Can you believe it’s been almost 40 years since NBC pulled the plug on “The A-Team”? This action-packed classic still holds a special place in our hearts. From its catchy theme tune and over-the-top fight scenes to those unforgettable one-liners, it’s firmly embedded in the 1980s pop culture. While there were calls for a reboot in the 2000s, the original series never made a comeback on TV.
Instead, we got a 2010 movie featuring a fresh take on the A-Team, swapping the Vietnam War veterans for a crew of Iraq War veterans. Unfortunately, that film bombed at the box office, and the hoped-for sequels never materialized. Unlike some franchises—like “21 Jump Street,” where newer films overshadow the original—when folks think of “The A-Team” today, they generally think back to the original show.
So, what about the actors from the show? Sadly, we’ve lost some, including the iconic George Peppard, who portrayed John “Hannibal” Smith and passed away in 1994. Lance Legault, known for playing Colonel Roderick Decker, also left us in 2012. Luckily, many other main cast members are still alive. Let’s find out what they’ve all been up to since the series wrapped up.
Mr. T (Bosco Albert ‘B.A.’ Baracus)
After hanging up his fighting gear in 1987, Mr. T—yep, that’s his legal name—continued shining in the world of wrestling. In 2014, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, celebrating his celebrity status. Also, he kept acting, showing up in flicks during the 90s and 2000s like “Freaked” and “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.” He’s been a regular guest star on comedy shows, too, including “The Simpsons” and “Blossom.”
Most recently, he strutted his stuff on season 24 of “Dancing With the Stars,” making it to the fourth round and finishing in tenth place overall. Fans might diverge on whether the judges were right about that!
In his personal life, Mr. T has been battling cutaneous T-cell lymphoma since 1995. After entering remission in 2000, he humorously remarked how it felt to deal with a disease bearing his name. Today, he’s emerged as a strength to many: “Fighting cancer for the third time makes me a soldier—a veteran. I’m not scared anymore. Belief in God is stronger than ever,” he shared in a conversation with Survivor Net.
Dwight Schultz (H.M. ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock)
Dwight Schultz kicked off his post-“A-Team” acting career as physicist Robert J. Oppenheimer in the 1989 movie “Fat Man and Little Boy”. He had greater roles in features like “The Long Walk Home” and several TV shows, but none were quite as significant as his part in “The A-Team.” Over time, he pivoted to political commentary, where he’s spotted on conservative talk-radio. He hosted his podcast, “Howling Mad Radio,” accepting guest-star duties on various shows.
Although mostly retired from regular on-screen acting, he found great success as a voice actor, lending his voice to characters in popular animated series such as “Ben 10” and sharing the screen with classic characters in video games like “Spider-Man kaleidoscope” and “Crash Bandicoot.”
Dirk Benedict (Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck)
After “The A-Team,” Dirk Benedict embraced more acting opportunities, featuring in 1991’s “Blue Tornado” and soon making TV appearances in several popular series. In a bit of media shock back in 2006, he shared an essay named “Lost in Castration,” aiming fierce critiques upon the gender-flipped reboot of “Battlestar Galactica,” where he once played Lieutenant Starbuck in the original show.
Benedict has kept a lower public profile particularly in the 2010s, but amassed some stage recognition with a performance in a British production of “Prescription: Murder” in 2010 and starred in the 2019 flick “Space Ninjas.” Faceman remains his hallmark role, and he fondly reminisces about the morality aspect that defined the series: “We showcased clear good versus bad; it’s a show families loved watching together,” he reflects in an interview.
Melinda Culea (Amy Amanda ‘Triple A’ Allen)
Even though Amy “Triple A” Allen was written off in season two and often overlooked, she remains cherished by many “A-Team” followers. After her stint, she led in the 1984 series “Glitter” and graced episodes of dramas like “Knots Landing” and “Murder, She Wrote.” Inaccurately ignored in reports about her career, she also made well-received guest appearances on sci-fi favorites, including “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and had a cameo on “The X-Files.”
These days, Melinda seems to have opted for a quieter family life. In 2016, she released her mystery novel “Wondago” and has been enjoying life with her husband, film director Peter Markle. They share two children and are still happily together today.
