John "Hannibal" Smith

John "Hannibal" Smith
The A-Team character
John "Hannibal" Smith as he appears in the first and second season opening credits
First appearance	"Mexican Slayride"
Created by	Frank Lupo & Stephen J. Cannell
Portrayed by	George Peppard (TV series) Liam Neeson (2010 film) TBC (TV series reboot)
Information
Aliases	Hannibal Mr. Lee
Gender	Male
Title	Lieutenant Colonel/Colonel
Awards	Medal of Honor Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Soldier's Medal Bronze Star Medal Joint Service Commendation Medal Army Commendation Medal Purple Heart National Defense Service Medal Korea Service Medal Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal Vietnam Campaign Medal

Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith, played by George Peppard, is a fictional character and one of the four protagonists of the 1980s action-adventure television series The A-Team. 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. His often spoken line "I love it when a plan comes together" was included in TV Land's "The 100 Greatest TV Quotes and Catch Phrases" in 2006.

The A-Team is a group of ex-United States Army Special Forces soldiers who, near the end of the Vietnam War, were arrested for a crime they did not commit and managed to escape from the Military Police. As fugitives, the A-Team works 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. "Howlin' Mad" Murdock make up the A-Team.

In the pilot episode ("Mexican Slayride: Part 1"), Hannibal is described by a reporter colleague of Amy Allen as follows: "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; various items of tie-in literature for the series commented that just as the original Hannibal had led the elephants over the alps, this Hannibal had led his men over the wall of Fort Bragg after they were wrongly arrested. He is distinguished by his unflappable demeanor, even when in peril, his constant cigar-smoking, his black leather gloves, and his many disguises. He is a master tactician (although his plans rarely turn out as they are supposed to; when asked if she thought this was going to work, Amy Allen summed it up by saying, "Hannibal's plans never work right. They just work.") and seems to have a plan for getting the team out of any situation they get into. His favorite catchphrase is, "I love it when a plan comes together"; he is often heard to remark "Nice" after part of his plan has succeeded - sometimes with destructive or explosive results.