Vicky Dawson, born July 5, 1961, is an American film and television actress best known for her leading role as Pam MacDonald in the cult slasher film The Prowler (1981). She also gained early recognition for her performance opposite Lee Remick in the television drama Breaking Up (1978). Her career spans film, television movies, and daytime soap operas, with notable appearances throughout the late 1970s and 1980s.
Dawson was born in Columbus, Ohio, and raised in Summit, New Jersey. She attended Summit High School before enrolling at New York University. Her acting career began at a young age, initially through television commercials, where she appeared in national advertisements for major consumer brands.
As a child actress, Dawson made one of her earliest dramatic appearances in 1973 with a supporting role opposite Jodie Foster in an episode of ABC Afterschool Special. Her transition into more substantial roles came in the late 1970s, when she was cast as a lead in the NBC television series Lovers and Friends. On the series, she starred opposite Richard Backus, establishing herself as a recognizable television presence.
In 1977, Dawson appeared in the television film The Four of Us, portraying the daughter of a widowed mother struggling to raise her children. The following year proved to be a turning point in her career. In Breaking Up (1978), she played the daughter of a woman whose marriage collapses when her husband abruptly leaves, a role that allowed Dawson to display emotional range opposite veteran actress Lee Remick.
That same year, Dawson joined the cast of the soap opera Another World, appearing in a recurring role as Eileen Simpson. Her character was romantically linked to Joey Perrini, played by Ray Liotta, in one of his early television roles. In 1979, she became part of a rotating ensemble cast on the NBC series Hot Hero Sandwich, which featured a repertory-style format with multiple performers.
Dawson made her feature film breakthrough in 1981 when she starred in Joseph Zito’s slasher film The Prowler. Cast as a college student terrorized by a mysterious killer during a graduation celebration, Dawson carried the film as its central character. Although modestly released at the time, the film later achieved cult status among horror fans and remains her most widely recognized role. That same year, she appeared in a supporting role in the comedy Carbon Copy.
Beginning in 1982, Dawson returned to daytime television with a recurring role as Dee Stewart on the long-running soap opera As the World Turns. After a period away from the spotlight, she later reappeared in television films and independent projects, including Those She Left Behind (1989).
In the 2010s, Dawson resumed acting with roles in independent films such as Toxicity (2019), About Hope (2020), and Amazon Queen (2021), marking a return to screen work after a long hiatus.
