Justina Machado Biography

Justina Machado (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress of Puerto Rican descent. She is known for her roles as Vanessa Diaz on the HBO drama series Six Feet Under, and as Brenda on the drama Queen of the South. In 2017, Machado appeared on the Netflix show, One Day at a Time, in her first starring TV role.

Early life

Machado was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents moved to Chicago from Puerto Rico. where they had two children, Her parents subsequently divorced and her mother remarried and had three children. Machado had a traditional quinceaera. She said her family was poor, and that she grew up in the Northwest Side of Chicago. Machado said she was raised Catholic.

Machado was very active in drama, always participating in her school plays. She also took dance at Franklin Fine Arts Center. In 1986, Machado attended Lane Technical College Prep High School. During her spare time, she performed with the Latino Chicago Theater Company.

Career

In 1990, after graduating from Lane Tech, Machado moved to New York City. The experience which she had gained as a performer with the Latino Chicago Theater Company helped open the doors for her in that city. Soon, she was offered a job as a professional actress in Los Angeles, California. Machado moved to Los Angeles and in 1996, she landed her first two acting roles. She was cast as "Elsa" in the TV series NYPD Blue episode #311, and she was also cast as "Val Cho" in the movie made for television No One Would Tell.

Television

On June 10, 2001, Machado auditioned for the TV series Six Feet Under and was cast as Vanessa Diaz, originally a supporting character, later evolving into one of the series' main characters. Machado and her cast mates were honored with a Screen Actors Guild Award for "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series". The series completed its final season in 2005.

She has also appeared in the Canadian television series, 1-800-Missing, as a character named Sunny Estrada.

In 2009, she appeared in nine episodes on the TV series ER as Claudia Diaz. Machado also appeared in The Purge: Anarchy as Tanya, as well as Brenda in the USA series, Queen of the South.

In the 2017 remake of One Day at a Time, Machado has received positive reviews for her role as a single mother raising two children and struggling with PTSD after serving in Afghanistan.

Machado will have a recurring role in the upcoming third season of Jane the Virgin.

Films

Machado has participated in over 15 films. Amongst her most notable roles so far have been Carmen Rodriguez in She's So Lovely, Isabella Hudson in Final Destination 2, Agent Henderson in Torque, Natalia in Little Fugitive, Teresa in Man Maid, Sofia in The Accidental Husband, and FBI Agent Rosie Gomez in the film In the Electric Mist.

Theatre

Machado has also made appearances on stage, including a 2008 production of Neil LaBute's play, Some Girl(s), at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. She was in productions of Blade to the Heat and Black Butterfly at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. She was the first replacement for Andra Burns in Broadway's In the Heights. In 2010, Machado appeared in the Los Angeles run of Love, Loss and What I Wore.

Other work

In 2003, Machado appeared in the music video for TLC's song "Damaged", the third single from their fourth studio album 3D, as a young woman trapped in an abusive relationship and unsure of what to do with her life.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	She's So Lovely	Carmen Rodriguez
1998	'	Marita
1999	Swallows	America
2000	Following Paula	Paula Ormida	Short film
2001	Sticks	Maria
2001	A.I. Artificial Intelligence	Assistant
2002	Dragonfly	Oncology Desk Nurse
2002	Full Frontal	Linda's Friend in Kitchen
2003	Final Destination 2	Isabella Hudson
2004	Torque	Henderson
2006	Little Fugitive	Natalia
2007	I Think I Love My Wife	Paramedic
2008	'	Sofia
2008	Breast Pump & Blender	Lizzie	Short film
2008	Man Maid	Terressa
2008	Pedro	Mily
2009	In the Electric Mist	Rosie Gomez
2013	'	Rachel
2014	Endgame	Karla
2014	The Purge: Anarchy	Tanya

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	ABC Afterschool Special		Episode: "Love Hurts"
1993	Missing Persons	Juanita Gonzales	Episode: "That's My Sister, Pal"
1996	NYPD Blue	Elsa	Episode: "Burnin' Love"
1996	Second Noah	Roxanna	Episode: "Second Noah"
1996	No One Would Tell	Val Cho	TV film
1997	ER	Ms. Cruz	Episode: "Ambush"
1997	Moloney		Episode: "I'm Ambivalent About L.A."
1997	Crisis Center	Raquel	Episode: "He Said, She Said"
1997	Arsenio	Anna Montez	Episode: "We Can Still Be Friends"
1997	Goode Behavior	Raquel Delarosa	Recurring role (5 episodes)
1998	'	Maria	Episode: "James Stevenson Stands Alone"
1998	Any Day Now	Olivia	Episode: "It's Who You Sleep With"
1998	Touched by an Angel	Marisol	Episode: "An Angel on the Roof"
1998	Malcolm & Eddie	Laura Morales	Episodes: "Love Thy Neighbor", "The Fool Monty"
1999	Promised Land	Roxie Kahle	Episode: "Darkness Visible"
1999	Early Edition	Laura	Episode: "Camera Shy"
1999-2000	Oh Baby	Mona	Episodes: "Guilt", "Friendship", "Cinderella"
2000	Angel	Jo	Episode: "Judgment"
2001-2005	Six Feet Under	Vanessa Diaz	Regular role (42 episodes)
2002	'	Marisol	TV film
2002	Strong Medicine		Episode: "Type & Cross"
2003-2004	Missing	Sunny Estrada	Main role (17 episodes)
2006	Alpha Mom		TV film
2006	Ghost Whisperer	Suzanne	Episode: "Demon Child"
2006	Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America	Alma Ansen	TV film
2006	Grey's Anatomy	Anna Nyles	Episode: "Oh, the Guilt"
2007	Cold Case	Amelia Lopez	Episode: "The Good Death"
2007	Ugly Betty	Cousin Clara	Episodes: "A Tree Grows in Guadalajara", "Family/Affair"
2008	Man of Your Dreams	Sheryl	TV film
2008	Kath & Kim	Angel	Episodes: "Old", "Money"
2009	ER	Claudia Diaz	Recurring role (8 episodes)
2009-2010	Three Rivers	Pam Acosta	Main role (13 episodes)
2010	Burn Notice	Lauren	Episode: "Neighborhood Watch"
2010	Bones	Lupe Rojas	Episode: "The Couple in the Cave"
2011	Off the Map	Teresa	Episode: "Hold on Tight"
2011	'	Marisol Casas	Episode: "Blood"
2011	Body of Proof	Emily Burrows	Episode: "Lazarus Man"
2011	Harry's Law	Counsel	Episode: "American Girl"
2012	Desperate Housewives	Claudia Sanchez	Episodes: "Who Can Say What's True?", "What's the Good of Being Good"
2012	Switched at Birth	Nurse Britzia Munoz	Episodes: "Starry Night", "The Art of Painting"
2012-2013	Private Practice	Stephanie Kemp	Recurring role (6 episodes)
2013	'	Sonia Rivera	Episodes: "Saturday", "The Fallout", "I Do"
2013	Welcome to the Family	Lisette Hernandez	Episodes: "1.1", "1.2"
2013	Murder Police	Rosa Sanchez	TV series, pre-production
2014	Major Crimes	Ana Ruiz	Episode 13, Season 3
2015	Devious Maids	Reina	Episodes: "She Done Him Wrong", "The Turning Point"
2016	Heartbeat	Beth and Emily	Episode: "Twins"
2016-2017	Jane the Virgin	Darcy Factor	Recurring Role (5 Episodes)
2016-present	Queen of the South	Brenda	Main role; 13 episodes
2017	One Day at a Time	Penelope	Main role

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans