Victoria Smurfit

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. Most recently, she played Maud O’Hara in Rivals on Disney+.

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 Year Title Role Notes 1995 The Run of the Country Annagh 1996 The Leading Man Annabel 1997 Romance and Rejection Helen 2000 The Beach Weathergirl The Wedding Tackle Clodagh 2002 The Last Great Wilderness Claire About a Boy Suzie 2003 Bulletproof Monk Nina Strucker 2011 Honeymoon for One Hilary Television film A Proper Send-Off Natalia Short film 2014 Amnesia: Who Are You? Monica Among Ravens Emma Bait Bex 2016 Best Fake Friends Nikki 2017 The Lears Diana The Secret Market Dr. Amy McCarthy Short film 2021 Deadly Cuts Pippa

Television Year Title Role Notes 1997 Ivanhoe Lady Rowena Miniseries; 6 episodes 1998 Berkeley Square Hannah Randall Series regular; 10 episodes 1998–1999 Ballykissangel Orla O'Connell Series regular; 24 episodes 2000 North Square Helen Fernyhough Series regular; 10 episodes 2000–2001 Cold Feet Jane Fitzpatrick Recurring role; 3 episodes 2003–2009 Trial & Retribution DCI Róisín Connor Series regular; 24 episodes 2004 The Alan Clark Diaries Clark's Mistress Episode: "Into the Wilderness" 2006 The Shell Seekers Olivia Keeling Miniseries; 2 episodes 2009 The Clinic Dr. Edel Swift Recurring role; 5 episodes 2010 Agatha Christie's Marple Ella Blunt Episode: "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" 2012 Missing Sloane Episode: "Ice Queen" 2013–2014 Dracula Lady Jayne Wetherby Series regular; 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 Series regular; 15 episodes 2018 Marcella Maya Whitman Recurring role; 7 episodes 2019 Strike Back: Revolution Lauren Gillespie Recurring role; 2 episodes 2021 Around the World in 80 Days Lady Clemency Rowbotham Episode: "Episode 5" 2022 The Man Who Fell to Earth Penny Morgan Recurring role; 3 episodes Bloodlands Olivia Foyle Series regular; 6 episodes 2024–present Rivals Maud O’Hara Series regular; 8 episodes

Awards and nominations Year Title Role Awards Result 2014 Amnesia: Who Are You? Monica IFS Award Best Actress 2016 Once Upon A Time Cruella de Vil 13th IFTA Film & Drama Awards Best Actress in Supporting Role in Drama 2018 The Lears Diana 15th Irish Film & Television Academy Awards Best Actress in Supporting Role in Film