Victoria Smurfit (born March 31, 1974) is an Irish actress. She is known for playing Orla O'Connell in the BBC television series Ballykissangel, Detective Chief Inspector Roisin Connor in the ITV police procedural Trial & Retribution and Cruella De Vil in Once Upon a Time for which she was nominated as Best Supporting Actress in 13th IFTA Film & Drama Awards in 2016.
Early life[]
Victoria Smurfit is part of the Smurfit family which, through Smurfit Kappa, is one of the richest in Ireland. The family, headed by Victoria's uncle Michael Smurfit, sponsors a number of sporting events including the Smurfit European Open and the Champion Hurdle. The family is also associated with Smurfit Business School in University College Dublin (UCD). Smurfit studied for an A-level in theatre studies and subsequently went onto the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.[1]
Career[]
Smurfit gained fame for her role as Orla O'Connell in the BBC television series Ballykissangel from 1998 to 1999. She played Nina in the 2003 film Bulletproof Monk. From 2003 to 2009, Smurfit portrayed the lead role of Detective Chief Inspector Roisin Connor in the ITV police procedural Trial & Retribution.[2] She also guest starred in the BBC Radio 4 series Baldi. In 2011 Smurfit appeared in the Agatha Christie's Marple television episode "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side".
In 2013, Smurfit co-starred as Lady Jayne Wetherby in the NBC television period drama Dracula.[3] In 2014, she began playing the recurring guest role of Cruella De Vil in ABC's Once Upon a Time.[4][5]
In the run-up to shooting for her role in Homecoming, she described the film as a "mean girls for grown-ups". She played Nikki, the "head mean girl".[6] In 2021 she played Pippa in Deadly Cuts and in 2022 played Olivia Foyle in Bloodlands.
Personal life[]
Smurfit married advertising executive Douglas Baxter on July 29, 2000 in Surrey, England and gave birth to their first child, daughter Evie Dorothy Baxter in Dublin, Ireland on November 2, 2004. A second daughter, Ridley Belle Baxter was born in May 2007.[7] Their third child, a boy, was born in November 2008 and named Flynn Alexander Baxter.[8] In 2012 the family relocated to Santa Monica, California, US.[9] In February 2015 it was announced that Smurfit and her husband had filed for divorce.[10] Smurfit has said she was not able to eat anything during that time.[11]
She wrote an opinion blog for The Dubliner, which often featured anecdotes from her personal life,[12] and is a patron of the children's charity World Vision Ireland.[13]
Filmography[]
Film[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | The Run of the Country | Annagh | |
1996 | The Leading Man | Annabel | |
1997 | So This Is Romance? | Helen | |
2000 | The Wedding Tackle | Clodagh | |
The Beach | Weather Girl | ||
2002 | The Last Great Wilderness | Claire | |
About a Boy | Suzie | ||
2003 | Bulletproof Monk | Nina Strucker | |
2006 | The Shell Seekers | Olivia Keeling | Television miniseries |
2011 | Honeymoon for One | Hilary | Television film |
2014 | Amnesia: Who are you? | Monica | |
Among Ravens | Emma | ||
2015 | Homecoming / Best Fake Friends | Nikki | |
2017 | The Lears | Diana | |
Milk | Fran | Television film |
Television[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Ivanhoe | Rowena | Television miniseries |
1998 | Berkeley Square | Hannah Randall | |
1998–1999 | Ballykissangel | Orla O'Connell | |
2000 | North Square | Helen Ferryhough | 10 episodes |
2000–2001 | Cold Feet | Jane Fitzpatrick | 3 episodes |
2003–2009 | Trial & Retribution | DCI Roisin Connor | 24 episodes |
2004 | The Alan Clark Diaries | Clark's mistress | Episode: "Into the Wilderness" |
2009 | The Clinic | Dr. Edel Swift | 5 episodes |
2011 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Ella Blunt | Episode: "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side") |
2012 | Missing | Sloane | Episode: "Ice Queen" |
2013 | Dracula | Lady Jayne Wetherby | 10 episodes |
2014 | The Mentalist | Monica Giraldi | Episode: "Blue Bird" |
Rush | Isabel Thoreau | Episode: "Don't Ask Me Why" | |
2014–2018 | Once Upon a Time | Cruella De Vil | 15 episodes |
2018 | Marcella | Maya Whitman | 7 episodes |
2019 | Strike Back: Revolution | DEA Special Agent Lauren Gillespie | 2 episodes |
2022 | Around the World in 80 Days | Lady Clemency Rowbotham | 1 episode |
Bloodlands | Olivia | 6 episodes | |
The Man Who Fell to Earth | Penny Morgan | 3 episodes | |
TBA | Rivals | Maud O'Hara | Lead role; 8 episodes[14] |
Awards and nominations[]
Year | Title | Role | Awards | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Amnesia: Who Are You? | Monica | IFS Award Best Actress | Won |
2016 | Once Upon a Time | Cruella de Vil | 13th IFTA Film & Drama Awards Best Actress in Supporting Role in Drama | Nominated |
2018 | The Lears | Diana | 15th Irish Film & Television Academy Awards Best Actress in Supporting Role in Film | Won |
References[]
- ↑ Irish Times Magazine, page 10, January 10, 2009
- ↑ "14 years on, but Ballykissangel fans still stop Victoria Smurfit in the street". Evoke.ie (August 31, 2015). Archived from the original on September 2, 2015. Retrieved on August 31, 2015.
- ↑ Hall, Eva (February 4, 2013). "Victoria Smurfit To Sink Teeth Into Jonathan Rhys Meyers' Dracula". IFTN. Retrieved on February 4, 2013.
- ↑ "Once Upon a Time: Victoria Smurfit Talks Cruella de Ville, and Season 4". Collider.com (April 17, 2015). Retrieved on September 23, 2016.
- ↑ "Once Upon a Time: Victoria Smurfit set to return as Cruella". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on September 23, 2016.
- ↑ Butler, Laura. "Putting divorce aside, actress Victoria Smurfit lines up role after role". Evoke.ie. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved on August 25, 2015.
- ↑ Lyons, Eoin (September 9, 2005). "Couple mix comfort with designer good looks". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved on August 12, 2013.
- ↑ "'Cannes-do' Irish go networking". Independent.ie. Retrieved on June 25, 2023.
- ↑ "Exclusive Victoria Smurfit interview: 'It's me, three kids, two dogs and a cup of tea now'". Independent.ie (March 1, 2015). Retrieved on June 25, 2023.
- ↑ "Victoria Smurfit & husband Doug Baxter split after 15 years of marriage". Evoke.ie (February 20, 2015). Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved on February 23, 2015.
- ↑ "Victoria Smurfit". Spotify.com (January 13, 2021). Retrieved on June 25, 2023.
- ↑ Smurfit, Victoria. "(sampling of column entries by Smurfit, March to June 2008)". The Dubliner. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008.
- ↑ "World Vision Ireland". Worldvision.ie. Retrieved on June 25, 2023.
- ↑ "Victoria Smurfit and Aidan Turner star in adaptation of racy Jilly Cooper novel". Independent.ie (March 21, 2023).
External links[]
- Victoria Smurfit at Wikipedia
- Victoria Smurfit at the Internet Movie Database