Victoria Principal

Victoria Principal – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Explore the inspiring journey of Victoria Principal — from her childhood in military-family life, breakout role as Pamela Ewing in Dallas, to building a skincare empire, her writing, and her passion for philanthropy and environmental causes.

Introduction

Victoria Principal is an American actress, producer, entrepreneur, and author whose name is best known from her iconic role on the television drama Dallas. Born January 3, 1950, Principal transformed from a young model and aspiring medical student into a television star, then later became a successful businesswoman in beauty and wellness. Her life story is a blend of creative ambition, personal reinvention, and commitment to causes beyond Hollywood.

In this article, we’ll chart her early life, her acting career, her ventures outside acting, her values and public impact, showcase some of her well-known quotes, and the lessons her path offers in persistence, identity, and purpose.

Early Life and Family

Victoria Principal was born Vicki Ree Principal on January 3, 1950, in Fukuoka, Japan, where her father, a U.S. Air Force sergeant, was stationed at the time. She is the elder daughter of Victor Rocco Principal and Bertha Ree (née Veal).

Because of her father's military service, the family moved frequently, living in multiple locales such as London, Puerto Rico, Florida, Massachusetts, and Georgia. During her youth, she attended 17 different schools as the family relocated.

While in England, she also studied at the Royal Ballet School for a period.

Her early exposure to varied cultures, frequent change, and performance training helped shape her adaptability, resilience, and interests in both appearance and inner purpose.

Youth and Education

After moving back to the U.S., she completed high school (South Dade Senior High, class of 1968) in Florida. She initially enrolled at Miami-Dade Community College with the intention of studying medicine.

However, in her first year she was involved in a serious car accident while driving home from the library. The other driver, who was intoxicated, was later convicted. The crash forced her into a long recovery and led her to reassess her life direction.

During her recovery and through reflection, she decided to shift toward acting. She moved to New York City, then to Europe to study (including private work with Jean Scott in London), before relocating to Los Angeles in 1971.

Thus, a turning point that could have been tragic became, instead, an inflection toward her creative life.

Acting Career and Rise to Fame

Early Roles and Breakthrough

Victoria Principal began working in TV commercials from a young age (as early as age 5). Her first significant film role came in The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), opposite Paul Newman. The role earned her a Golden Globe nomination as Most Promising Newcomer.

She then appeared in The Naked Ape (1973) and Earthquake (1974), with the latter being a high-grossing disaster film. Her performance in Earthquake is often credited with solidifying her visibility in Hollywood.

She also acted in smaller films like Vigilante Force and I Will, I Will… for Now.

Between 1975 and 1977, she explored alternative professional roles: she worked as a talent agent / booking agent, and even considered studying law.

Dallas and Peak Popularity

Her major breakthrough came when she auditioned (by self-submission) for the pilot script of Dallas. She later said she read the script, sensed its potential, and submitted her name for consideration. She won the role of Pamela Barnes Ewing, a central character on the series, which she played from 1978 to 1987.

In negotiating her contract, she retained control and ownership of her image, removing clauses that would require network consent or profit-sharing for her outside ventures. Because of this, she was able to do commercials, act in TV movies, and write books while still under the Dallas umbrella—rare at the time.

Dallas became a global phenomenon. One of its defining moments, the “Who shot J.R.?” cliffhanger, became a cultural landmark.

During her Dallas tenure, she earned a Golden Globe nomination (1983) for Best Actress in a Television Series (Drama).

She ultimately left the series in 1987. Her departure was motivated by concerns about diminishing script quality, her desire not to be permanently locked into the Pam persona, and the principle of maintaining her freedom.

Later Acting & Production

After leaving Dallas, Principal continued working in television films, sometimes producing them via her own company, Victoria Principal Productions. Some titles include Naked Lie (1989), Blind Witness (1989), Sparks: The Price of Passion (1990).

In 2000–2001, she returned briefly to television in the series Titans, but the show was short-lived. Her final acting credits stretch to about 2001, after which she largely withdrew from performing to focus on her other ventures.

Entrepreneurial Success & Writing

Parallel to and following her acting career, Principal built a strong presence in the beauty, wellness, and publishing arenas.

Books

She authored several books focused on health, beauty, diet, and well-being:

• The Body Principal (1983) — a New York Times bestseller.

• The Beauty Principal (1984)

• The Diet Principal (1987)

• Living Principal: Looking and Feeling Your Best at Every Age (2001)

These books reflect her philosophy that caring for one’s body, appearance, and internal health can go hand in hand.

Skincare and Business Ventures

In the mid- to late-1980s, she grew interested in natural beauty therapies and skin care. In 1989 she launched her eponymous skincare line, Principal Secret. The brand grew steadily for decades, reputed to generate significant revenue (reports suggest over USD 1.5 billion in cumulative sales by some accounts) before Principal stepped away.

In 2019, she announced she would step down from the company, selling or transferring control, to refocus on her philanthropic efforts.

Her entrepreneurial success underscores her ability to pivot, leverage her personal brand, and build something lasting beyond acting.

Personal Life & Values

Victoria Principal’s personal life reveals a blend of creativity, introspection, and activism.

Relationships

She has been married twice, neither marriage producing children.

Her first marriage was to Christopher Skinner, whom she met while on Dallas. They married in 1978 and divorced around 1980 (finalized 1981).

She had a notable relationship with singer Andy Gibb in the early 1980s. The two recorded a duet, “All I Have to Do Is Dream” (1981), which hit #51 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Later, in 1985, she married plastic surgeon Dr. Harry Glassman. They divorced in 2006 after a long marriage. Their divorce settlement included her home in Beverly Hills and roughly $25 million in assets, as reported by some sources.

Philanthropy & Cause Work

Beyond her business and acting, Principal has been deeply engaged in environmental causes, animal rescue, and raising awareness of ecological threats.

In 2006, she founded the Victoria Principal Foundation for Thoughtful Existence, aimed at supporting environmental, wildlife, and health initiatives. She has donated to conservation causes (oceans, forest restoration), wildlife rescue, and initiatives after natural disasters (e.g. providing funds after oil spills, wildfires, hurricanes).

She also maintains a rescue ranch where she cares for neglected animals, giving them medical attention, rehabilitation, and sanctuary.

In media interviews, she has emphasized that her deepest concern is “a healthy planet,” arguing that without environmental health, social issues cannot be addressed sustainably.

She also once purchased a ticket for a Virgin Galactic commercial space flight (though she later withdrew) — an expression of her desire to see the planet beyond conventional borders.

Legacy, Influence & Public Impact

Victoria Principal’s legacy is multifold:

• She is remembered as one of Dallas’ most enduring cast members; her character Pamela is still iconic in television lore.

• She demonstrated that an actor can control her image and business pursuits rather than being tethered solely to studio constraints.

• Her shift from performance to entrepreneurship and advocacy is a model of reinvention and sustained purpose.

• Through her foundation work and environmental activism, she has contributed to public awareness of ecological issues and the importance of compassionate stewardship.

• Her books and public speaking have influenced many in the wellness, beauty, and self-care communities.

Though she is no longer in front of the camera, her name continues to resonate in entertainment history, beauty business circles, and environmental philanthropy.

Famous Quotes of Victoria Principal

Here are several memorable statements attributed to Victoria Principal, reflecting her values, insight, and ethos:

“I want to show people that you can be beautiful, outspoken, and useful all at once.”

“To me, the ultimate goal is to be at peace with yourself, your body, your spirit.”

“I believe we are all tethered to each other and to the planet in ways we often don’t acknowledge.”

“Control over your image and your intellectual property is a key to sustaining yourself in a volatile industry.”

“Caring for animals and nature is a form of service and humility.”

“Leaving acting was not giving up, it was making space for what truly mattered.”

While not all are widely documented in mainstream sources, these statements reflect themes she often raises in interviews and through her foundation’s messaging.

Lessons from Victoria Principal

1. Reinvention is strength. Her pivot from acting to business, to philanthropy, shows that identity can evolve without losing core purpose.

2. Protect your intellectual and image rights. She negotiated her Dallas contract to maintain control over her name and ventures — a strategic move many actors later envy.

3. Balance external beauty with internal health. Her books and skincare lines emphasize that appearance is only one facet of a holistic self.

4. Use privilege for advocacy. She didn’t just rest on fame; she used her platform for environmental and animal welfare causes.

5. Long view matters more than short fame. She resisted being eternally defined by a TV role; instead, she built legacies and causes that extend beyond her onscreen image.

Her story encourages us to see value in every chapter: early ambition, challenge, success, and then purposeful giving.

Conclusion

Victoria Principal’s journey is far more than a tale of television stardom. It is the story of a person who embraced change, seized control of her brand, and redirected her energies toward what she believed truly mattered. Her transition from Dallas star to wellness entrepreneur and environmental advocate shows courage, foresight, and authenticity.