Amanda Brugel

Pointe Claire in Montreal's West Island is a small, quiet town. This West Island, to those who are unfamiliar with it, is a vast region that runs from Lachine until the west. Amanda Brugel was born there however her stay was not long in the city. Brugel grew to be an aspiring young lady living in Courtice Ontario just outside Oshawa. She aspired to be a professional dancer, but due to a rapid expansion, she surpassed the dance partners she had. In an article in The Toronto Star she admitted In heels I'm 6 feet 1 inch. Once I was bigger than my male counterpart, I stopped. A lot of former dancers go on to acting and in the case of Brugel, it was the nudge of a high school drama teacher that led her in the right direction. Her teacher invited her to try out for roles in a school production. After a few auditions the role, she was chosen as the lead actress in Anne of Green Gables. The show led her to receive an Fine Arts Talent Scholarship from York University. In 2000 she graduated with a Master of Fine Arts at York University. Over the past 20 years since, Brugel has landed roles in more than 60 productions on the big and small screens drawing the most interest when she was offered the part as Rita in the award-winning television series The Handmaid's Tale (pictured below). Brugel was the sole Canadian on the Season 1 cast of the show as well as appearing only on occasion, was the sole Canadian.