Victoria Principal

Victoria Principal, born Vicki Ree Principal on January 3, 1950, is an American actress, producer, entrepreneur, and author. She is best known for her role as Pamela Barnes Ewing on the American primetime television soap opera Dallas, a series she starred in for nine years from 1978 to 1987. Beyond her acting career, she established her own production company, launched a skincare line, and became a best-selling author.

Principal was born in Fukuoka, Japan, to United States Air Force sergeant Victor Rocco Principal and Bertha Ree Principal. Due to her father's military career, her family moved frequently, living in London, Puerto Rico, Florida, Massachusetts, and Georgia. She attended 17 different schools, including the Royal Ballet School in England. After graduating from South Dade Senior High School in 1968, she enrolled at Miami–Dade Community College to study medicine. However, after sustaining serious injuries in a car crash during her first year, she shifted focus to acting. She moved to New York City and Europe, studying under Jean Scott in London before relocating to Los Angeles in 1971.

Principal landed her first film role as Marie Elena in John Huston's The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), earning a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer. She subsequently appeared in the comedy film The Naked Ape (1973) and secured a supporting role as Rosa Amici in the disaster film Earthquake (1974). Between 1975 and late 1977, Principal temporarily stepped away from acting to work as a Hollywood talent and booking agent. She returned to acting after accepting a guest role in the pilot of the television series Fantasy Island.

In 1978, Principal secured the role of Pamela Barnes Ewing on the CBS soap opera Dallas. During her nine-year run on the show, she managed her own contract negotiations, retaining ownership of her image and outside projects. Her work earned her a second Golden Globe nomination in 1983. In 1981, she also recorded a pop single duet cover of All I Have to Do Is Dream with Andy Gibb, reaching number 51 on the US Hot 100 chart. She departed the series in 1987 to pursue new professional directions.

Following her departure from Dallas, Principal established Victoria Principal Productions, producing and starring in several television films such as Naked Lie (1989), Blind Witness (1989), and Sparks: The Price of Passion (1990). She also built a career as an author, writing four books focused on health, beauty, and fitness: The Body Principal (1983), The Beauty Principal (1984), The Diet Principal (1987), and Living Principal (2001). In 1989, she created her eponymous skincare line, Principal Secret.

Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Principal appeared on shows such as Home Improvement, Just Shoot Me!, Family Guy, Providence, and The Practice, and in the French film Michael Kael vs. the World News Company (1998). She returned to television drama in 2000 on Titans and joined former castmates for the 2004 special Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork. Following her appearance on Titans, she left Hollywood to concentrate fully on her skincare business and philanthropic pursuits.