Howling Mad Murdock

Howling Mad Murdock
The A-Team character
H. M. Murdock as he appears in the opening credits
First appearance	"Mexican Slayride"
Created by	Frank Lupo & Stephen J. Cannell
Portrayed by	Dwight Schultz (TV series) Sharlto Copley (2010 film) TBC (TV series reboot)
Information
Nickname(s)	Howling Mad
Gender	Male
Title	Captain
Awards	Bronze Star Medal Air Medal Joint Service Commendation Medal Army Commendation Medal National Defense Service Medal Vietnam Service Medal Vietnam Campaign Medal

Captain H. M. "Howling Mad" Murdock, played by Dwight Schultz, is a fictional character and one of the four protagonists of the 1980s action-adventure television series The A-Team. The character of Murdock was almost written out of the series before it aired, as the producers found the character too "over the top". The popularity of the character among the test audience however convinced the producers to keep the part of Murdock.

Murdock appeared on The A-Team from the series beginning in 1983 until its cancellation in 1987. South African actor Sharlto Copley played the character in the 2010 film, while Schultz appeared in a small cameo as his neurologist.

The A-Team is a group of ex-United States Army Special Forces who were wrongly convicted of a crime during the Vietnam War. They fled to Los Angeles, where, as fugitives, the A-Team works as soldiers of fortune, using their military training to fight oppression or injustice. Murdock, along with Hannibal Smith, B. A. Baracus, and Templeton "Faceman" Peck make up the A-Team. Although 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 insane (possibly caused by post-traumatic stress disorder) when the other three are imprisoned for robbing the Bank of Hanoi. Although he was alleged to be the A-Team's pilot during the robbery, he is instead committed to a psychiatric hospital. It is never made clear if Murdock truly is insane or only exceptionally good at pretending he is (or a combination of the two). He is stated as having paranoid anxiety, delusions, and intermittent memory loss. It is suggested one has to be insane just to do the stunts he does as a helicopter and airplane pilot.