Some names you think are well-known in American households. Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Al Pacino… they were in their prime.

Despite spending decades in the spotlight, so many others drift into obscurity. Victoria Principal is one of those names lost to the wind but is far from insignificant.

No one could have predicted that she would settle down and fade from the public eye while making and maintaining an incredible amount of money.

Victoria, the eldest child of Bertha Ree and Victor R. Principal, is of Italian and southern American descent, but she was born on January 3, 1950, in Fukuoka, Japan.

Her father was an American Airforce man. Thus, she grew up in London, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Her first acting job was in a commercial when she was five years old, and her love of theater and performing arts would last the rest of her life.

Because of her family’s nomadic lifestyle, Victoria attended 17 different schools. She initially planned to participate in Miami-Dade Community College to study chiropractic medicine. Still, she finally changed her mind and relocated to New York City to follow her true passions: modeling and acting.

She eventually studied at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before relocating to Los Angeles, California, in 1971.

She reached a slump after appearing as the Mexican mistress in The Lives and Times of Judge Roy Bean in 1972, quit acting, and worked as an agent for several years.

But, her love of acting drew her back in, and she was bribed into taking a position on the show Fantasy Island in exchange for law school tuition.

This opportunity led to her obtaining her greatest part yet: Pam Ewing in CBS’s smash primetime drama Dallas.

Bobby Ewing, the son of a wealthy oilman in Texas, married Pamela Barnes Ewing. Because they were the children of feuding families, their scandalous marriage was reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet. In order for their relationship to grow as the show unfolds, it must go through stormy wave after tumultuous wave. Their relationship is still one of the most popular in soap operas. The sitcom went on to win four distinct Emmy Awards.

Victoria played Pam on Dallas for nine seasons before leaving the show. Pam was killed off in a vehicle accident when Principal demanded that her absence from the program be permanent, rather than the open-ended conclusion of her TV husband, who later came back after his death, was “only a dream”.

Victoria Principal left Dallas for what reason?

Victoria decided to leave the famous show to launch her own company. She established her production company (Victoria Principal Production), a cosmetics brand, and health and beauty books. “I learned a lot from portraying Pam,” she is quoted as saying of her time as Pam. She had intrinsic goodness and was fearless in battling for her beliefs. It was a true honor to play her.”

Victoria, who retired from performing in 2001 and sold her enormously successful business, now spends her days at her ranch rescuing and rehabilitating animals. She has also founded The Victoria Principal Foundation for Thoughtful Existence.

Victoria is also quite active on Instagram, where she posts images of her rescued horses, goats, and dogs.

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