Amanda Brugel

Amanda Brugel was a Canadian film and TV actress who was best known for her recurring roles on the highly acclaimed shows "Orphan Black" (BBC America, 2013- ) and "The Handmaid's Tale" (Hulu, 2017- ). Born and raised in the Canadian province of Quebec, Brugel's desire passion for performing began at a very young age. She was initially drawn to dancing, and started taking dance classes when she was still a young girl. She eventually left dancing, however, after feeling that her height was in some ways diminishing her ability to dance. She may have given up on dancing, but Brugel soon found her new passion in acting. In the mid-90s she entered the prestigious acting program at York University in Toronto, and by her third year had already landed a small film role opposite Christopher Walken in the 1999 drama "Vendetta." Brugel graduated from York in 2000 with a BFA in acting, and almost immediately began racking up film and TV roles. In the early 2000s she appeared in films like "Jason X" (2001) and "Jack & Ella" (2002), thus quickly establishing herself as a talented young actress to watch. Brugel steadily nabbed roles in films and on TV through the late 2000s, before landing her first major role in 2008 on the Canadian series "MVP" (CBC, 2008). Brugel appeared on eight episodes of the series, which lasted for one season. She followed that role up with recurring TV parts on "The Firm" (AXN, 2012), "Covert Affairs" (USA Network, 2010-14), and "Seed" (City, 2013-14). In 2015 Brugel landed a recurring role as Marci Coates on the highly-acclaimed science-fiction action series "Orphan Black." She played Marci Coates on five episodes of the show, thus raising her acting profile even further. Brugel's recurring part on "Orphan Black" was a highpoint in her career. Then in 2017 she began appearing as Rita on the science-fiction drama "The Handmaid's Tale," which went on to win the Primetime Emmy for Best Drama Series.