- Born
- Birth nameVictoria Ree Principal
- Height5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
- Principal is the elder daughter of Ree (née Veal) and Victor Rocco Principal. Her paternal grandparents were Italian, while her mother's family was from Gordon, Georgia, and South Carolina. Her father, a United States Air Force sergeant, was often transferred to different duty stations, so the family constantly moved, and Victoria grew up in London, Florida, Puerto Rico, Massachusetts, and Georgia, among other places. She and her sister attended 17 different schools. Victoria's acting career began when she made a commercial at age five, and she began modeling in high school. She enrolled at Miami-Dade Community College, and wanted to study chiropractic medicine. However, being seriously injured in a car crash at age 18 made her refocus her energy on her love of acting. She moved to New York City, where she worked as a model and actress. She then studied at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and moved to Los Angeles, California in 1971.
Her first film was as a Mexican mistress in The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), starring Paul Newman. Four years later, she became so disappointed with her career that she quit acting and spent the next three years working as an agent. In 1978, she planned on going to law school and later become a studio executive, but Aaron Spelling offered her a year's tuition to accept a role in the pilot of Fantasy Island (1977). She agreed, and soon after that, she landed the role of Pamela Barnes Ewing on CBS' long-running soap opera Dallas (1978). She left the series after nine years, and began her own production company, Victoria Principal Productions. She continues to work as an actress and producer, and has also created a line of skin care products and written three books about beauty and skin-care.- IMDb Mini Biography By: A. Nonymous
- SpousesHarry Glassman(June 22, 1985 - December 27, 2006) (divorced)Christopher Skinner(1978 - 1981) (divorced)
- ChildrenNo Children
- ParentsVictor Rocco PrincipalRee Principal
- Once, when on an airplane, 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).
- She was very close to actor Jim Davis, who played her father-in-law Jock Ewing on Dallas (1978). She reminded him of his only child Tara, who died in a car crash when she was only 17 years old in 1970. She read one of his eulogies when he died in 1981. She didn't know until later that Davis was carrying a picture of Tara and of Victoria in his wallet when he died.
- 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.
- Is the national chairperson for the Los Angeles-based Victory Over Violence, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending violence against women.
- Was author Philip K. Dick's ideal choice for the character Rachael in Blade Runner (1982), a role that went to Sean Young instead.
- Maybe my greatest fear in life is not to be challenged, is to grow weary of life, and not to be passionate about it.
- Joking about her skin care line, Principal Secret, "I wanted to name it Victoria's Secret but that name was already taken."
- [on her Dallas (1978) co-star Jim Davis] Jim had a daughter Tara, his only child, who passed away in a car accident when she was in her teens, and unbeknownst to me, we bore an uncanny resemblance to one another, and so from the time we began working together, we had a very special paternal relationship. In fact, I know that when Jim died, one of the photographs in his wallet was of me and one of Tara.
- [In 2018, recalling her last days on Dallas (1978), which she left in 1987] A few days before my final scene in the car accident, I'm offered a per-episode salary that would have made me the highest-paid woman on TV. There are moments in life when you discover your true character. That night I slept like a baby, because I wasn't for sale.
- [In 2018, reflecting on her most famous role as Pam Ewing on Dallas (1978)] I learned a lot from playing Pam. She was someone with such innate goodness and who was courageous in fighting for what she believed in. It was really a privilege to play her.
- Dallas (1978) - $35,000 per week (season 10)
- Earthquake (1974) - $1,500 per week
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