Strus was born in Chicago, Illinois, to a Ukrainian family. She spoke Ukrainian as her first language and attended Ukrainian school, at weekends, regularly. She had first decisive successes at performing arts, while a high school student, and attended Illinois State University. As a theater major, she joined Greg Allen's Neo-Futurist ensemble, in 1993, which she wrote solo and ensemble performances for. She has played for the Chicago Steppenwolf, Goodman, and Victory Gardens theaters as well as for the Curious Theatre Company, the Northlight Repertory, and others, and has also worked for Yoplait, WBEZ, and the Chicago Jazz Festival.

Strus is noted for her role as Adam Sandler's assistant (Alexa) in 50 First Dates, as well as for playing eclectic characters and sometimes incorporating unusual accents in her roles. Her career has spanned theatre and stage for nearly two decades. She had a recurring role on Nickelodeon's Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide as Dr. Xavier. Strus played Janine in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, and plays Rachel in Jason Lew's and Gus Van Sant's Restless. She had a recurring role in Wayward Pines (2015), and since 2016 has played Letty's mother Estelle on Good Behavior.