Amanda Brugel

Pointe Claire resides in a quiet area of Montreal Island, which is known as West Island. The West Island, to those not familiar with it, is a vast area that extends from Lachine all the way west. Many times, it is credited as being the place of birth for Amanda Brugel but while that is the case, her time there was not long. Brugel lived in Courtice close to Oshawa Ontario. She wanted to become professional, however due to an explosive growth spurt she outgrew all of her dancing partners. In an article published by Toronto Star, she revealed her height in heels as 6 foot 1 inches tall. When I reached the height of all my male partners, I stopped. Dancers who have been in the past often switch to acting and in the instance of Brugel, it was a suggestion from her teacher of drama. It was the teacher who recommended she go after a role in the annual school production. She auditioned and was eventually cast as the lead for the role in Anne of Green Gables. The show led her to receive the Fine Arts Talent Scholarship from York University. In 2000 she graduated with a BA in Fine Arts at York University. In the 20+ years since, Brugel has been offered roles in more than 60 productions across both small and large screens. She attracted the most interest when she was offered the character as Rita in the award-winning television series The Handmaid's Tale (pictured below). Brugel is the sole Canadian on the season 1 The Handmaid's Tale cast and seen only occasionally, was the sole Canadian.