Amanda Brugel

Pointe Claire in Montreal's West Island is a tiny sleepy town. People who don't understand they mistakenly believe it is the West Island extends westward from Montreal. In fact this is not the case. West Island includes everything westward from that city Lachine. Amanda Brugel's birthplace has been frequently cited, however her short visit to the West Island wasn't. Brugel was raised in Courtice near Oshawa the city of Ontario. In her early years she hoped to become a performer but an unexpected increase in her height made it difficult. An article in the Toronto Star article revealed she's six feet tall, with heels. When I grew out of my male dancers, I decided to quit. Many former dancers turn to acting, and in the case of Brugel it was an urging from her teacher of drama. She was a teacher at the time who advised her to take on a part in the school's annual production. The student tried it out, and eventually got the role of the main character in Anne of Green Gables. It was the Fine Arts Talent Scholarship led her to York University, where she studied Theatre and received a Bachelors of Fine Arts in 2000. In the 20+ years since Brugel has landed roles in more than 60 productions on small and big screens. She attracted the most interest when she was offered the character of Rita in the award-winning television series The Handmaid's Tale (pictured below). Brugel was the only Canadian part of the cast in Season 1 of the show and was only seen occasionally.