The youngest of three children Michaels grew up in a small southern community. She moved to Southern California in her early 20's to pursue a career in the film industry. Michaels started modeling and doing television commercials while studying acting, and working as a busy make-up artist for popular glamor photographers. In the 13 years that the television series "Dallas" was on the air, the role of Pamela Barnes Ewing was only once played by an actress other than the series regular. That actress was Margaret Michaels. A year later executive producer Leonard Katzman requested Michaels return to "Dallas" in the new role of Jeanne O'Brien, a real estate agent who has a romantic fling with Bobby Ewing.