Victoria Smurfit

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.

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. 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. In 2014, she began playing the recurring guest role of Cruella de Vil in ABC's Once Upon a Time.

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". In 2021, she played Pippa in Deadly Cuts and in 2022 played Olivia Foyle in Bloodlands. In 2024, she played Maud O’Hara in Disney Plus’s Rivals, based on the Jilly Cooper novel of the same name, which was renewed for a second season in December 2024.

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. Their third child, a son, Flynn Alexander Baxter, was born in November 2008. In 2012 the family relocated to Santa Monica, California, US. In February 2015 it was announced that Smurfit and her husband had filed for divorce.

She wrote an opinion blog for The Dubliner, which often featured anecdotes from her personal life, and is a patron of the children's charity World Vision Ireland.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. Irish Times Magazine, page 10, 10 January 2009
2. (31 August 2015). "14 years on, but ''Ballykissangel'' fans still stop Victoria Smurfit in the street". evoke.ie.
3. Hall, Eva. (4 February 2013). "Victoria Smurfit To Sink Teeth Into Jonathan Rhys Meyers' ''Dracula''". [[Irish Film and Television Network.
4. (17 April 2015). "Once Upon a Time: Victoria Smurfit Talks Cruella de Ville, and Season 4".
5. "''Once Upon a Time'': Victoria Smurfit set to return as Cruella".
6. "Putting divorce aside, actress Victoria Smurfit lines up role after role".
7. Lyons, Eoin. (2005-09-09). "Couple mix comfort with designer good looks". [[The Irish Times]].
8. "'Cannes-do' Irish go networking - Independent.ie".
9. (1 March 2015). "Exclusive Victoria Smurfit interview: 'It's me, three kids, two dogs and a cup of tea now'".
10. (20 February 2015). "Victoria Smurfit & husband Doug Baxter split after 15 years of marriage". evoke.ie.
11. (13 January 2021). "Victoria Smurfit".
12. Smurfit, Victoria. "(sampling of column entries by Smurfit, March to June 2008)". [[The Dubliner (magazine).
13. "World Vision Ireland".
14. (28 September 1995). "COUNTRY' COVERS A BIT O' GROUND". [[The Washington Post]].
15. "The Leading Man - Full Cast & Crew".
16. "Romance and Rejection".
17. (12 October 2024). "In conversation with Victoria Smurfit". [[Anton Savage.
18. (14 August 2000). "The Wedding Tackle". [[Variety (magazine).
19. (2 September 2002). "The Last Great Wilderness". [[Variety (magazine).
20. (8 May 2002). "Review: About a Boy". [[Slant Magazine]].
21. (20 April 2003). "Film: Victoria loves being bad". [[Belfast Telegraph]].
22. (13 August 2011). "Press Tour Confessions: The Melted Brain That Watched 'Honeymoon For One'". [[NPR]].
23. (23 November 2012). "Video Series: A Proper Send-Off, Directed by Eva Longoria - Eva Longoria - Glamour Reel Moments". [[Glamour (magazine).
24. (30 May 2014). "Victoria Smurfit wins Best Actress at film festival". [[Goss.ie]].
25. (5 June 2014). "Indie 'Among Ravens' Picked Up by Gravitas Ventures for North America". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
26. (3 September 2015). "Bait review – smarter-than-usual Brit squeaker". [[The Guardian]].
27. (23 September 2016). "Movie spot: 'Best Fake Friends'". [[Minnesota Star Tribune]].
28. (16 January 2019). "Film News Roundup: Bruce Dern's 'The Lears' Bought by Vertical for February Release". [[Variety (magazine).
29. (6 June 2017). "WATCH: Victoria Smurfit Stars In Upcoming Irish Short Film 'The Secret Market'". [[LMFM]].
30. (8 October 2021). "Deadly Cuts: A blast from Irish cinema's past". [[The Irish Times]].
31. (3 August 1996). "'Ivanhoe' Becomes Television Miniseries". [[Los Angeles Times]].
32. "Miniseries – Berkeley Square".
33. (2 December 2018). "Victoria Smurfit: From BallyK to a fairytale villain in a land far, far way, I'm still enchanted by Ireland". [[The Times]].
34. (9 February 2007). "Victoria Smurfit". [[TES (magazine).
35. (18 September 2022). "Bloodlands: Jimmy Nesbitt delighted at reunion with Cold Feet star Victoria Smurfit". [[Belfast Telegraph]].
36. (18 January 2008). "Last night's TV: Trial & Retribution". [[The Guardian]].
37. (14 December 2003). "Victoria in Alan Clark's Diaries". [[Irish Independent]].
38. (29 April 2008). "The Shell Seekers". [[Variety (magazine).
39. (30 June 2024). "Where are they now? The cast of RTÉ's The Clinic 15 years later". [[Evoke.ie]].
40. (22 May 2010). "TV review: Christie ill served by this Marple". [[SFGate]].
41. (8 April 2013). "Victoria Smurfit and the Hollywood dream". [[Irish Independent]].
42. (24 October 2013). "Jonathan Rhys Meyers injects fresh blood into 'Dracula'". [[New York Post]].
43. (27 November 2018). "Fired Up Films & eOne Developing Boxing Drama With 'Once Upon A Time's Victoria Smurfit & Micki Pistorius Crime Thriller". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
44. (5 June 2014). "Harry Hamlin, Rachel Nichols Join USA's 'Rush' (Exclusive)". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
45. (11 February 2024). "Victoria Smurfit on making Once Upon a Time: 'I loved Cruella.... she said everything you'd love to in life'". [[Irish Independent]].
46. (26 March 2018). "Marcella season 2 cast: Who stars in Marcella series 2?". [[Daily Express]].
47. (29 March 2019). "Strike Back: Silent War 7×05 recap". Entertainment Focus.
48. (23 December 2021). "Exclusive: Around the World in 80 Days actress says filming BBC show was 'anything but glamorous'". [[Daily Mirror]].
49. (15 June 2022). "How to watch The Man Who Fell to Earth in the UK". [[Radio Times]].
50. (23 September 2022). "Bloodlands star Victoria Smurfit praises 'stunningly beautiful' NI filming location". [[Belfast Telegraph]].
51. (22 March 2023). "Victoria Smurfit and Aidan Turner star in adaptation of racy Jilly Cooper novel". [[Irish Independent]].