Amanda Brugel

Pointe Claire, a quiet area situated in the West Island of Montreal is one of those "sleepy" place. The West Island can be confusing to those unfamiliar to its significance. It is often believed that it's an island located west of Montreal However, the West Island encompasses everything between the cities in Lachine as well as West. Many times, it is credited as being the place of birth for Amanda Brugel but while that may be true, her time in the city was brief. Brugel was raised in Courtice close to Oshawa. Her first ambition was to be an expert dancer. Then, a growth rate increased her height and she outgrew all of the dance partners she had. In an interview with Toronto Star, she confessed that "In heels I'm 6 feet, 1 inch." As I grew older than my male partners I stopped. Many dancers make the transition to acting. As for the Brugel family, it was their drama teacher who nudged her to go in this direction. She was recommended by a teacher getting a part in the school's annual play. She auditioned and eventually got the role of the main character for the role in Anne of Green Gables. It led to the award of a Fine Arts Talent Scholarship at York University where she attended the Theatre Program and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in the year 2000. Her career spans 20 years and she's been in over 60 productions, both on big screens as well as smaller screens. Her most recognizable role was as Rita (pictured below) in the television show The Handmaid's Tale. Brugel appeared only on rare instances in the initial season of The Handmaid's Tale. She was the only Canadian actor.