Amanda Brugel

(February 27th, 2010 - Toronto ON) Pointe Claire is a quiet community located on the part of Montreal that is known as"the West Island. Many people unfamiliar with the word tend to think it's an island that's in the west of Montreal but in fact this part of West Island is home to everything from Lachine west to the City of Lachine west. Amanda Brugel grew up on the island and is frequently called her birthplace. However, she only stayed there for a short period of time. Brugel was raised in Courtice close to Oshawa. When she was a child, she wanted to be professional performer, however an unexpected growth spurt made it impossible. The article she wrote about her experience revealed written by The Toronto Star that she is 6'1" tall when wearing heels. As I got bigger than my male dancers, I decided to quit. Some former dancers switch to acting, and in the case of Brugel, it was a nudge from an instructor in drama at high school which pushed her in the right direction. The teacher was the one who suggested she audition as Anne for their school's annual production. It was her choice to take on the lead character for Anne of Green Gables after she tried out. When she was awarded the Fine Arts Talent Scholarship, she attended York University and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in the year 2000. For the last twenty years, Brugel's work been seen on both the small and big screen. She gained the most attention when she won her character of Rita on the award-winning TV show The Handmaid's Tale. Brugel is the only Canadian actress in Season 1 and was only seen on occasion.