Victoria Principal was born on 3 January 1950, in Fukoka, Japan, of Italian (father) and English (mother) descent. She is an American actress, model, author, as well as an entrepreneur, still probably best known for her portrayal of Pamela Barnes Ewing in the popular American TV soap opera “Dallas” of the ’70s and ’80s.
How rich is Victoria Principal? According to authoritative sources, Victoria Principal’s net worth is estimated to amount to an impressive $200 million as of mid-2016, the most important sources of her wealth coming from her acting career, as well as her business ventures, during a career now spanning over 45 years.
Victoria Principal Net Worth $200 Million
Victoria Principal’s acting career notionally began with various television commercials when she was only five years old. However, Principal’s life was never easy to begin with, as she attended 17 schools when following her father’s US Air Force career to such places as Puerto Rico, UK, and several US states. During her study years at Miami-Dade Community College, Principal was in a very serious car accident that resulted in many injuries and even threatened her college studies, but she made a speedy recovery and soon moved out to New York City, then Hollywood, determined to pursue her dream job, which was acting.
Initially, when Principal arrived to Hollywood, she had no money and, most importantly, no experience in acting except for her early television commercials. However, everything changed in 1972, when Victoria received an opportunity in a film directed by John Huston called “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean”. In addition to being Principal’s first step in the direction of acting, Huston’s movie gained her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award, which contributed to Principal’s initial net worth, and earned her interest from various producers and movie agents; eventually, Principal chose Warren Cowan to represent her. With his guidance and under the label of Rogers & Cowan public relations agency, Principal flew in to Arizona and in 1973 made an appearance in a movie directed by Donald Driver entitled “The Naked Ape”, in which she co-starred with Johnny Crawford, but turned out to be a major failure, which left Principal utterly disappointed.
Victoria Principal’s next appearance came a year later, in 1974, with an ensemble movie “Earthquake”, in which she starred with a cast of such well-known actors as Charlton Heston, George Kennedy and Lorne Greene. Victoria continued with on-screen appearances in an action film “Vigilante Force”, then “Fantasy Land” before joining the cast of what became one of the most popular US TV series – “Dallas”, which earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award, and in which she appeared from 1978-87, significantly boosting her fame and net worth.
“Dallas” was the pinnacle of Principal’s acting career – she appeared in over 20 more TV productions until the early 2000s, however, acting is not the only source of Victoria’s net worth. In 1987, Principal launched a “Victoria Principal Productions” company, which was followed in 1989 by the creation of a line of cosmetic products called “Principal Secret”. The skin care line alone is estimated to have sold products the worth of which amounts to $1.5 billion. In addition to that, Victoria Principal has also launched a jewelry line called “Keys & Hearts” in 2011, which also contributes to her net worth.
Even before her entrepreneurial efforts, in 1983 Victoria released her first book of the skin care and health series called “The Body Principal”. The book spent twelve weeks on The New York Time’s list of best sellers, and was followed in successive years by “The Beauty Principal” and “The Diet Principal”, which all added to her wealth.
In her personal life, Victoria married Christopher Skinner in 1978, but they divorced in 1980. Then followed a tempestuous relationship with Australian singer Andy Gibb, but his use of drugs saw them part. Victoria married Harry Glassman, a plastic surgeon to celebrities, in 1985; the couple divorced in 2006 for reasons which are unclear. Principal now divides her time between homes in California and Switzerland. She devotes her time to environmental issues and associated charities.
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress (1983), Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role on a Prime Time Serial/Favorite Super Couple: Prime Time (1986, 1988)
Movies
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), The Naked Ape (1973), Naked Lie (1989), Love in Another Town (1997), “Vigilante Force”, “Fantasy Land”
Has a reputation as a savvy businesswoman. Her shrewd business sense extended into her personal life as well, since she had both of her husbands sign prenuptial agreements before she married them. When her marriages ended in divorce, the prenuptial agreements saved her from financial downfall.
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President and formulator at "Principal Secret", the skin care company she founded in 1989. She is a member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists.
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Accused of pulling a gun on her maid for taking too long walking Principal's shin tze "Mei Ling" [May 5, 2009]. Victoria countersued, claiming that the maid was a lunatic, slamming doors, hurting her dog and demanding money. She said she pulled the gun and cocked it out of fear. The case reached a settlement, with the maid writing a letter of apology to Victoria.
Best remembered by the public for her role as Pamela Barnes Ewing on the 1980s soap opera Dallas (1978).
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Teamed up with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, planning an outer space journey in September 2008. Will began training in January 2008 [May 17, 2007].
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Currently battling a blood-clotting disorder [May 17, 2007].
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Attended South Dade Senior High school, in south Miami-Dade County, Florida.
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Wore a wig for her role as "Rosa Amici" in Earthquake (1974)
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She ranked #3 in 1982 and #6 in 1984 on Richard Selzer's (aka Mr. Blackwell) Worst Dressed List.
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She ranked #60 in 1995 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women.
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Has sold the Montecito home. [October 2001]
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Bought a house in Montecito, California, from Priscilla Presley. [March 2000]
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Is the national chairperson for the Los Angeles-based Victory Over Violence, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending violence against women.
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In 1973, she posed nude for Playboy to promote her second film, The Naked Ape (1973). However, the film's failure disappointed her, and she would later refer to it as the worst film of her career.
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Studied at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
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Her father was a sergeant in the United States Air Force.
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Her former husband, Harry Glassman, is a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills.
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Miss Miami of 1969
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She worked as an agent for 3 years when she became unhappy with her acting career during the early 1970s.
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She worked as a model in New York and Europe while auditioning for early acting roles in films, such as for Goodbye, Columbus (1969), which she lost out to Ali MacGraw, who was 12 years older than Victoria. However, she did work with the film's director, Larry Peerce, later on in her career in the television movie, The Abduction (1996).
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She spent two years studying at England's Royal Academy of Ballet, as one of the few Americans accepted into the program.
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Stated during an interview with Howie Mandel that she refuses to disclose her height, but is comfortable telling people her age.
When on an airplane once, the pilot came on over the loudspeaker, and threatened not to land the plane unless Victoria told him "Who Shot J.R.?", during the summer before the third season of Dallas (1978).
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Was honored by then President Ronald Reagan for her work on behalf of arthritis victims. Both of her parents suffered from the disease.