At 74 years old, Victoria Principal still looks stunning!

I absolutely love ‘Dallas,’ it’s one of my all-time favorite TV shows. Victoria Principal, especially as Pamela Barnes Ewing, was such a big part of what made it great. Alongside Larry Hagman, who played J. R. Ewing, she really made the show unforgettable. Can you believe she’s 74 now? She’s still stunning!

Victoria Principal, who’s 74 now, has done a lot of different things in her career. She’s been an actress, writer, producer, and even started her own skincare business. Maybe her ability to do so many things comes from her upbringing. She moved around a lot as a kid, so she had to learn how to adjust to new places all the time.

Born in Japan

Victoria Ree Principal was born on January 3, 1950, in Japan.

Her dad was in the United States Air Force, so they moved a lot. They lived in different places like England, Puerto Rico, Massachusetts, and Florida while she was growing up.

When Victoria was in primary school, she went to 17 different schools, and one of them was the well-known Royal Ballet School in England.

It’s unclear if Victoria’s childhood was happy or not because there are different stories about it. Some reports suggest that she had a complicated relationship with her mother, Ree Principal. In 2009, the Daily Mail said Victoria described her childhood as miserable. In a 2012 interview with the Huffington Post, Victoria said she wished she had known her childhood would end sooner.

On a different note, there’s a well-known quote linked to Victoria Principal:

“I was very lucky. My parents raised me in such a way that it never occurred to me that I wasn’t equal.”

What we do know is that Victoria began working at a very young age. At just 5 years old, she got her first job in a television commercial.

But when Victoria started college at Miami-Dade Community College in 1968, it seemed like she was headed towards a completely different career.

She chose to study medicine. If things had gone according to plan, Victoria might have become a doctor.

Victoria Principal car crash

But fate had other plans for the young student.

Just a few months before finishing her first year of college, Victoria was in a terrible accident. She got hurt badly in a car crash while coming home from the library. Victoria had to spend many months recovering and doing rehab.

Sadly, she missed a lot of important time at college and had to redo her first year all over again.

That’s when Victoria decided to make a big change in her life. Instead of going back to college, she moved to New York City to try to become an actress.

After acting and modeling in New York and Europe, Victoria moved to Los Angeles in 1971. There, she tried to get big acting roles in movies.

Eventually, she got a part in a movie called “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean,” directed by John Huston. In the movie, she played the mistress of the main character, Roy Bean, who was played by Paul Newman.

Struggled in Hollywood

It was clear that she had talent. Victoria got nominated for a Golden Globe award for best newcomer, and people in Hollywood started talking about her more.

“Everyone was inviting me to parties. I thought they really liked me, but I realized I was just a way for them to get ahead,” Victoria told People magazine.

After the success of “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean,” Victoria had trouble finding roles that made her happy. Her next movie, “The Naked Ape,” didn’t do well, and that made Victoria feel really bad about herself.

“I just wanted to succeed so I wouldn’t get hurt. I started to toughen up and protect myself,” she told People.

In 1974, she starred in the disaster movie “Earthquake,” which made a lot of money.

But in 1975, while filming the action movie “Vigilante Force,” Victoria felt like something was really off. She collapsed because she was so stressed out trying to be perfect.

“I was so unhappy that I didn’t want to live anymore,” Victoria said.

She wanted a change from acting in movies and decided to study law. From 1975 to 1977, she worked as a talent agent, which was a big relief for her. Throughout her life, people always focused on her looks and body.

As an agent, she was valued for her skills and not just her appearance.

It was during her time as an agent that she got involved with the TV show “Dallas.” She had been asked to act again before, but it was the script for “Dallas” that made her want to return to acting for good.

“I left acting to become an agent and was even planning to go to law school. But when a friend gave me a script for Dallas, everything changed. After reading it, I knew I had to go for the role of Pamela Barnes Ewing. So, I called the casting person and told them I was sending someone in. When they asked who, I just said, ‘Put down my name. It will be a surprise.’ And it sure was! I showed up for the audition myself. I sent myself in for it!” Victoria shared.

As we all know, Victoria got the role of Pamela Barnes Ewing, and the rest is history.

Victoria knew Dallas would be a hit.

Dallas, which first aired in 1978, is considered one of the greatest TV dramas ever. Back then, it was super popular—so much so that it’s hard to explain how big of a deal it was. It was like everyone around the world was talking about it.

The show is all about the Ewings, a rich family from Texas who owned oil and cattle ranches.

When Dallas started, Victoria Principal was 28 years old, and she played a big part in making the show famous. Her character, Pamela Barnes Ewing, was married to Bobby Ewing and was the sister-in-law of JR. She became a huge crush for many people watching the show.

During her nine years on Dallas, Victoria got nominated for a Golden Globe and two Soap Opera Digest Awards.

In recent times, she’s shared some behind-the-scenes stories from the show and talked about her friendship with Larry Hagman, who played J.R. on Dallas.

“Working with J.R., or Larry Hagman, was always great. He was a generous actor and would chat with me before scenes to make them even better,” she said.

She wasn’t very close with her co-stars on the show.

“We didn’t really hang out outside of work. Everyone had their own lives. Some were married and had kids, while I was single. So, our lifestyles were very different,” Victoria explained to People magazine.

Why Victoria Principal left Dallas

Victoria Principal left the hit TV series in 1987.

There were a few reasons why she decided to leave the show.

“A lot of effort went into keeping Victoria Principal and Pam Ewing separate. If I stayed on the show longer, it would solidify my reputation in the industry,” she explained to the 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 amazing. But then, some important writers left, and by the seventh year, the quality of the writing started to decline. That was a big reason why I decided to leave. During contract negotiations in the seventh year, I told the producers I would only stay for two more. They wanted a longer contract, but I refused. I was very clear about my decision. Playing Pam taught me a lot. She was a character with a lot of goodness and courage, fighting for what she believed in. It was an honor to play her,” she explained to Entertainment Weekly

Victoria Principal net worth

After “Dallas,” Victoria could have stopped working, but she chose to start her own skincare company called Principal Secret. She put a lot of money into it and focused on making it successful. She started the company in 1984, and it’s been doing really well since then. It’s made over $1.5 billion in sales. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Victoria Principal’s net worth is $350 million.

Victoria Principal says that her skincare company, Principal Secret, wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the success of “Dallas.” She’s been running her company for 27 years now, and she’s very dedicated to it. She feels grateful to “Dallas” for helping her achieve her dreams.

One year after the interview with TV Insider, Victoria announced that she was stepping away from her company.

Victoria Principal recently announced that she’s leaving her skincare company after 30 years to focus on her charity work. She’s the president and founder of The Victoria Principal Foundation for Thoughtful Existence. Over the years, she’s made significant donations, like giving rescue boats to the American Humane Society after Hurricane Harvey and contributing $25,000 to help with fire restoration after the California Wildfires in 2018.

Personal life

Despite rumors, Victoria Principal wasn’t actually chasing men. She’s been married and divorced twice, which is pretty common in Hollywood. She says nobody she’s dated has ever said anything bad about her. She mentioned this in an interview with People magazine back in 1983.

Victoria Principal met her first husband, Christopher Skinner, while working on the set of Dallas. He was a young actor, seven years younger than her. They met in 1978 and got married after dating just three times. However, their marriage only lasted two years before they divorced. Victoria said her busy work schedule, which kept her working 75 hours a week, put a strain on their relationship.

Married twice

After her first marriage, Victoria dated the English singer-songwriter Andy Gibb. Their relationship got a lot of attention, but it had a lot of issues. Even though they really cared about each other and had a strong connection, Gibb’s lifestyle and addiction were too much for Victoria to handle.

“I tried everything to support him, but eventually, I had to tell him he had to pick between me and his problem,” Victoria said after Gibb passed away in 1998.

In 1983, Victoria fell in love with a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr. Harry Glassman. The couple tied the knot in 1985, in Dallas, Texas.

There were rumors that Victoria stayed youthful because her husband was a plastic surgeon. But in a 2007 interview, she said she didn’t use her husband’s services.

“I’ve never had a face-lift, professional peel, or laser treatment,” she said.

Victoria Principal children

Victoria and Dr. Harry Glassman divorced in December 2006. Victoria said, “We have had a loving relationship for over 20 years.”

Victoria doesn’t have any children of her own, but she became close with Glassman’s two children from a previous relationship, Andrew and Brooke.

Her life today in 2022

Today, Victoria Principal is 71 years old and stays busy on social media. She often shares updates from her ranch outside Los Angeles, where she helps animals recover.

Seeing her now brings me so much happiness!

Victoria gives her 300,000 followers a glimpse into her life with photos and videos from her ranch. Sometimes she shares throwback pictures from her time on Dallas and her acting days. It’s natural for her to look different now, just like everyone else does as they age.

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