Dallas, the longest-running primetime soap opera in television history, will always remain one of my personal favorites.In fact, simply for the joy of watching Victoria Principal, I could watch the entire series again.
Along with Larry Hagman, who portrayed the ruthless oil tycoon J. R. Ewing, Victoria was one of the main draws to Dallas in her iconic portrayal as Pamela Barnes Ewing.
Victoria turned 73 today, and when you see the most recent images of this ageless beauty, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Victoria Principal, 73, has always been a multi-hyphenate; during the course of her extensive professional career, she was also a thriving author, producer, actress, and entrepreneur in the skin care industry.
Victoria was raised in a number of different locations and was frequently required to adjust to her circumstances, so perhaps this can be explained by her background.On January 3, 1950, Victoria Ree Principal was born in Japan.
The first few months of Victoria’s life were spent on Japanese territory since her father, a Sergeant in the United States Air Force, was stationed in the city of Fukuoka.
Throughout Victoria’s childhood, the family was frequently transferred between various U.S. Air Force facilities. Among other places, she grew up in Puerto Rico, Florida, Massachusetts, and England.
Victoria attended 17 different institutions throughout her elementary years, including the renowned Royal Ballet School in England.
It’s difficult to judge whether or not her childhood was joyful because there are conflicting accounts of it.
Victoria’s relationship with her mother, Ree Principal, was troubled. Victoria had reportedly described her childhood as dismal, according to the newspaper in 2009. Victoria was asked what she wished she had known sooner in life during an interview with the Huffington Post in 2012:
”I wish I had known my childhood would end,” she said.
On the other side, Victoria Prinicpal is credited with the following pretty well-known quote:
”I was very lucky. My parents raised me in such a way that it never occurred to me that I wasn’t equal”.
What is certain is that Victoria began working at a young age. She got her first employment in a television commercial when she was just 5 years old.
However, Victoria appeared to choose a completely other professional path when she enrolled at Miami-Dade Community College in 1968.She chose to major in medicine. Victoria most likely would have become a doctor if all had gone according to plan.
The young student’s fate, however, had other ideas.Vicky was in a terrible accident a few months before she finished her first year of college. She once suffered major injuries in a vehicle accident on the way home from the library. Victoria was forced to recover and relax for several months.
She regrettably lost crucial college months, and she was forced to start her first year of study over.Victoria then made the decision to fundamentally alter her course in life. Instead, she relocated to New York City to pursue an acting career.
Victoria went to Los Angeles in 1971 after working as an actress and model in New York and Europe. She sought for significant film roles on the west coast. Finally, she was cast in The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, a western directed by John Huston. Roy Bean, who was portrayed by Paul Newman, was mistressed by Victoria.
She had talent, that much was clear. Victoria was increasingly mentioned in Hollywood and received a Golden Globe nomination for best newcomer.
“People started inviting me to parties. I thought these people really liked me but I found out I was only a hot meal ticket,” Victoria told People.
Victoria struggled to find roles that satisfied her after The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’s triumph. The failure of her subsequent movie, The Naked Ape, seriously damaged Victoria’s self-confidence.
“I wanted to be successful simply because I didn’t want to get hurt. I began to get hard. I became very protective of myself,” she told People.
She made an appearance in the 1974 catastrophe movie Earthquake, which was financially quite successful at the time. While watching the action movie Vigilante Force in 1975, Victoria sensed a big problem about halfway through. She broke down from the pressure of attempting to uphold an ideal image.
”I realized I was so unhappy I didn’t want to live,” Victoria explained.
She made the decision to pursue law school instead of watching movies. She earned a living as a talent agent between 1975 and 1977, which was a big relief for Victoria. The emphasis had been on her appearance and physique her entire life.
She was ultimately treated like an agent, for what she could say or do. Victoria first seen Dallas on television while working as an agency.Although she had previously had some offers to resume acting, she didn’t resolve to alter her long-term goals until she acquired the Dallas script.
”I had left acting to be an agent and was on my way to law school, but when a friend dropped off a Dallas script, I read it. When I finished, I knew my life had changed – that part was mine. So I called the [casting] person and said, ‘I’m sending someone in.’ She said, ‘Who?’ I said, ‘Just put down my name. It will be a surprise.’ And it certainly was a surprise – I showed up with me! I sent myself in for it!” Victoria said.
We all know that after Victoria was cast in the Pamela Barnes Ewing role, history was made.
Victoria knew Dallas would be a hit.
“When I went in for the part on ‘Dallas,’ I had already fallen in love with the show and with the part, so my feeling from the moment I read it was that it was incredibly special and that I really, really wanted to be a part of it. I could not imagine not being Pam,” she said. It was as if she was born for the role, Victoria remarked.
She sat down with CBS and negotiated her own deal using all of her industry skills. This implied, among other things, that she was free to carry out her own desires as Dallas ruled the globe and won the hearts of millions of people.
”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,” she said.
Dallas, which debuted in 1978, is unquestionably among the best television dramas of all time. Dallas was quite famous back then, and young people now probably have no idea how one soap opera could become a global phenomenon and affect practically everyone in the world.
The Ewings, a powerful and bitter Texas family involved in the oil and cattle-ranching sectors, are the focus of the television series.
When Dallas debuted, Victoria Principal was 28 years old, and she played a significant role in the show’s success on a global scale. She attained boyhood adoration status as Pamela Barnes Ewing, the stunning wife of Bobby Ewing and JR’s sister-in-law.
Victoria was nominated for two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Golden Globe during her nine-year tenure on Dallas. She has recently discussed her relationship with Dallas star and legendary actor Larry Hagman as well as other behind-the-scenes facts.
”Going toe to toe with J.R., a.k.a. Larry Hagman, was always a delight. Larry was a generous actor and would find a way to talk to me the morning of the scene about how we could make it even more powerful,” she said.
But she wasn’t particularly close with her castmates.
“There were phone calls, but I didn’t really have get-togethers. We never hung out really anyway. We worked together and we had different lives. When I started the show Patrick was married and starting a family, Steve was married and starting a family, Larry was married with children, Linda was married with children. I was single. And so those are very different lifestyles,” Victoria told People.
In 1987, Victoria Principal quit the popular TV show. She made her choice for a number of reasons.
“A lot of work has gone into keeping Victoria Principal separate from Pam Ewing. To stay on the show any longer would really seal my fate in the industry,” she told New York Times in 1987.
Victoria even said no to a huge contract that would have made her the highest-paid actress on TV at the time.
”The first five years on Dallas were so unbelievably wonderful — then some key writers departed, and by year seven there was a decline in the writing, which was an enormous part of my decision to leave. I informed the producers during renegotiations in the seventh year that I would only stay for two more. They wanted a longer contract, and I said no. I was completely transparent. 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,” she mentioned.
After Dallas, Victoria might have easily retired, but she took initiative and made significant investments in Principal Secret, her own skincare business.She continued to participate in occasional TV movies, but her major goal was to create an industry-leading skin care line, which she began in 1984.
Since its inception, the business has enjoyed great success, and sales of this line have exceeded $1.5 billion. Victoria Principal has a staggering net worth of $350 million, claims Celebrity Net Worth.
Without the success of Dallas, however, none of this would have been conceivable.
”I continue to be passionately dedicated to running my skincare company, Principal Secret. We are about to celebrate 27 years in business. And I have never forgotten that Dallas gave me the springboard to achieve so many of my dreams,” Principal mentioned.
One year after the interview with TV Insider, Victoria announced that she was stepping away from her company.
“After 30 years in the skincare business and 28 years as the President & Founder of Principal Secret, I will be stepping down to devote myself full time to my philanthropic work through The Victoria Principal Foundation for Thoughtful Existence and my rescue work with animals,” Principal said in a statement.
The former actress is now concentrating on philanthropy, and over the years, her organization has made significant grants. For instance, in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in 2018, she gave a fleet of rescue boats to the American Humane Society. Additionally, she has contributed $25,000 to fire restoration initiatives in the wake of the 2018 California Wildfires.
Victoria has developed a reputation as a man-hunter during the course of her career, although this couldn’t be further from the truth. Victoria has gone through two divorces and two marriages, which, in my opinion, is very typical for a Hollywood actress.
“No one who ever dated me has ever said an unkind thing about me,” she exclaims. “I’ve probably had fewer relationships than many in my 33 years, but no one will ever believe it,” Victoria explained.
On the Dallas set, Victoria Principal first met her husband, Christoper Skinner. Seven years her junior, Skinner was a young actor at the time.
Before getting married, the pair, who initially met in 1978, only dated three times. The couple requested a divorce after two years. Victoria claimed that her 75-hour work week was too much for her inexperienced spouse.
Victoria dated the English singer-songwriter Andy Gibb after her first marriage. It was a well-known relationship, but it was also problematic. Despite the couple’s tremendous chemistry and love for one another, Victoria found Gibb’s lifestyle and addiction to be intolerable.
”I did everything I could to help him, but then I told him he would have to choose between me and his problem,” Victoria said after Gibb’s passing in 1998.
Dr. Harry Glassman, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, captured Victoria’s heart in 1983. In 1985, the couple exchanged vows in Dallas, Texas.
Since Victoria married a plastic surgeon, many speculated that her husband ”helped” her stay young. But in an interview in 2007, Victoria denied that she used her husband’s services.
”I’ve never had a face-lift. Or a professional peel or lasers,” she said.
Victoria and Dr. Harry Glassman divorced in December 2006, with Principal stating: “We have had a loving relationship for over 20 years.”
Although Victoria Principal herself childless, she grew close to Glassman’s two children from a previous relationship, Andrew and Brooke, during her marriage to him. Victoria Principal is still quite active on social media at the age of 71. She spends a lot of time on her ranch outside of Los Angeles, where she rehabilitates animals, based on her Facebook page.
To me, it’s just tears of joy when I see what this amazing lady looks like today!
Victoria frequently shares photographs and snippets of videos from life on the ranch with her 300,000 followers, giving them a great look into her daily routine.
She occasionally also posts images from her performing days and the Dallas era. She will undoubtedly appear different today, but that is to be expected. It is known as life.
You are among the most beautiful women I have ever seen, Victoria, my dear! You are an inspiration for kindness, gentleness, courage, and beauty from the inside out!
You deserve the very best and all the joy life has to offer! Share this post on Facebook if you believe that the way you care for and love your animals is beyond words!
