Amanda Brugel

Amanda Brugel (born March 24, 1978) is a Canadian actress. She made her acting debut in the drama film Vendetta (1999). This was followed by roles in the comedy film A Diva's Christmas Carol (2000), the slasher horror film Jason X (2001), the comedy film Sex After Kids (2013), for which she won an ACTRA Award for Best Female Performance, the satirical drama film Maps to the Stars (2014), the independent drama film Room (2015), the superhero film Suicide Squad (2016), the drama film Kodachrome (2017), and the action thriller film Becky (2020).

Amanda Brugel
Brugel in 2017
Born	March 24, 1978 Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada
Alma mater	York University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999–present

Brugel starred as Lynnie Jordan in the Showcase soap opera Paradise Falls (2008), Michelle Krasnoff in the Citytv comedy series Seed (2013–2014), Marci Coates in the Space science fiction series Orphan Black (2015), Nina Gomez in the CBC comedy series Kim's Convenience (2016–present), and Rita in the Hulu dystopian drama series The Handmaid's Tale (2017–present).

Early life

Brugel was born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec.[1][2] She started out as a dancer, but quit when she grew to be taller than her partners.[3] 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.[4]

Career

In 1999, Brugel made her acting debut in the HBO drama film Vendetta, alongside Christopher Walken.[5] In 2000, she had a role in A Diva's Christmas Carol, a Christmas television film starring Vanessa Williams, Rozonda Thomas, and Kathy Griffin.[6] She made her feature film debut as Geko in the slasher horror film Jason X (2001)[7] and starred in the horror television film Kaw (2007).[8]

Brugel appeared in guest or recurring roles in several television series, including Soul Food (2001), Wild Card (2004), Kojak (2005), Kevin Hill (2005), The Newsroom (2005), Paradise Falls (2008), MVP (2008), Saving Hope (2012), Flashpoint (2012), Nikita (2013), and Covert Affairs (2013).[5][8]

In 2013, she earned critical praise for her starring role as Vanessa in the comedy film Sex After Kids.[9] For her performance, she received an ACTRA Award for Outstanding Female Performance,[10] and a nomination for a Canadian Comedy Award.[11] From 2013 to 2014, she starred as Michelle Krasnoff in the Citytv comedy series Seed.[5][12]

In 2014, Brugel appeared in David Cronenberg's satirical drama film Maps to the Stars, alongside Julianne Moore,[13] and the crime thriller film The Calling, alongside Susan Sarandon.[14] In 2015, she portrayed Marci Coates in several episodes of the Space science fiction series Orphan Black.[15] 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.[13][16]

In 2016, she appeared in the superhero film Suicide Squad.[17] 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.[18] In 2017, she appeared in the Netflix drama film Kodachrome.[19]

Brugel had recurring roles as Sita Petronelli in the USA Network drama series Eyewitness (2016)[20] and as Sonia in the CBC comedy series Workin' Moms (2018), for which she was nominated for the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress, Comedy.[21]

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.[22] 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.[23]

From 2019 to 2020, Brugel had a recurring role as Faith Hanlon in the USA Network teen drama series Dare Me.[24] 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.[25] Also that year, Brugel starred as Kayla in the action thriller film Becky.[21][26]

In 2020, Brugel appeared as a panelist on Canada Reads, advocating for Samra Habib's memoir We Have Always Been Here.[27] She successfully defended the memoir and won the competition.[28]

Personal life

Brugel has two children from her previous marriage to Marcel Lewis.[29][30]

In 2013, Brugel founded Brugs Army, a non-profit organization that focuses on improving the lives of women and children.[31][32]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Jason X	Geko
2002	Jack & Ella	Elizabeth
2004	The Prince & Me	Yoga Instructor
2007	Kaw	Emma
2009	The Death of Alice Blue	Amanda
2013	Sex After Kids	Vanessa
2013	Treading Water	Nurse
2014	Maps to the Stars	Star! Channel Interviewer
2014	The Calling	Officer Vongarner
2015	Room	Officer Parker
2016	Suicide Squad	National Security Council
2016	Sadie's Last Days on Earth	Detention Teacher
2017	Kodachrome	Doctor
2018	Emmy	Emmy	Short film
2019	Marie Celeste	Marie Celeste	Short film
2020	Becky	Kayla
2020	Like a House on Fire	Audrey
2020	The Education of Fredrick Fitzell	Evelyn
2020	Sugar Daddy	Nancy

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	Vendetta	Red Lantern Lady	Television film
2000	A Diva's Christmas Carol	Olivia	Television film
2001	Soul Food	Trixie	Episode: "Everything Is Unfolding Perfectly"
2001	Leap Years	Tamara	Episode: "#1.4"
2001	Tracker	Uniformed Officer	Episode: "The Beast"
2002	The 5th Quadrant	Cassandra Morgan	Episode: "Wild Animal King/Divining Miss M"
2002	10,000 Black Men Named George	Waitress	Television film
2003	Beautiful Girl	Connie	Television film
2003	This Time Around	Abby	Television film
2004	Doc	Sheree	Episode: "Wedding Bell Blues"
2004	Category 6: Day of Destruction	Leslie Singer	Television film
2004	Wild Card	Evelyn	Episode: "Queen Bea"
2005	Devil's Perch	Secretary	Television film
2005	Kojak	Theresa	Episode: "All That Glitters"
2005	Kevin Hill	Leanne Wheeden	Episode: "Man's Best Friend"
2005	The Newsroom	Nurse	Episode: "Latent Homosexual Tendencies"
2006	G-Spot	Maureen	Episode: "Payne Killer"
2006	Naked Josh	Toula	Episode: "Planned Parenthood"
2006	This Is Wonderland	Lucy Jamieson	Episode: "#3.9"
2007	What If God Were the Sun?	Lupe	Television film
2008	Paradise Falls	Lynnie Jordan	26 episodes
2008	MVP	Megan Chandler	8 episodes
2008	Da Kink in My Hair	Elize	Episode: "Looks Can Be Revealing"
2010	Life Unjarred	Kim	2 episodes
2011	InSecurity	Amanda	Episode: "The Spy, the Friend and Her Lover"
2012	The Firm	Sonia Swain	3 episodes
2012	Saving Hope	Lisa Rundel	Episode: "Contact"
2012	Flashpoint	Trish	Episode: "Keep the Peace: Part 1"
2013	The Ron James Show	Linda Lanning	2 episodes
2013	Warehouse 13	Amy	Episode: "The Big Snag"
2013	Nikita	Janet Malcolm	Episode: "Til Death Do Us Part"
2013	Covert Affairs	Olivia	5 episodes
2013–2014	Seed	Michelle Krasnoff	26 episodes
2015	Orphan Black	Marci Coates	5 episodes
2015	Dark Matter	Keeley	2 episodes
2015	Charming Christmas	Nadine	Television film
2016	Love's Complicated	Kate	Television film
2016	You Got Trumped: The First 100 Days	Kelly	5 episodes
2016–present	Kim's Convenience	Pastor Nina Gomez	20 episodes
2016	Eyewitness	Sita Petronelli	6 episodes
2017	Sometimes the Good Kill	Faith	Television film[33]
2018	Workin' Moms	Sonia	5 episodes
2017–present	The Handmaid's Tale	Rita	26 episodes
2019–2020	Dare Me	Faith Hanlon	7 episodes
2020	Snowpiercer	Eugenia	4 episodes
2020	Canada's Drag Race	Guest Host	Episode: "Welcome to the Family"

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
2014	ACTRA Award	Outstanding Performance – Female	Sex After Kids	Won	[10]
	Canadian Comedy Award	Best Performance by a Female – Film		Nominated	[11]
2018	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	The Handmaid's Tale	Nominated	[34]
	Gold Derby Award	Ensemble of the Year		Won	[35]
2019	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series		Nominated	[36]
	Canadian Screen Award	Best Supporting Actress, Comedy	Workin' Moms	Nominated	[37]
2020	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	The Handmaid's Tale	Nominated	[38]
	Canadian Screen Award	Best Guest Performance, Comedy	Kim's Convenience	Won	[18]

References

1. "Canadian actress, Amanda Brugel, becomes series regular on The Handmaid's Tale". Retrieved July 26, 2020.
2. "Actress Amanda Brugel of Pointe Claire has major role in Handmaid's Tale". Retrieved July 26, 2020.
3. Zekas, Rita; "She shoots, she scores . . .", Toronto Star, 12 January 2008 (retrieved 15 February 2015).
4. "Amanda Brugel Resume", AmandaBrugel.tv (retrieved 15 February 2015).
5. "ENTERTAINMENT - The Guest List talks to Seed, Covert Affairs actor Amanda Brugel". Toronto.com. June 26, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
6. Grove, Rashad (November 27, 2019). "12 Best Black Holiday Movies Of All Time". BET. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
7. "Amanda Brugel on Instagram: ""Geko". Jason X. Friday the 13th part 10. My very first film (I was still in theatre school when this was shot). Happy Friday the Thirteenth everyone!! xxoo"". November 13, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
8. "Amanda Brugel List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
9. Barnard, Linda (February 6, 2014). "Sex After Kids: No sex please, we're parents: Review". The Star. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
10. "Winners Announced: ACTRA Awards in Toronto 2014". Newswire. February 22, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
11. "NOMINATIONS & AWARDS ARCHIVES". Canadian Comedy Awards. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
12. "Most Beautiful 'Seed' star Amanda Brugel talks pregnancy on the red carpet". Hello Magazine. May 27, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
13. Ruta, Mike (February 5, 2017). "Whitby actor Amanda Brugel off to L.A. seeking more roles". Durham Region. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
14. "The Calling - Colorado Springs Independent". Retrieved July 26, 2020.
15. Yacovelle, Jess; "Amanda Brugel Joins the Cast of Orphan Black" Archived 2015-02-16 at the Wayback Machine, OrphanBlackFan.com, 9 November 2014 (retrieved 15 February 2015).
16. "Amanda Brugel on The Handmaid's Tale, fighting for good roles and rejecting stereotypes". CBC. August 27, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
17. "The Host: Amanda Brugel - Erenstines". Retrieved July 26, 2020.
18. Debra Yeo, "‘Cardinal’ and ‘Schitt’s Creek’ get multiple going-away gifts from the Canadian Screen Awards". Toronto Star, May 27, 2020.
19. Stanhope, Kate (August 17, 2017). "'The Handmaid's Tale' Promotes Amanda Brugel to Series Regular (Exclusive)". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
20. Petski, Denise (April 12, 2016). "'Mistresses' Casts Micky Shiloah; Amanda Brugel Joins 'Eyewitness'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
21. "Amanda Brugel CBC Books". CBC. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
22. "The Handmaid's Tale: Amanda Brugel Books Recurring Role on Hulu Series". TV Series Finale. 2016-09-30. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
23. Giliberti, Lucas (December 21, 2019). "Can 'The Handmaid's Tale' finally nab its maiden ensemble win at the SAG Awards?". Gold Derby. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
24. Petski, Denise (August 7, 2019). "'Dare Me': Adrian Walters & Amanda Brugel To Recur In USA Network Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
25. Allen, Corrina (April 3, 2020). "Yes, that's Canada's Amanda Brugel blowing up your TV screen". The Loop. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
26. N'Duka, Amanda (August 27, 2019). "Joel McHale, Amanda Brugel & Robert Maillet Join Kevin James In 'Becky' Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
27. "Meet the Canada Reads 2020 contenders". CBC Books, January 22, 2020.
28. Patrick, Ryan B. (July 23, 2020). "The winner of Canada Reads 2020 is..." CBC. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
29. Trumbley, Sarah (April 26, 2018). "'The Handmaid's Tale' star Amanda Brugel on finding success in her 40s: "It doesn't end, it only begins"". Hello Magazine. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
30. Cardoza, Riley (August 4, 2019). "How Handmaid's Tale's Amanda Brugel Balances Her Sons' 'Different' Interests". Us Magazine. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
31. "Brugs Army" Archived 2015-02-16 at the Wayback Machine, BrugsArmy.com (retrieved 15 February 2015).
32. Dowling, Dar; "Brugs Army – Creating Change for Women and Kids Using Social Media", The Huffington Post, 9 September 2013 (retrieved 19 February 2015).
33. "Sometimes the Good Kill". mylifetime.com. Lifetime. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
34. "SAG Awards Winners: Complete List". Variety. January 21, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
35. "2018 Gold Derby TV Awards winners: 'Versace' and 'Handmaid's Tale' are top winners, but 'Game of Thrones' takes Best Drama". Gold Derby. September 6, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
36. McNary, Dave (January 27, 2019). "SAG Awards: 'Black Panther,' 'Mrs. Maisel,' 'This Is Us' Take Ensemble Prizes". Variety. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
37. "The Winners: Canadian Screen Awards Presented For Creative Fiction Storytelling". ET Canada, March 28, 2019.
38. Hipes, Patrick (December 11, 2019). "SAG Awards Nominations: 'Bombshell', 'The Irishman', 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' Top Film List, 'Maisel,' 'Fleabag' Score In TV – Complete List Of Noms". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 26, 2020.

External links

• Official website
• Amanda Brugel at IMDb