Victoria Principal (born January 3, 1950) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actressAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, best known for her role as
Pamela Barnes EwingPamela Jean "Pam" Barnes is a fictional character in the popular American television series Dallas, played by Victoria Principal, Andrea Wauters and Margaret Michaels.-Early pre-series life:...
on the
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
nighttime drama
DallasDallas is an American prime-time television soap opera that originally ran from 1978 to 1991. It revolved around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries...
from 1978 to 1987.
Early life
Principal was born Vicki Ree Principal, in
Fukuokais the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyūshū in Japan, across the Korea Strait from South Korea's Busan....
,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, the older of two daughters of Ree Veal and Victor R. Principal. Principal gave a 1950 year of birth in a 2007 interview with the official
Dallas website. She stated that she "...felt that was the only way to clear this up once and for all. My name is my real name; my age is my real age. Someone on the internet, years ago, printed a different age than I am and I’m in the process legally of clearing that up, because I have never lied about my age." She said that she was the first American baby born in Japan after World War II.
Her paternal grandparents were immigrants from
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
and her mother was born in Georgia and is of
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
descent. Her father was a sergeant in the
Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
and like most military brats, Principal moved often, growing up in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
,
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
,
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
,
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
, and
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
, among other places, and attending 17 different schools. She studied at the Royal Academy of Ballet while in England.
She acted in a commercial when five, and began modeling in high school. She enrolled at Miami-Dade Community College, intending to study
medicineMedicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
eventually enrolling in, but not completing, chiropractic college. She continued modeling, winning the Miss Miami title in 1969, but serious injuries that she sustained in a car crash forced her to refocus her energy on acting. She moved to
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, working as a model and actress. After a modeling job in Europe, she studied at
Royal Academy of Dramatic ArtThe Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , in Bloomsbury, London, is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in Britain.-Admissions:...
, and then moved to
Los AngelesLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
in 1971.
Personal life
At the age of 19, Principal moved in with millionaire financier,
Bernard CornfeldBernard "Bernie" Cornfeld was a prominent businessman and international financier who sold investments in US mutual funds, and was tried and acquitted for orchestrating one of the most lucrative confidence games of his era.-Early life:Bernard Cornfeld was born in Turkey...
. She dated numerous actors and personalities, including:
Andy GibbAndy Gibb was an Australian singer, teen idol, and the youngest brother of Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, also known as the Bee Gees.-The early years:...
(with whom she recorded a duet version of "All I Have To Do Is Dream" in 1981),
Steven SpielbergSteven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer. In a career of over four decades, Spielberg's films have touched on many themes and genres. Spielberg's early sci-fi and adventure films, sometimes centering on children, were seen as an archetype of modern...
(during her work on
EarthquakeEarthquake is a 1974 American disaster film that achieved huge box-office success, continuing the disaster film genre of the 1970s where recognizable all-star casts attempt to survive life or death situations...
and his pre-production on
JawsJaws is a 1975 American horror/thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel Jaws. The police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant great white shark by closing the beach, only to be overruled by the town...
), and
Frank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
.
She met Christopher Skinner in 1978 when he played a bit role on
Dallas. Soon after, they married, but then divorced in 1980. In 1985, she married Hollywood plastic surgeon Dr. Harry Glassman after a three-year relationship. She has no children from either marriage.
In January 2003, her husband was arrested after a
domestic violenceDomestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, child abuse or intimate partner violence , can be broadly defined a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, friends or cohabitation...
incident; charges were never filed. They separated in March, 2006, and, on May 27, 2006 she filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences.
On December 27, 2006 the divorce was finalized; Glassman, labeled "Dr. McGreedy" by the press, received the Beverly Hills home and an estimated $25 million from Principal. Subsequently, Principal moved to
MalibuMalibu is an incorporated city in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population is 12,575....
. She maintains other homes in Big Sur, California and Switzerland.
As of 2007, it was reported that she is training for her booked flight on
Richard BransonSir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English industrialist, best known for his Virgin brand of over 360 companies. Branson's first successful business venture was at age 16, when he published a magazine called Student. He then set up an audio record mail-order business in 1970...
's commercial space flight venture.
Acting
Her first film role was porotraying a Mexican mistress in
Paul NewmanPaul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, and auto racing enthusiast...
's
The Life and Times of Judge Roy BeanThe Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean is a 1972 western film written by John Milius, directed by John Huston, and starring Paul Newman . It was loosely based on the real-life, self-appointed frontier judge.-Cast:*Paul Newman as Judge Roy Bean*Victoria Principal as Maria Elena...
(1972), for which she earned a Golden Globe Nomination as Most Promising Newcomer. Subsequently, she appeared in
The Naked ApeThe Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal is a 1967 book by Desmond Morris which looks at humans as a species and compares them to other animals...
(1973) with
Johnny CrawfordJohnny "John" Ernest Crawford is an American prolific character actor of stage, singer, and musician. At 12, Crawford arosed to fame for playing Chuck Connors's son, Mark McCain, in The Rifleman . He also got his start as one of the Mouseketeers.-Biography:Johnny Crawford was born in Los Angeles,...
.
In 1974, she landed a huge break when she was cast in a co-starring role in the successful
disaster filmA disaster film is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject. These films typically feature large casts of well-known actors and multiple plotlines, focusing on the characters' attempts to avert, escape or cope with the disaster and its aftermath...
epic,
EarthquakeEarthquake is a 1974 American disaster film that achieved huge box-office success, continuing the disaster film genre of the 1970s where recognizable all-star casts attempt to survive life or death situations...
. Principal continued to act in lesser-known films such as
I Will, I Will...For Now and
Vigilante ForceVigilante Force is a 1976 American action film concerning a Vietnam War veteran and his buddies, who are hired by his brother and others in a small California town for protection from rowdy oil-field workers....
. In 1977,
Aaron SpellingAaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's company holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits.-Early life:...
offered her a role in the pilot of his television series
Fantasy Island This article is about the television series. For the amusement park, see Martin's Fantasy Island or Fantasy Island UKFantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:Before it became a...
, which she accepted. Soon after, in 1978, she landed her most famous role playing Pamela Barnes Ewing in the evening
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on television or radio. The name "soap opera" stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble,...
television series
DallasDallas is an American prime-time television soap opera that originally ran from 1978 to 1991. It revolved around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries...
.
Dallas became a huge global hit, making Principal a household name across the world. In 1983, she earned a Golden Globe Nomination as Best Actress in a Television Series for her role on
Dallas.
After nine years, Principal decided left
Dallas in 1987. She went on to star in various made-for-television movies such as
Mistress,
Blind Witness,
Naked Lie,
Sparks: The Price of Passion, and
Don't Touch My Daughter, a few of which she co-produced. In 1994, she appeared in an episode of the hit sitcom
Home Improvement.
In late 1999, she and her
Dallas co-star
Patrick DuffyPatrick Duffy is an American television actor. He is best known for his roles as Bobby Ewing on the CBS drama Dallas , and as Frank Lambert on the ABC television sitcom Step By Step .-Career:In 1976, Duffy landed the role of Mark Harris in the short-lived television series Man from Atlantis...
appeared in an episode of the animated series
Family GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television sitcom, created by Seth MacFarlane, for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family which consists of Peter, Lois, Meg, Chris, Stewie, and their pet dog Brian...
in which they played their
Dallas characters. The scene was unusual for the animated series in that it was live-action. In it, they parodied the infamous "Dallas shower scene" in which her character dreamed up the death of her
Dallas husband's character. The episode, entitled
Da Boom"Da Boom" is the third episode of season 2 of Family Guy, originally aired on December 26, 1999. In it, Peter's newly adopted fears of the Y2K bug are realized after he cancels his family's New Year's Eve plans...
, aired on January 1, 2000.
Principal returned to primetime soap operas in 2000 when she appeared in another Aaron Spelling production, the short-lived
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
television series
TitansTitans is a short-lived American prime time soap opera that debuted on October 4, 2000 on NBC. Thirteen episodes were filmed, of which eleven were actually aired. The series, from Aaron Spelling, was initially marketed as a "Dynasty for the new millennium", attempting to emulate the style of...
.
Entrepreneur
When Principal signed her
Dallas contract, she omitted the clause that would have given the network the right to consent and profit from her outside endeavors. She explained, "As a result that’s why, you can only notice in hindsight, I was the only person in the cast who did commercials, who was doing movies of the week, who wrote books and these all belong to me. I retained the control and ownership of my image. No one owns me."
When she left the show in 1987, she began her own production company, Victoria Principal Productions, producing mostly movies for television. In the mid-1980s, she became interested in natural beauty therapies and in 1989 she created a self-named line of skin care products called
"Principal Secret," having amassed over a $1 billion of sales to date. In 1995, she was named "Entertainment Business Woman of the Year" by the National Association of Women Business Owners and received an honorary degree from Drexel University Business School. In 2003, Principal became a member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists.
In addition, she became a best-selling author, writing three books about beauty, skin care, and health. These three books were titled, in order of publication,
The Body Principal, The Beauty Principal, and
The Diet Principal. As of late July 2009, none of these three books were known still to be in print.
Also as of late July 2009, Principal had a fourth book,
Living Principal, in print.
Films
- The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean is a 1972 western film written by John Milius, directed by John Huston, and starring Paul Newman . It was loosely based on the real-life, self-appointed frontier judge.-Cast:*Paul Newman as Judge Roy Bean*Victoria Principal as Maria Elena...
(1972)
- The Naked Ape
The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal is a 1967 book by Desmond Morris which looks at humans as a species and compares them to other animals...
(1973)
- Earthquake
Earthquake is a 1974 American disaster film that achieved huge box-office success, continuing the disaster film genre of the 1970s where recognizable all-star casts attempt to survive life or death situations...
(1974)
- I Will, I Will... for Now (1976)
- Vigilante Force
Vigilante Force is a 1976 American action film concerning a Vietnam War veteran and his buddies, who are hired by his brother and others in a small California town for protection from rowdy oil-field workers....
(1976)
- Michael Kael vs. the World News Company (1998)
Television
- Banecek (1972)
- Last Hours Before Morning (1975)
- Fantasy Island
This article is about the television series. For the amusement park, see Martin's Fantasy Island or Fantasy Island UKFantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:Before it became a...
(1977) (pilot for series)
- The Night They Took Miss Beautiful (1977)
- Dallas
Dallas is an American prime-time television soap opera that originally ran from 1978 to 1991. It revolved around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries...
(cast member from 1978–1987)
- Hawaii Five-0, Episode "The Year of the Horse" (first aired 4/5/1979)
- Pleasure Palace (1980)
- Not Just Another Affair (1982)
- Mistress (1987)
- Naked Lie (1989)
- Blind Witness (1989)
- Sparks: The Price of Passion (1990)
- Don't Touch My Daughter (1991)
- The Burden of Proof
The Burden of Proof or Scott Turow's The Burden of Proof is a 1992 television miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Scott Turow. The story follows the character Sandy Stern following events in the film and book Presumed Innocent....
(1992)
- Seduction: Three Tales from the Inner Sanctum (1992)
- River of Rage: The Taking of Maggie Keene (1993)
- Beyond Obsession (1994)
- Home Improvement
Home Improvement is an American television sitcom. starring Tim Allen, which aired 1991 to 1999. The show was created by Matt Williams, Carmen Finestra and David MacFadzean. In the 1990s, it was one of the most watched sitcoms, winning many awards...
(1994)
- Dancing in the Dark (1995)
- The Abduction (1996)
- Love in Another Town (1997)
- Titans
Titans is a short-lived American prime time soap opera that debuted on October 4, 2000 on NBC. Thirteen episodes were filmed, of which eleven were actually aired. The series, from Aaron Spelling, was initially marketed as a "Dynasty for the new millennium", attempting to emulate the style of...
(2000–2001)
External links