Victoria Principal (born January 3, 1950) is an American actress, author, and businesswoman best known for her role as Pamela Barnes Ewing on the CBS nighttime soap opera Dallas. She also served as the executive producer of the show during its final season.
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Born in Fukuoka, Japan, to an American military family, Principal is the eldest of three children. Her father, Victor Principal, was a career officer in the United States Air Force and her mother, Jeanne Principal, was a homemaker. The family moved around frequently due to her father’s job, living in various places including England, Spain, and Puerto Rico.
Principal was educated at a number of schools, including Ramstein American High School in West Germany and Miami Beach Senior High School in Florida. She later attended the University of Southern California, where she studied acting.
Principal’s acting career began in the early 1970s with guest appearances on various television shows such as The Love Boat and Marcus Welby, M.D.. In 1972, she landed her first major role in the film The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean opposite Paul Newman.
In 1978, Principal was cast as Pamela Barnes Ewing on Dallas. She played the role for nine seasons until 1987, when she left the show to pursue other projects. During her time on Dallas, Principal also appeared in a number of made-for-television movies.
In the 1990s, Principal returned to television with a leading role in the short-lived series Panama Deception. She also starred in the made-for-television movie A Stranger’s Heart and had a recurring role on the television series Spy Game.
In recent years, Principal has appeared in a number of stage productions. She made her Broadway debut in The Mystery of Edwin Drood in 1985 and has also appeared in regional productions of Love Letters and The Vagina Monologues.
In addition to her acting career, Principal is also a successful businesswoman. In 1986, she founded her own production company, Victoria Principal Productions. She has also released two books: The Beauty Book: A Guide to Looking Your Best at Any Age and The Diet Book: A Guide to Eating Right for Your Body Type.
Principal has been married twice. Her first marriage was to actor Gary Lockwood from 1971 to 1976. Her second marriage was to businessman Harry Glassman from 1985 to 1995. She has no children.
General Info
Full Name
Victoria Principal
Net Worth
$200 million
Date Of Birth
January 3, 1950
Height
1.68 m
Weight
124 lbs
Profession
Entrepreneur, Film producer, Author, Actor, Model, Businessperson
Education
South Dade High School, Miami Dade College, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Harry Glassman, Christopher Skinner
Parents
Ree Veal, Victor Principal
Accomplishments
Nominations
Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama, Golden Globe Award for Best New Star of the Year – Actress, People's Choice Award for Favorite Actress in a New TV Series
Movies
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, The Abduction, Vigilante Force, Naked Lie, Sparks: The Price of Passion, The Naked Ape, Blind Witness, Love in Another Town, Earthquake, I Will, I Will... for Now, River of Rage: The Taking of Maggie Keene, The Burden of Proof, The Night They Took Miss Beautiful...
TV Shows
Titans, Dallas, Fantasy Island, Banacek, Greatest Heroes of the Bible, Love Story
Has a reputation as a savvy businesswoman. Her shrewd business sense extended into her personal life as well, since she had both of her husbands sign prenuptial agreements before she married them. When her marriages ended in divorce, the prenuptial agreements saved her from financial downfall.
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President and formulator at "Principal Secret", the skin care company she founded in 1989. She is a member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists.
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Accused of pulling a gun on her maid for taking too long walking Principal's shin tze "Mei Ling" [May 5, 2009]. Victoria countersued, claiming that the maid was a lunatic, slamming doors, hurting her dog and demanding money. She said she pulled the gun and cocked it out of fear. The case reached a settlement, with the maid writing a letter of apology to Victoria.
Best remembered by the public for her role as Pamela Barnes Ewing on the 1980s soap opera Dallas (1978).
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Teamed up with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, planning an outer space journey in September 2008. Will began training in January 2008 [May 17, 2007].
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Currently battling a blood-clotting disorder [May 17, 2007].
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Attended South Dade Senior High school, in south Miami-Dade County, Florida.
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Wore a wig for her role as "Rosa Amici" in Earthquake (1974)
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She ranked #3 in 1982 and #6 in 1984 on Richard Selzer's (aka Mr. Blackwell) Worst Dressed List.
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She ranked #60 in 1995 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women.
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Has sold the Montecito home. [October 2001]
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Bought a house in Montecito, California, from Priscilla Presley. [March 2000]
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Is the national chairperson for the Los Angeles-based Victory Over Violence, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending violence against women.
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In 1973, she posed nude for Playboy to promote her second film, The Naked Ape (1973). However, the film's failure disappointed her, and she would later refer to it as the worst film of her career.
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Studied at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
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Her father was a sergeant in the United States Air Force.
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Her former husband, Harry Glassman, is a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills.
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Miss Miami of 1969
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She worked as an agent for 3 years when she became unhappy with her acting career during the early 1970s.
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She worked as a model in New York and Europe while auditioning for early acting roles in films, such as for Goodbye, Columbus (1969), which she lost out to Ali MacGraw, who was 12 years older than Victoria. However, she did work with the film's director, Larry Peerce, later on in her career in the television movie, The Abduction (1996).
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She spent two years studying at England's Royal Academy of Ballet, as one of the few Americans accepted into the program.
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Stated during an interview with Howie Mandel that she refuses to disclose her height, but is comfortable telling people her age.
When on an airplane once, the pilot came on over the loudspeaker, and threatened not to land the plane unless Victoria told him "Who Shot J.R.?", during the summer before the third season of Dallas (1978).
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Was honored by then President Ronald Reagan for her work on behalf of arthritis victims. Both of her parents suffered from the disease.