She began acting in television in the late 1990s and has since appeared in several films, including The Woods, Blue Car,[2] Murder by Numbers, Blood and Chocolate, The Anna Nicole Story, The 11th Green, and Private Practice.

Bruckner was born in Los Angeles, California to a Hungarian father and a Russian mother who have since divorced; her grandfather is German.

Film critic Roger Ebert wrote that Bruckner "negotiates this difficult script with complete conviction.

Also in 2006, she appeared in the drama Peaceful Warrior opposite Scott Mechlowicz and received a ShoWest Female Star of Tomorrow Award and played the lead role in Dreamland.

In 2007, Bruckner appeared in the horror/romance film Blood and Chocolate and later Say Hello to Stan Talmadge (2008), Kill Theory (2008), Vacancy 2: The First Cut (2009),[8] and The Craigslist Killer (2011).