Victoria Ree Principal was born on January 3, 1950, in Fukuoka, Japan. She is an American actress, producer, entrepreneur, and author. Her father, Victor Rocco Principal, was a United States Air Force sergeant, and her mother, Bertha Ree Principal, was from Gordon, Georgia.

Due to her father's military career, the family moved frequently, and Victoria grew up in various places including London, Puerto Rico, Florida, Massachusetts, and Georgia. She attended 17 different schools, including the Royal Ballet School in England.

Victoria began her career in TV commercials at the age of five. After graduating from South Dade Senior High School in 1968, she enrolled at Miami-Dade Community College with the intention of studying medicine.

However, a serious car accident led her to change her career path and pursue acting. She moved to New York City and later to Europe, studying privately with Jean Scott in London before moving to Los Angeles in 1971.

Her first film role was as Marie Elena in John Huston's The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean in 1972, for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination as Most Promising Newcomer.

She gained widespread recognition for her role as Pamela Barnes Ewing on the American primetime television soap opera series Dallas, where she spent nine years before leaving in 1987.

After Dallas, she opened her own production company, Victoria Principal Productions, focusing on television films. In the mid-1980s, she became interested in natural beauty therapies and created a skincare line called Principal Secret in 1989.

Victoria also became a best-selling author, writing three books about beauty, skincare, fitness, well-being, and health: The Body Principal, The Beauty Principal, and The Diet Principal. In the 2000s, she wrote a fourth book, Living Principal.

Victoria has been married twice, first to Christopher Skinner from 1978 to 1981, and then to Harry Glassman from 1985 to 2006. She has no children.

Throughout her career, Victoria has received several accolades, including two Golden Globe nominations. She continues to work as an actress and producer and remains active in her entrepreneurial ventures.