Victoria Principal (born January 3, 1950) is an American actress, author and businesswoman best known for her role as Pamela Barnes Ewing on the CBS nighttime soap opera Dallas (1978-87).

Biography

Principal met Anthony Perkins while working on the 1972 film The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean. She was 21 and he 39, and their brief relationship was Perkins' first heterosexual experience.

Principal met Christopher Skinner in 1978 when he played a bit role on Dallas. Soon after, they married but divorced two years later in 1980. She dated teen idol Andy Gibb after meeting him on The John Davidson Show in 1981. The two hit it off immediately and she sang a duet with Gibb. A year later, she gave him an ultimatum: "Choose me or choose drugs." The couple split in March 1982. She married Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr. Harry Glassman, in June, 1985. The couple divorced in December, 2006, with Principal stating, "We have had a loving relationship for over 20 years." She later moved to Malibu, California. She owns homes in Big Sur, California and in Switzerland.

In 2006, Principal formed a charitable organization to help subsidize the environmental movement, which she had been a part of since 1978.

In 2007, it was reported that she was training for her booked flight on Richard Branson's commercial space flight venture. Principal stated, "Going into space fulfills many desires I have of seeing the planet, going fast, going someplace very few people have been—and hopefully coming back down!" Principal and Branson held a joint worldwide press conference in New Mexico where the space center is to be built. In 2012 Principal withdrew from the program.


Philanthropy
Principal provided assistance to aid those in need after the 2008 California wildfires. On June 2, 2010, she donated $200,000 to the cleanup effort in the Gulf Coast region. Her donations brought together two huge environmental non-profits, Oceana and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), to work together on the cleanup.

In 2003, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to her.

Principal appeared with other celebrities on June 21, 2010, in a CNN Larry King-sponsored Telethon to support the Gulf Coast Region following the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Principal was on a panel with King, answered phones, and spoke to donors for the entire two hours. The telethon raised over $1.8 million.

Principal was honored at the opening of Legacy Park in Malibu on October 2, 2010. She was a founding member of the park in 2004, and was honored at the opening for helping get the 15-acre park off the Pacific Coast Highway off the ground. Over a 12-year period, she served the Arthritis Foundation as honorary chairman and Ambassador to Government.

She is the co-chairman of Victory Over Violence, the LA County Domestic Violence Council Community Advisory Board. The Community Advisory Board is a coalition of representatives from the entertainment industry, business, government, and community who have come together with the dual purposes of increasing public awareness of issues surrounding domestic violence and increasing shelter and victim resources.

On December 13, 2011, it was announced that Principal donated a substantial sum to OCEANA and NRDC to stop the expansion of offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and Arctic Ocean, fearing such activity could lead to another disastrous oil spill. On December 20, 2011, The Giving Back Fund named Principal as one of the Top 30 Celebrity Charity Donations for 2011.

In 2012 Principal funded and participated in an online campaign with the NRDC in an effort to stop sonic blasting along the California coastline, and prevent the deaths of hundreds of marine mammals and marine life. In 2012 Principal funded, through Tree People, the creation of a mobile, emergency Fire Warning System for the Los Angeles area. In 2013 this system was completed and implemented, the first of its kind in California.

In 2013, she funded an ad bringing awareness to the plight of Sea Lion pups washing up along the California Coastline and provided funds to Wildlife Org. for their rescue and rehabilitation.

In 2013 after the deadly Moore, Oklahoma EF5 Tornado, Principal funded the American Humane Association's famous Red Star Rescue Team to help search, rescue, and shelter injured and missing animals with the ultimate goal of reuniting them with their families. In August 2013 Principal funded in collaboration with Tree People a new mobile system that allows citizens to participate in critical wildfire prevention by texting.

In July 2014 Principal made a substantial contribution to NRDC’s campaign for “Save the Bees”, she said, “As of yesterday, I’ve now made a substantial donation and joined in support of the NRDC’s campaign for “Save the Bees”. Without bees, our fruit and vegetable bearing plants and trees will cease to be productive.” In August 2014 Principal fully funded with the help of Mission K9 rescue the return of military working dog Maxi from Japan to the United States to be reunited with her former Marine handler.

In September 2014 Principal donated $100,000 to support Malibu ballot initiative Measure R which to limit the environmental impact of development in Malibu by requiring a vote on any new developments over 20,000 square feet. In November the initiative was successfully passed by voters.

In May 2015 Principal fully funded the Red Star Rescue Team of the American Humane Association for the rescue and rehabilitation of 150 dogs that had been injured and displaced by tornadoes and floods in Oklahoma and Texas.