Smurfit gained fame for her role as Orla O'Connell in the BBC television series Ballykissangel. In 2003, she took over from Kate Buffery in the lead role in Trial & Retribution as DCI Roisin Connor. Smurfit appeared in Agatha Christie's Marple TV episode The Mirror Cracked From Side to Side. She also appeared in a small role in the movie The Beach. She appeared on the NBC television network drama Dracula as Lady Jane.
In 2014, she began playing the recurring guest role of villainess Cruella de Vil in ABC's Once Upon a Time, for which she received her first IFTA Nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Drama. Smurfit won the IFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Film in 2018 for her performance in The Lears .
"We're really proud of our own and we don't do it often but, IFTA do it really well. Every year they bring everybody together… and we all come back to celebrate Ireland and the industry."
Victoria Smurfit