Amanda Brugel

(February 27th, 2010 - Toronto ON) Pointe Claire is a quiet community located on that part of the island of Montreal known as the West Island. This part of the island known as West Island can be confusing to those unfamiliar of its purpose. They often believe it's an island located to the west of Montreal, but it's actually the West Island encompasses everything between the two cities of Lachine as well as West. Amanda Brugel is said to be born on the West Island, although this is not true. Brugel was raised on Courtice just outside Oshawa in Ontario. Her first ambition was to be an expert dancer. However, a growth spurt caused her to outgrow her dance partners she had. In an article from The Toronto Star she admitted In heels, I'm 6 feet one inch. When I grew out of male companions, that's when I gave up. A lot of former dancers go on to act. In the case of Brugel, it was the encouragement from her drama teacher at high school that led her to the path she wanted. The teacher recommended that she take part in an audition for the annual school production. After a few auditions the role, she was chosen as the leading lady for Anne of Green Gables. Following her award of the Fine Arts Talent Scholarship, she enrolled in York University and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 2000. Over the past 20 years that followed, Brugel has been offered roles in more than 60 productions across small and big screens. She attracted the most interest when she was offered the part in the role of Rita in the award-winning show The Handmaid's Tale (pictured below). Brugel is the sole Canadian of the season 1 actors of the series and only seen occasionally was the sole Canadian.