Amanda Brugel

Pointe Claire resides in a sleepy part of Montreal Island called West Island. It is the West Island, to those not familiar with it, is a large part that stretches from Lachine all the way west. Amanda Brugel was born there, but her time was not long in the city. Brugel grew to be a woman of a certain age in Courtice Ontario just outside Oshawa. At the beginning of her life, she wanted to be professional performer, however an unexpected expansion of her body made it impossible. In an article from the Toronto Star she admitted In heels I'm 6 feet 1 inch. When I grew out of my male counterparts, I gave up. Former dancers often turn into acting. In the case of Brugel it was an urging from her high school teacher in drama. The teacher encouraged her to try out for roles in her school's production. After trying out the role, she was chosen as the leading lady of Anne of Green Gables. The show led her to receive an Fine Arts Talent Scholarship from York University. In 2000 she earned her Master of Fine Arts at York University. In the 20+ years since Brugel has landed roles on over 60 shows on the big and small screens drawing the most interest when she was offered the part 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 series, and not seen much.