List of The A-Team characters
This article lists the characters created for the popular 1980s American action-adventure television series The A-Team and its 2010 film adaptation as well as other media appearances.
The A-Team
John "Hannibal" Smith
Ex-United States Army Special Forces 5th Special Forces Group Lieutenant-Colonel/Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith is the leader of the A-Team. He is a brilliant tactician and a master of disguise. Hannibal is distinguished by his cigar smoking, black gloves, disguises, and his catch phrase, "I love it when a plan comes together." Always "on the jazz", he seems to genuinely enjoy every situation they get into. He also works as an actor, playing monsters in low-budget horror movies.The producers originally had James Coburn in mind to play the part of Hannibal, but it eventually went to Peppard. He is portrayed by Liam Neeson in the film adaptation and voiced by David Lodge in Lego Dimensions.
The character was partly inspired by Bo Gritz, a US Army Special Forces officer.
Templeton Arthur "Faceman" Peck
Ex-United States Army Special Forces 5th Special Forces Group First Lieutenant Templeton "Face" Peck was suave, smooth-talking, and popular with women. Serving as the team's con man and scrounger, he is able to get his hands on just about anything they need. He is Hannibal's second-in-command and arranges for supplies, equipment, and sensitive information using numerous scams and hustles. Raised in a Christian orphanage, Face has respect for the church. Amy and Murdock give some insight into Face's true character; while Face has a good heart, he fears commitment. In Season Five, Face's birth name is revealed to actually be Richard Bancroft; his father left him and his mother, who died shortly afterwards.He is later portrayed by Bradley Cooper in the film adaptation and voiced by Sam Riegel in Lego Dimensions.
H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock
Ex–United States Army Pilot Captain H. M. "Howling Mad" Murdock was one of the best pilots in the Vietnam War, specializing in helicopters but adept at all aircraft. He is either mentally unstable or exceptionally good at pretending to be so. Although he was their pilot on the Hanoi bank raid, he was not officially part of the A-Team and so not tried by the military. Interned at a psychiatric hospital, he routinely escapes easily to accompany the A-Team on their missions. The symptoms of his "insanity" varies from episode to episode, but generally includes self-identification with fictional characters, hallucinations, and belief in the "intelligence" of inanimate objects, among others. He frequently refers to his invisible dog, "Billy." Unlike B.A., the initials "H.M." were never explained in terms of Murdock's actual name, and the nickname "Howlin' Mad" is simply attributed to him. He was permanently discharged from the hospital in the fifth season.He is portrayed by Sharlto Copley in the film adaptation, where he also identifies himself as an Army Ranger.
Dwight Schultz reprised him in Lego Dimensions.
Bosco Albert "B.A." Baracus
Ex–United States Army Special Forces 5th Special Forces Group Sergeant First Class Bosco Albert "B.A." Baracus is a highly skilled mechanic and the A-Team's regular Mr. Fix-It as well as being the team's master at arms. His character is basically that of the public persona of Mr. T himself. He is a skilled fighter and is easily aroused to anger, earning him the nickname "Bad Attitude". Despite his reputed attitude, he is a very nice guy at heart. He has a special fondness for children and never drinks alcohol, preferring milk instead. He is frequently perturbed by Murdock, whom he often refers to as a "crazy fool". He suffers an intense fear of flying, especially when the aircraft in question is flown by Murdock. This difficulty is often overcome by other members of the team drugging him, or otherwise rendering him unconscious, so he can be transported without objection; he has the unusual habit of falling on car horns when knocked out.He is portrayed by Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in the film adaptation and by Dave Fennoy in Lego Dimensions.
Additional A-Team members
Amy Allen
Amy Amanda "Triple A" Allen was an intrepid reporter for the L.A. Courier paper who joined the team in its pilot episode. At the end of the pilot, Hannibal comments on how her initials are "Triple A", but while much of the publicity surrounding the series used this name, it was never really used again in the show itself, with a company set up by the Team in the first season episode "The Out-Of-Towners" called "Triple-A's" being its only other appearance in the actual series. The character's boss is Grant Eldridge, seen in the first half of the pilot, and in the first season episode "Holiday In The Hills". Amy has a best friend at the Courier, Zach, who is only seen in the pilot and never referred to again. Amy was written out of the show in the middle of the second season as a result of a conflict between Culea and the production team. After being featured prominently in the pilot story, the character had little impact in many of the following episodes causing Culea to become increasingly unhappy with the role and wanting more to do, such as taking part in the Team's frequent fights with bad guys. It's also said that the fact that George Peppard didn't like her, feeling that the show didn't need a female lead, also had an effect. There are conflicting reports over whether Culea eventually left on her own accord, or if she was fired as a result of her continual pushing for more to do in the show. The latter is the more commonly accepted reason, and an oft-cited tale is that Culea found out about her firing when she was given a script and found out she was not included in the episode. In replacement Tawnia Baker's first episode, "The Battle of Bel Air", Amy is reportedly "on foreign correspondent duty" in Jakarta.She is voiced by Marisha Ray in Lego Dimensions.
Tawnia Baker
Tawnia Baker was a relatively short-lived second-season replacement for Amy during late 1983 – early 1984. She was also a reporter who had heard of the team through Amy and helped the A-Team out a few times, although she never fully incorporated herself into the team, as Amy had done. The character was dropped in "The Bend In The River", the feature-length second story of the third season, again said to be much to do with Peppard's insistence that the show didn't need a female character, but was given the dignity of being written out properly, as she married explorer Brian Leftcourt, whom the Team had rescued from river pirates in the Amazon, and went on a round-the-world-all-expenses-paid honeymoon. Marla Heasley had appeared in a small role previously in the second season, as Cherise in the episode "Bad Time on the Border".Tia Fulbright
Tia Fulbright was the half-Vietnamese daughter of latter 4th season antagonist General Fullbright. She was inducted into the team in "The Sound of Thunder", the finale to season 4, after the death of her father and her own wanted status in Vietnam and illegal status in the US. However, Carrere's contractual obligations to General Hospital, made during a period when 5th season renewal for the series was uncertain, led to Tia vanishing from the story with no explanation or further mention.Frankie "Dishpan Man" Santana
Frankie "Dishpan Man" Santana was a Puerto Rican special effects expert who helps the A-Team during the final season. He was blackmailed into joining the team by Gen. Stockwell after he and Murdock helped the team escape the firing squad. The character's early script name was Frankie Sanchez, which filtered through to a number of coverage material. The character was also often given the nickname "Dishpan Man" in much of the series' coverage, but while he was introduced as this in the fifth season opener, itself called "Dishpan Man", this nickname was very seldom used afterwards in the actual series. Frankie is unique as he refers to Hannibal Smith by his first name 'Johnny' whilst the others would use his nickname Hannibal or his rank of Colonel. In "The Theory of Revolution" it is remarked that Frankie claimed to have served as a paratrooper although Murdock is skeptical of this given his unfamiliarity with the military 24hr time system. It is mentioned that he has a father in a nursing home in "Trial By Fire". Unlike Amy and Tawnia, Frankie makes full participation in action sequences and normally uses a Heckler and Koch P7 pistol.Military Police
Members of the Military Police would be led by different field commanders in apprehending the A-Team. While they often fail to catch them, the military police have on occasion arrested the criminals that the A-Team have defeated.Colonel Lynch
Military Police Colonel Francis Lynch was the Commander of Fort Bragg, which housed the stockade from which the team escaped. The Colonel pursued them throughout the first season.. He seemed to have a personal vendetta against the A-Team which, coupled with the fact that he never managed to capture them, led to his being taken off the case. He also made a surprise return to make one last effort at catching the team in the third season episode "Showdown!."In the 2010 film adaptation, "Lynch" is revealed to be a moniker that many CIA agents take on. The most recent Lynch is played by Patrick Wilson who intended to portray the role more seriously than Lucking's comedic character. For the film, the character is changed from the Wile E. Coyote-type Army colonel of the original series to a mysterious and sinister corrupt CIA SAD operative. Burress is ultimately revealed to be the one that framed the A-Team. Following Burress's arrest at the end of the film, Jon Hamm does an uncredited portrayal of an agent that takes him into CIA custody. When asked what his name is, the agent answers "Lynch."
In Lego Dimensions, Colonel Lynch appears and gives the players a quest to help him round up the B-Team.