Dracula Wiki
Advertisement

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[]

  1. Irish Times Magazine, page 10, January 10, 2009
  2. "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.
  3. Hall, Eva (February 4, 2013). "Victoria Smurfit To Sink Teeth Into Jonathan Rhys Meyers' Dracula". IFTN. Retrieved on February 4, 2013.
  4. "Once Upon a Time: Victoria Smurfit Talks Cruella de Ville, and Season 4". Collider.com (April 17, 2015). Retrieved on September 23, 2016.
  5. "Once Upon a Time: Victoria Smurfit set to return as Cruella". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on September 23, 2016.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. "'Cannes-do' Irish go networking". Independent.ie. Retrieved on June 25, 2023.
  9. "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.
  10. "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.
  11. "Victoria Smurfit". Spotify.com (January 13, 2021). Retrieved on June 25, 2023.
  12. Smurfit, Victoria. "(sampling of column entries by Smurfit, March to June 2008)". The Dubliner. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008.
  13. "World Vision Ireland". Worldvision.ie. Retrieved on June 25, 2023.
  14. "Victoria Smurfit and Aidan Turner star in adaptation of racy Jilly Cooper novel". Independent.ie (March 21, 2023).

External links[]

Advertisement