Victoria Smurfit

Last updated

Victoria Smurfit
Victoria Smurfit 2016.jpg
Smurfit in 2016
Born (1974-03-31) 31 March 1974 (age 49)
Dublin, Ireland
OccupationActress
Years active1995–present
Spouse
Douglas Baxter
(m. 2000;div. 2015)
Children3
Relatives Michael Smurfit (uncle)

Victoria Smurfit (born 31 March 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.

Contents

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 29 July 2000 in Surrey, England and gave birth to their first child, daughter Evie Dorothy Baxter in Dublin, Ireland on 2 November 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[ clarification needed ] 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

YearTitleRoleOther notes
1995 The Run of the Country AnnaghFeature film
1996 The Leading Man AnnabelFeature film
1997 Ivanhoe RowenaTV series
1997So this is RomanceHelenFeature film
1998 Berkeley Square Hannah RandallTV series
1998–1999 Ballykissangel Orla O'ConnellTV series
2000 The Wedding Tackle ClodaghFeature film
2000 The Beach Weather GirlFeature film
2000 North Square Helen FerryhoughTV series, 10 episodes
2000–2001 Cold Feet Jane FitzpatrickTV series, recurring role
2002 The Last Great Wilderness ClaireFeature film
2002 About a Boy SuzieFeature film
2003 Bulletproof Monk Nina StruckerFeature film
2003–2009 Trial & Retribution DCI Roisin ConnorTV series, series 7–12
2004 The Alan Clark Diaries Clark's mistressTV series
2006 The Shell Seekers Olivia KeelingMini-series
2009 The Clinic Edel SwiftTV series
2011 Agatha Christie's Marple Ella BluntTV series, 1 episode ("The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side")
2011Honeymoon for OneHilaryTV movie
2012 Missing SloaneTV series
2013 Dracula Lady Jayne WetherbyTV series
2014 The Mentalist Monica GiraldiTV series (season 6, episode 22)
2014Amnesia: Who are you?MonicaFeature film
2014 Among Ravens EmmaFeature film
2014 Rush Isabel ThoreauTV series
2014–2018 Once Upon a Time Cruella de Vil Recurring role (season 4, 5/DVD extra and 7, guest):
15 episodes
2015Homecoming / Best Fake Friends NikkiFeature film
2017 The Lears DianaFeature film
2017MilkFranTV movie
2018 Marcella Maya WhitmanTV series (series 2)
2019 Strike Back: Revolution DEA Special Agent Lauren GillespieGuest role (season 7):
2 episodes
2022 Around the World in 80 Days Lady Clemency RowbothamTV series, episode 5
2022 Bloodlands OliviaTV series (series 2)
2022 The Man Who Fell to Earth Penny MorganTV series, guest role
TBA Rivals Maud O’HaraLead role [14]

Awards and nominations

YearTitleRoleAwardsResult
2014 Amnesia: Who Are You? MonicaIFS Award Best ActressWon
2016 Once Upon A Time Cruella de Vil 13th IFTA Film & Drama Awards Best Actress in Supporting Role in DramaNominated
2018 The Lears Diana15th Irish Film & Television Academy Awards Best Actress in Supporting Role in FilmWon

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References

  1. Irish Times Magazine, page 10, 10 January 2009
  2. "14 years on, but Ballykissangel fans still stop Victoria Smurfit in the street". evoke.ie. 31 August 2015. Archived from the original on 2 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  3. Hall, Eva (4 February 2013). "Victoria Smurfit To Sink Teeth Into Jonathan Rhys Meyers' Dracula". IFTN . Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  4. "Once Upon a Time: Victoria Smurfit Talks Cruella de Ville, and Season 4". collider.com. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  5. "Once Upon a Time: Victoria Smurfit set to return as Cruella". ew.com. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  6. Butler, Laura. "Putting divorce aside, actress Victoria Smurfit lines up role after role". Evoke.ie. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  7. Lyons, Eoin (9 September 2005). "Couple mix comfort with designer good looks". The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  8. "'Cannes-do' Irish go networking - Independent.ie" . Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  9. "Exclusive Victoria Smurfit interview: 'It's me, three kids, two dogs and a cup of tea now'". Independent.ie. 1 March 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  10. "Victoria Smurfit & husband Doug Baxter split after 15 years of marriage". evoke.ie. 20 February 2015. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  11. "Victoria Smurfit". 13 January 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2023 via open.spotify.com.
  12. Smurfit, Victoria. "(sampling of column entries by Smurfit, March to June 2008)". The Dubliner . Archived from the original on 5 July 2008.
  13. "World Vision Ireland" . Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  14. "Victoria Smurfit and Aidan Turner star in adaptation of racy Jilly Cooper novel". Independent.ie. 21 March 2023.