Locklear attended UCLA, and pledged Chi Omega and Delta Delta Delta, but was never initiated into either sorority. While at UCLA, she began modeling and working in commercials for the school store. She made her earliest screen appearances in the early 1980s with small roles in episodes of "CHiPs", "240-Robert" and "Eight Is Enough", before beginning a long-term collaboration with Aaron Spelling. Spelling cast her in the role of Sammy Jo Dean during season 2 of his TV series "Dynasty" and the following year, he cast her in the cop show "T.J. Hooker" with William Shatner. Until the mid-1980s, Locklear appeared as a series regular on "T.J. Hooker", while making semi-regular appearances on "Dynasty". After "T.J. Hooker" ended in 1986, she became a full-time cast member on "Dynasty" until its cancellation in 1989. In 1991, the cast of "Dynasty" (including Locklear) reconvened for the four-hour miniseries "".