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John "Hannibal" Smith

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Added by: ironknight

Read more about John "Hannibal" Smith at: Wikipedia

Official Site: NBC

Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith is a fictional character in the 1980s action/adventure television series The A-Team played by George Peppard. The producers originally had James Coburn in mind to play the part of Hannibal, but it eventually ended up going to Peppard. The character—which was based loosely on former United States Army Special Forces officer Bo Gritz —appeared on The A-Team from its beginning in 1983 until its end in 1987. The character was played by Liam Neeson in the 2010 film adaptation.

The A-Team is a group of ex-United States Army Special Forces who, at the end of the Vietnam War, were convicted of a crime they did not commit and managed to escape from the military police. As fugitives, the A-Team work as soldiers of fortune, using their military training to fight oppression or injustice. Hannibal, along with B. A. Baracus, Templeton "Faceman" Peck, and H. M. Murdock make up the A-Team.

In the pilot episode ("Mexican Slayride: Part 1"), Hannibal is described as follows by a reporter colleague of Amy Allen: "The leader [of the A-Team] is a Colonel named John Smith. But everybody calls him Hannibal. The guy has a very unorthodox style." Smith takes his name from the famous military commander, and strategist, as alluded to by B.A. Baracus in the same episode. He is distinguished by his unflappable demeanor, even when in peril, his constant cigar-smoking, his black leather gloves, and his many comic disguises. He is a master tactician (although his plans rarely turn out as they are supposed to) and seems to have a plan for getting the team out of any situation they get into. His favorite catch phrase is, "I love it when a plan comes together".

He fought in both the Korean and Vietnam wars and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel - keeping with US Army Tradition, he is most often referred to simply as "Colonel". Thriving on adventure and the adrenaline rush of life-threatening situations (or being "on the jazz", as the rest of the team refers to it), he seems to genuinely enjoy every challenge they encounter. He is renowned by both allies and enemies for being cool-headed and extremely clever. There is rarely a situation where he is not able to smile in the face of adversity. He will usually light up a cigar when he needs to do some thinking — often when coming up with a plan, and in the heat of a dangerous or exciting moment. He is also often seen putting on his gloves when he senses the action is about to pick up (such as a fist fight breaking out). When captured by their enemies, he will deliver flippant or sarcastic remarks. He regularly dispenses aphorism, especially to their foes, upon defeating them. He also has some medical skills which he picked up when in Vietnam.

John "Hannibal" Smith has not been a contender in any CBUB matches.