Stockwell who hopes to get the A-Team under his full control in return for his help Stockwell continues to pay Frankie's fathers nursing home fee's who himself had also been previously employed/blackmailed by Stockwell.
After the failed completion of the hostage mission Frankie become's the last unofficial member of the Team at Stockwell's command, after he assisted Murdock in helping the A-Team fake their execution and was put on the military's 10 Most Wanted List.
|
