Margaret Michaels is a former American actress best known for appearing as the characters of Pamela Barnes Ewing (#2) and Jeanne O'Brien on the CBS primetime soap opera Dallas (1978 TV series) and as Santana Andrade #2 on the NBC daytime soap opera Santa Barbara.
Margaret Michaels | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1949-05-01) May 1, 1949 (age 73) |
| Occupation | Television actress |
Michaels was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Winner of various hometown beauty contests, she started her acting career after working as make-up artist with small parts on various TV shows including The Jeffersons and Dynasty.[1] After appearing in 1983 film Scarface and guest starring on Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Michaels was cast as Santana Andrade on the NBC daytime soap opera Santa Barbara, replacing Ava Lazar in this role.
In the late 1980s, Warner Bros. was looking for a Victoria Principal lookalike to step into the role of Pamela Ewing on Dallas (1978 TV series), after Victoria Principal had left the series to pursue other interests. Late in 1988, Michaels appeared briefly in the first episode of the 12th season as Pamela Ewing with her change in appearance being attributed to plastic surgery after her near-fatal car accident.[2]
In the penultimate season 13, the producers of the series were looking for a Pam look-alike in order to give Bobby one last fling before his marriage to April Stevens, played by Sheree J. Wilson, and to give Bobby Ewing a chance to sort of say goodbye to his former wife, as he never had the chance when Pamela had left abruptly back in 1987. Michaels was asked to return to the show, this time not as Pamela Ewing, but as a Pam Ewing lookalike named Jeanne O'Brien. After her 4-episode stint on the show, Michaels' character Jeanne was written out.
After Dallas, Michaels acted on one independent movie that was never released, and worked on stage. She is married to Dr. Richard Fleming.[1]