Amanda Brugel is a Canadian actress. She made her acting debut in the drama film Vendetta. This was followed by roles in the comedy film A Diva's Christmas Carol, the slasher horror film Jason X, the comedy film Sex After Kids, for which she won an ACTRA Award for Best Female Performance, the satirical drama film Maps to the Stars, the independent drama film Room, the superhero filmSuicide Squad, the drama film Kodachrome, and the action thriller filmBecky. Brugel starred as Lynnie Jordan in the Showcase soap opera Paradise Falls, Michelle Krasnoff in the Citytv comedy series Seed, Marci Coates in the Space science fiction series Orphan Black, Nina Gomez in the CBC comedy series Kim's Convenience, and Rita in the Hulu dystopian drama seriesThe Handmaid's Tale.
Early life
Brugel was born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. She started out as a dancer, but quit when she grew to be taller than her partners. She entered the renowned Theatre Program at York University with a Fine Arts talent scholarship, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2000.
Career
In 1999, Brugel made her acting debut in the HBO drama film Vendetta, alongside Christopher Walken. In 2000, she had a role in A Diva's Christmas Carol, a Christmas television film starring Vanessa Williams, Rozonda Thomas, and Kathy Griffin. She made her feature film debut as Geko in the slasher horror film Jason X and starred in the horror television filmKaw. Brugel appeared in guest or recurring roles in several television series, including Soul Food, Wild Card, Kojak, Kevin Hill, The Newsroom, Paradise Falls, MVP, Saving Hope, Flashpoint, Nikita, and Covert Affairs. In 2013, she earned critical praise for her starring role as Vanessa in the comedy film Sex After Kids. For her performance, she received an ACTRA Award for Outstanding Female Performance, and a nomination for a Canadian Comedy Award. From 2013 to 2014, she starred as Michelle Krasnoff in the Citytv comedy series Seed. In 2014, Brugel appeared in David Cronenberg's satirical drama film Maps to the Stars, alongside Julianne Moore, and the crime thriller filmThe Calling, alongside Susan Sarandon. In 2015, she portrayed Marci Coates in several episodes of the Space science fiction series Orphan Black. That same year, she appeared as Officer Parker in the independent drama film Room, which earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture and won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Motion Picture. In 2016, she appeared in the superhero film Suicide Squad. That same year, she began a recurring role as Pastor Nina Gomez in the CBC comedy series Kim's Convenience, for which she received the Canadian Screen Award for Best Guest Performance, Comedy. In 2017, she appeared in the Netflix drama film Kodachrome. Brugel had recurring roles as Sita Petronelli in the USA Network drama series Eyewitness and as Sonia in the CBC comedy series Workin' Moms, for which she was nominated for the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress, Comedy. Since 2017, Brugel has starred as a housekeeper named Rita, in the Hulu dystopian drama series The Handmaid's Tale, based on Margaret Atwood's acclaimed novel of the same name. As a part of the cast, she has received three nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. From 2019 to 2020, Brugel had a recurring role as Faith Hanlon in the USA Network teen drama series Dare Me. In 2020, she appeared as Eugenia in multiple episodes of the TNT post-apocalyptic drama series Snowpiercer, which is an adaptation of the film of the same name. Also that year, Brugel starred as Kayla in the action thriller film Becky. In 2020, Brugel appeared as a panelist on Canada Reads, advocating for Samra Habib's memoir We Have Always Been Here. She successfully defended the memoir and won the competition.
Personal life
Brugel has two children from her previous marriage to Marcel Lewis. In 2013, Brugel founded Brugs Army, a non-profit organization that focuses on improving the lives of women and children.
