Irish actress
Victoria Smurfit
Smurfit in 2016
Born (1974-03-31 ) 31 March 1974 (age 50) Occupation Actress Years active 1995–present Spouse
Douglas Baxter
(
m. 2000;
div. 2015)
Children 3 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.
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] [ 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] Victoria Smurfit tied the knot with her love Steve Jacobs at the end of 2023
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
References
^ Irish Times Magazine, page 10, 10 January 2009
^ "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 .
^ Hall, Eva (4 February 2013). "Victoria Smurfit To Sink Teeth Into Jonathan Rhys Meyers' Dracula " . IFTN . Retrieved 4 February 2013 .
^ "Once Upon a Time: Victoria Smurfit Talks Cruella de Ville, and Season 4" . collider.com . 17 April 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2016 .
^ "Once Upon a Time : Victoria Smurfit set to return as Cruella" . ew.com . Retrieved 23 September 2016 .
^ 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 .
^ 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 .
^ " 'Cannes-do' Irish go networking - Independent.ie" . Retrieved 25 June 2023 .
^ "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 .
^ "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 .
^ "Victoria Smurfit" . 13 January 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2023 – via open.spotify.com.
^ Smurfit, Victoria. "(sampling of column entries by Smurfit, March to June 2008)" . The Dubliner . Archived from the original on 5 July 2008.
^ "World Vision Ireland" . Retrieved 25 June 2023 .
^ Howe, Desson (28 September 1995). "COUNTRY' COVERS A BIT O' GROUND" . The Washington Post . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ "The Leading Man - Full Cast & Crew" . TV Guide . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ "Romance and Rejection" . Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Savage, Anton (12 October 2024). "In conversation with Victoria Smurfit" . The Anton Savage Show . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Elley, Derek (14 August 2000). "The Wedding Tackle" . Variety . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Elley, Derek (2 September 2002). "The Last Great Wilderness" . Variety . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Camp, Alexa (8 May 2002). "Review: About a Boy" . Slant Magazine . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ "Film: Victoria loves being bad" . Belfast Telegraph . 20 April 2003. Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Holmes, Linda (13 August 2011). "Press Tour Confessions: The Melted Brain That Watched 'Honeymoon For One' " . NPR . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ "Video Series: A Proper Send-Off, Directed by Eva Longoria - Eva Longoria - Glamour Reel Moments" . YouTube . Glamour . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Ryan, Alexandra (30 May 2014). "Victoria Smurfit wins Best Actress at film festival" . Goss.ie . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Ford, Rebecca (5 June 2014). "Indie 'Among Ravens' Picked Up by Gravitas Ventures for North America" . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Felperin, Leslie (3 September 2015). "Bait review – smarter-than-usual Brit squeaker" . The Guardian . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Strickler, Jeff (23 September 2016). "Movie spot: 'Best Fake Friends' " . Minnesota Star Tribune . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ McNary, Dave (16 January 2019). "Film News Roundup: Bruce Dern's 'The Lears' Bought by Vertical for February Release" . Variety . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Cassidy, Megan (6 June 2017). "WATCH: Victoria Smurfit Stars In Upcoming Irish Short Film 'The Secret Market' " . LMFM . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Clarke, Donald (8 October 2021). "Deadly Cuts: A blast from Irish cinema's past" . The Irish Times . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ " 'Ivanhoe' Becomes Television Miniseries" . Los Angeles Times . 3 August 1996. Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ "Miniseries – Berkeley Square" . Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Nolan, Larissa (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 . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Lockyear, Daphne (9 February 2007). "Victoria Smurfit" . TES . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Toner, John (18 September 2022). "Bloodlands: Jimmy Nesbitt delighted at reunion with Cold Feet star Victoria Smurfit" . Belfast Telegraph . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Wollalston, Sam (18 January 2008). "Last night's TV: Trial & Retribution" . The Guardian . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ "Victoria in Alan Clark's Diaries" . Irish Independent . 14 December 2003. Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Lowry, Brian (29 April 2008). "The Shell Seekers" . Variety . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ O'Neill, Bronwyn (30 June 2024). "Where are they now? The cast of RTÉ's The Clinic 15 years later" . Evoke.ie . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Wiegand, David (22 May 2010). "TV review: Christie ill served by this Marple" . SFGate . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ McBride, Caitlin (8 April 2013). "Victoria Smurfit and the Hollywood dream" . Irish Independent . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Rorke, Robert (24 October 2013). "Jonathan Rhys Meyers injects fresh blood into 'Dracula' " . New York Post . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ White, Peter (27 November 2018). "Fired Up Films & eOne Developing Boxing Drama With 'Once Upon A Time's Victoria Smurfit & Micki Pistorius Crime Thriller" . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Ng, Philiana (5 June 2014). "Harry Hamlin, Rachel Nichols Join USA's 'Rush' (Exclusive)" . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Egan, Barry (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 . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Nolan, Emma (26 March 2018). "Marcella season 2 cast: Who stars in Marcella series 2?" . Daily Express . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Ellwood, Greg (29 March 2019). "Strike Back: Silent War 7×05 recap" . Entertainment Focus . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Wynarczyk, Natasha (23 December 2021). "Exclusive: Around the World in 80 Days actress says filming BBC show was 'anything but glamorous' " . Daily Mirror . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Hibbs, James (15 June 2022). "How to watch The Man Who Fell to Earth in the UK" . Radio Times . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ Cochrane, Amy (23 September 2022). "Bloodlands star Victoria Smurfit praises 'stunningly beautiful' NI filming location" . Belfast Telegraph . Retrieved 6 November 2024 .
^ "Victoria Smurfit and Aidan Turner star in adaptation of racy Jilly Cooper novel" . Independent.ie . 21 March 2023.
External links
International National People