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 * George Peppard as Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith (1983-1987)

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" (a phrase coined by B.A., meaning that Hannibal thrives on adventure and life-threatening situations), he seems to genuinely enjoy every situation they get into. He also works as an actor, playing monsters in low-budget horror movies.

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 "Face" 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 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 (although, 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 aphorisms, especially to their foes, upon defeating them. He also has some medical skills which he picked up when in Vietnam.

He styles himself a "master of disguise", though his skill lay not so much in how convincing his disguise was, but in his ability to assume any role and convince others that his role is genuine. Most episodes begin with the prospective clients coming to meet the A-Team, and instead, being introduced to one of Hannibal's comic aliases. Hannibal uses his various disguises to screen all the A-Team's potential clients to assure they were not fronts for the military—sometimes playing more than one at a time. Clients often make reference to a "Mr. Lee", the owner of a Chinese laundromat who tells them where to meet the team.

When not working with the team, Hannibal works as an actor, playing monsters in low-budget horror movies (being a fugitive, he can only choose roles in which his face cannot be seen). His many roles include "Gatorella", "Killgator" and his most famous, "The Aquamaniac". Naturally, Hannibal secures his roles playing his own agent; somehow always 'eluding' the Producer of his true identity.

 * Dirk Benedict as Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman" Peck (1983-1987)

Suave, smooth-talking, and hugely successful with women, he serves as the team's con man and scrounger, able to get his hands on just about anything they need. Effectively second in command behind Hannibal (although technically Murdock outranks him), he is the one who arranges for supplies, equipment, and sensitive information using numerous scams and hustles. Tim Dunigan played this role in the pilot episode.

In the series, the character of Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck is a member of the A-Team, a group of ex-United States Army Special Forces who are unjustly accused of a crime during the Vietnam War. Managing to escape from the military police, they flee to Los Angeles, where as fugitives, the A-Team works as soldiers of fortune, using their military training to fight oppression or injustice. Face, along with Hannibal Smith, B. A. Baracus, and H. M. Murdock make up the A-Team.

In the pilot episode ("Mexican Slayride: Part 1"), Face is described as follows by a reporter colleague of Amy Allen: "Templeton Peck, known as the Faceman. In and out of trouble. An orphan from L.A. This guy is Mr Ricky-Ticky. A con man. A real operator." Suave, smooth-talking, and hugely successful with women, Peck is dubbed "Face" because of his handsome looks, which are essential to the team's survival and operations as Murdock explains in the episode "Family Reunion" (season 5) to Face's father. In "The only Church In Town", Face is shown to be a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

As the team's con-man and scrounger, Face seems to be able to get his hands on just about anything they need. Effectively second in command behind Hannibal (although technically Murdock has a higher rank),  he is the one who arranges for supplies, equipment, and sensitive information using numerous scams and hustles. He has an uncanny ability to talk anybody (especially women) out of (or into) just about anything. In the first season episode "Holiday in the Hills", an example of Face's skills are displayed: First, Face is capable of arranging a car and safe passage into a South American country. Later stuck in a forest with a dying man, the team refers to him getting a Cadillac '53 during a mission in the jungles of Vietnam. He proceeds to take the silk from a plane's parachute to use for a makeshift ultra light aero plane to transport the wounded man and then in the guise of a priest, scams a woman out of a motor and a set of wheels from a seeding machine.

Because of his talent as a con artist, Face generally lives the high life, staying in ritzy apartments and wearing expensive suits. He drives a custom white Corvette sports car with a red stripe (to match B.A.'s van), which is equipped with a CB radio and a car phone, a rarity at the time. He is also an expert at picking locks and cracking safes. B.A. once said that if Hannibal hadn't put Face on the team, he would probably be in jail, which Face confirmed.

Not much for hand-to-hand combat, Face is forever complaining about the inevitable fighting that ensues. Nonetheless, in some episodes Face shows considerable fighting prowess, handling numerous opponents on his own. In the majority of episodes, he calls in the help of B.A.. Face will often leap at his enemies in an effort to work them down to the ground. In numerous episodes, he teams with Murdock to take down enemies.

Face also handles the team's money. As mentioned in several episodes, Peck is an orphan. He was abandoned by his parents at an early age, and was raised in different orphanages. In the episode "The Bells of St. Mary", it is revealed that Peck played football in a parochial school run by a nun. He employs this knowledge to coach orphans in that same episode, and again in the episode "Quarterback Sneak" (season 5) with former football players.

In the season 4 episode "Mind Games", it is revealed that Templeton Peck is not his real name. In season five ("Family Reunion"), Face learns that his father was a man named A.J. Bancroft and that his birth name is Richard, and he has a half-sister named Ellen. His assumed names in order are Richard Bancroft, Alvin Brennar, Al Brennan, Al Peck, Holmes Morrison, Morrison Holmes, and finally Templeton Arthur Peck.

Because of the nature of Face's character, Face traditionally pursues the lead female character of a particular episode, and often hooks up with her by the end of that episode. Throughout the show's run, only a few female characters have become interested in other members of the team, or are mentioned because they differ from the traditional female lead.
 

 * Mr. T as Master Sergeant Bosco Albert "B.A." Baracus (1983-1987)

Main article: B. A. Baracus
A highly-skilled mechanic and the A-Team's regular Mr. Fix-It, his character is basically that of the public persona of Mr. T himself. He is a skilled fighter and is easily roused to anger, earning him the nickname "Bad Attitude". Despite his reputed attitude, he is a nice guy at heart. He has a special fondness for children and, being a teetotaller, he never drinks alcohol, preferring milk instead. He is most upset by Murdock, frequently referring to him as a "crazy fool." He suffers an intense fear of flying, especially when the plane 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.
In the pilot episode ("Mexican Slayride: Part 1"), B.A. is described as follows by a reporter colleague of Amy Allen: "Bosco Baracus. Known as B.A. for 'bad attitude.' The man is a mechanical genius. He also has one of the worst conduct records in the army. He likes to slug officers." A rough-and-tough fighter, the character of B.A. Baracus is basically that of the public persona of Mr. T himself. He is known for his trademark mohawk hairstyle (which according to the show, is not Mohawk but rather an African symbol), and his gold jewelry.

While the other members of the team regularly resort to disguises, scams and subterfuge to achieve their goals, B.A.'s distinctive appearance and confrontational attitude usually lead to a more direct approach to problems, which often involve either his skills at hand to hand combat, or his mechanical talents.

He is a highly-skilled mechanic and has an amazing talent for making impressive machinery out of just about any ordinary parts that they have available to them. Hannibal once said to B.A., "With a pair of pliers and a little time, you could fix anything but dinner." He is also an excellent fighter and is invaluable in hand-to-hand combat. Because of his massive size and strength, he has a unique fighting tactic, which involves grabbing his opponents, lifting them over his head, and hurling them in the air. He is easily angered to the point of rage, and often greets people with a growl or a snarl. He is most often upset by Murdock and frequently addresses him with the phrase "You crazy fool!" Despite his reputed attitude, he is a nice guy at heart. He has a special fondness for children, occasionally working at a youth center teaching sports to the kids.

A teetotaler, B.A. never touches alcohol, preferring milk instead. He suffers an intense fear of flying ("I ain't gittin' on no plane!"), especially when the plane in question is flown by Murdock. This difficulty is often overcome by other members of the team drugging him, knocking him unconscious, or, as in one episode, hypnotizing him, so he can be transported without objection. However, in one episode, he is on a plane pretending to be a maintenance technician with Murdock when the plane suddenly takes off. He immediately falls into a catatonic state while Murdock tries to revive him. Furthermore, in two episodes "The Sound of Thunder" and "Quarterback Sneak" B.A. hops onto a helicopter which is piloted by Murdock (Although he is said to have gone catatonic during the plane ride in "The Sound of Thunder"). Perhaps one could say in dire situations, B.A. is willing to fly, and indeed he voluntarily boards an airplane to travel to Chicago when his mother is in danger, although Hannibal drugs him aboard the plane anyway.

As revealed in a few episodes, B.A. and Murdock share the same blood type—AB negative, the rarest type. This was a plot device for finding one of them urgently when a transfusion was needed for the other. However, in reality, an AB negative recipient can accept blood from any negative donor, so all this would have been unnecessary in real life.

B.A. drives a customized 1983 GMC van, painted black and grey with a red stripe, black and red rims, and a rooftop spoiler. B.A. is extremely protective of his van, and becomes furious if it gets the smallest scratch. He refuses to let anyone else drive it, with the notable exception of episode 12 of the third season, Hot Styles, in which B.A. mysteriously only appears for a few seconds. He usually says, "Nobody drives my van, but me!"

The meaning of "B.A."

As revealed in the pilot episode, the "B" in B.A. stands for Bosco, however it is never explained what the "A" stands for. In recent years, many sources have listed B.A.'s middle name to be "Albert" — however, this was never mentioned in the series or any of the publicity that went with it. When asked what the "B.A." stood for, the standard reply is "Bad Attitude". B.A.'s childhood nickname was "Scooter", which he detested.

 * Dwight Schultz as Captain H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock (1983-1987)

The best chopper pilot of the Vietnam War, Murdock is either mentally unstable or exceptionally good at pretending to be so. Although he was their pilot on the Hanoi bank raid, he was technically not part of the A-Team and so not tried by the military. Though interned at a psychiatric hospital, he routinely escapes 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, 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 them. He was permanently discharged from the hospital in the fifth season.
 

Murdock was not convicted of any crime, as the other three were, he is still a full-fledged member of the team.

Considered the best chopper pilot of the Vietnam War, Murdock is officially declared mentally unstable, but is in fact exceptionally good at pretending he is. He is stated as having paranoid delusions and intermittent memory loss. Although he was the A-Team's pilot on the mission to rob the Bank of Hanoi (the crime for which they were convicted), he was never tried by the military. He is interned at a psychiatric hospital, although he routinely escapes (generally with the help of Face) to accompany the A-Team on their missions. The symptoms of his "insanity" vary from episode to episode, but include self-identification with fictional characters, hallucinations, and belief in the "intelligence" of inanimate objects, among others. He often "channels" a certain character for the duration of a mission (much to the chagrin of B.A.) or becomes fixated on a particular subject to the point of obsession. He also frequently refers to his invisible dog, "Billy". B.A., uneasy with Murdock's unusual behavior, is easily angered by Murdock and regularly refers to him as a "crazy fool".

Murdock is almost always seen in a ball cap, a customized A-2 leather flight jacket with a picture of a tiger and the words "Da Nang 1970" on the back, and a pair of Converse All-Star shoes. He also often wears a t-shirt with a comical caption or a picture of a cartoon character on it. Although he was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, he is easily capable of flying anything with rotors or wings, including passenger planes, fighter jets, and even autogyros. Interestingly, unlike B.A., the initials H.M. were never explained in terms of what Murdock's actual first and middle name were, and the nickname "Howlin' Mad" were simply attributed to them (although it is rumored that his name comes from World War II Marine Corps General Holland M. Smith, aka "Howlin' Mad", a nickname given by his troops).

It was revealed in the first season that Murdock and B.A. share the same blood type—AB negative, the rarest type. In the episode "Black Day at Bad Rock", B.A. receives a transfusion from Murdock, who was sprung from the hospital for just that, despite B.A.'s protests (fearing that Murdock's blood will make him "crazy"). This was again referenced in the second season finale "Curtain Call" when, in an unusually touching moment between the two, B.A. voluntarily offers to donate his own blood to save Murdock.

Due to his nature, many of the details of Murdock's life are unknown, or possibly embellished. If he is to be believed, Murdock's mother died when he was five (although they "still keep in touch"), and he was raised by his grandmother (who is supposedly named "H. Emma Murdock") and his grandfather. In one episode in the third season, B.A. says that Murdock went insane after his plane crashed. The exact state of his insanity is never made clear, though he occasionally implies that his insanity is his ticket to his "room and board". Despite his purported mental status, Murdock is a thoroughly competent member of the team, when needed to be. Indeed, because he is not actually wanted by the military, Murdock is often the only team member to evade capture by a given episode's antagonists (or the military police), and he has single-handedly rescued the other team members several times.

Murdock actually has extensive knowledge of various subjects and keeps up on current events, showing a genius level aptitude. He speaks several languages including Spanish, Vietnamese, Russian(not too well though) and Mandarin Chinese. In the second season episode "The Maltese Cow", Murdock says, "What can I say? One day I had a gonzo headache and before it went away I could read and speak Chinese. And it was a bad afternoon, too, lemme tell you." He also seems capable of a photographic memory. He is also a talented actor and often accompanies Face on his scams. He is capable of impersonating the voices of famous individuals and mimicking many different foreign accents. It is also revealed in the Season 4 episode "Wheel of Fortune", that Murdock has worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on at least two occasions, once in 1969 and once in 1972. The exact extent of Murdock's missions with the CIA are not revealed.

One particular insight into Murdock's unique world view comes during the season five episode "Trial By Fire". Murdock is asked to take the stand at the A-Team's murder trial and give testimony about his helicopter flight following the Hanoi bank mission. The testimony takes the form of a surreal flashback from Murdock's perspective in which Murdock himself (wearing a grey wig and Biggles-style flight jacket) and his female co-pilot come under attack from The Spanish Armada, a sea serpent, and a tribe of Native Americans mounted on horseback, while Murdock spouts melodramatic dialogue. His mental acumen, however had generally improved by the fifth season to the point that he agonized whether to tell team member Face that their current client A.J. Bancroft was in fact Face's real father, and that Bancrofts daughter was his half-sister.

Murdock was permanently discharged from the mental institution in the fifth season, supposedly having regained his sanity, which is consistent with the fact he possibly pretended to be insane as a cover. Following this event, instead of a different mental instability every episode, Murdock took a different menial job each week, including stints working as a Dog walker and a Waiter.

 * Melinda Culea as Amy Amanda "Triple A" Allen (1983-1984)

Amy 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 it's only other appearance in the actual series (and even this was only referenced visually, with no acknowledgement to it in the dialogue). The character's boss is Grant Eldridge (Philip Sterling), seen in the first half of the Pilot, and in the first season episode "Holiday In The Hills". She has a best friend at the Courier, Zach (Ron Palillo), although he 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 featuring 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 of 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 (see below)'s first episode, "The Battle of Bel Air", Amy is reportedly "on foreign correspondent duty" in Jakarta.

 * Marla Heasley as Tawnia Baker (1984-1985)

Tawnia (misspelled as 'Tanya' on a computer screen in the character's introductory episode "The Battle Of Bel Air") 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 (reflected by the fact that she was never added to the opening credits, and was not present in two stories, "Harder Than It Looks" and "Semi-Friendly Persuasion", during her time in the series). 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 (Barry Van Dyke) who the Team rescued from river pirates in the Amazon. Marla Heasley had appeared in a small role previously in the second season, as Cherise in the episode "Bad Time On The Border".

* Tia Carrere as Tia (1986)

The half-Vietnamese daughter of latter 4th season antagonist General Fulbright. 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.

* Eddie Velez as Frankie "Dishpan Man" Santana (1986-1987)

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" (or simply "Dishpan") 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.

 Supporting Characters

* William Lucking as Colonel Lynch (1983)

Commander of Fort Bragg, which housed the stockade from which the team escaped. The Colonel pursued them throughout the first season. (He was mentioned to still be in pursuit of the team at the start of the second season, though was never actually seen). 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!".

 * Lance LeGault as Colonel Roderick Decker (1984-1985)

The second Colonel who tried to catch the team, he was picked for the job because of his unorthodox warfare techniques (it was revealed that in Vietnam, he was known for blowing up Viet Cong hospitals). Decker and Hannibal had a past, having gotten into a brawl at an officers' club in Vietnam. Decker was much more ruthless than Lynch, but also always got outsmarted. He equally despises and respects the A-Team, and Smith in particular, for their ingenuity and teamwork. Decker reappears in the fifth season episode "Trial by Fire" to testify against the A-Team.

* Carl Franklin as Captain Crane (1984-1985)

Decker's right-hand man, he was much more naïve than Decker regarding the A-Team, and was often surprised at the team's ability to evade them.

* Charles Napier as Colonel Briggs (1984)

The third Colonel who tried to catch the team but only appeared in one early season 3 episode ("Fire") before Colonel Decker returned. In reality the character was a temporary, one-off replacement (he even has very similar look and mannerisms to Decker) while Lance LeGault was filming an episode of Magnum P.I., in which he also had a recurring role.

* Jack Ging as General Harlan "Bull" Fullbright (1985-1986)

A General who, once again, was determined to capture the team. In the season four finale "The Sound of Thunder", he actually tracked down the team, but instead of turning them in, persuaded them to traveling with him to Vietnam to try and find his long-lost offspring, not realizing he was being led into a trap; at the climax of the story the character is shot and killed. In his dying moments, Fullbright admitted to the team that he realized they were innocent, as they were willing to help him at any cost despite their being criminals on the run from him.

 * Robert Vaughn as General Hunt Stockwell (1986-1987)

The A-Team's boss during the final season, who blackmailed the team into working on an undefined number of top-secret government missions in return for their supposed eventual pardon. He is mysterious and unpredictable, with the team often feeling that he is just using him for his own gains, leading them on with undefined terms for their supposed pardon (in the episode "Alive At Five", Face tires of this and plans to go it at alone, although eventually decides to stay). Often Stockwell will send the team out on various missions, usually contacting them from his luxury jet, but occasionally will take a more hands-on approach (such as the episode "Point Of No Return", when he leads the rest of the team to Hong Kong to find the missing Hannibal). His catch phrase was "(I'm going to do this...) My way."


* Judith Ledford (sometimes as Judy Ledford) as Carla (1986-1987)

General Stockwell's assistant, and often the target of Face (and Frankie)'s unwanted advances. Seen for the first half of the final season, in the last few episodes several other assistants appeared in her place (Carla appears for the last time in "Point Of No Return").