Justina Machado facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Justina Machado
Machado in 2016
Born	Justina Milagros Machado (1972-09-06) September 6, 1972 (age 52) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1993–present

Justina Milagros Machado (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress. She is well-known for her roles in popular TV shows and movies. Justina started her career with smaller parts. Later, she became famous for playing Vanessa Diaz in the HBO series Six Feet Under. For this role, she won an award with her castmates.

From 2017 to 2020, Justina starred as Penelope Alvarez in the comedy series One Day at a Time. Critics loved her performance. She won two Imagen Awards for Best Actress in Television for this show. She was also nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award. Justina has also appeared in many films. These include Final Destination 2 (2003) and The Purge: Anarchy (2014). In 2023, she played the main character in the series The Horror of Dolores Roach.

Early Life and Beginnings

Justina Machado was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents were Alicia Morales Ruiz and Ismael Machado. Her mother was born in Puerto Rico. Her father's parents were also from Puerto Rico. Justina grew up in Chicago and her family was not wealthy. She was raised in the Catholic faith.

Justina loved drama and acting from a young age. She was always in school plays. She also took dance classes at the Franklin Fine Arts Center. In 1986, she went to Lane Technical College Prep High School. In her free time, she performed with the Latino Chicago Theater Company. This experience helped her a lot.

Later, Justina appeared on the TV show "Finding Your Roots". This show helps people learn about their family history. On the show, it was confirmed that she has African ancestry through her mother's side of the family.

Acting Career Highlights

Starting Out: 1993 to 2015

After high school, Justina moved to New York City in 1990. Her acting experience helped her get jobs there. Soon, she got an offer to work as an actress in Los Angeles, California. In 1996, she got her first two acting jobs. She appeared in the TV series NYPD Blue. She also co-starred in the TV movie No One Would Tell. In 1997, she was in her first big movie, She's So Lovely. Justina also made guest appearances on many other TV shows.

Justina Machado at the 2014 ALMA Awards

In 2001, Justina played a main role in the film Sticks. She also had a small part in Steven Spielberg's movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Later that year, she joined the cast of Six Feet Under. She played Vanessa Diaz, a character who became very important to the show. Justina and her fellow actors won a Screen Actors Guild Award for their work on the show. The series finished in 2005.

In 2003, she was in the horror film Final Destination 2. The next year, she appeared in the action movie Torque. Justina also appeared in a music video for the group TLC's song "Damaged". From 2003 to 2004, she was a main character in the series 1-800-Missing. She played FBI Agent Sunny Estrada. In 2006, she starred in the movie Little Fugitive. Justina has also performed on stage in plays like Some Girl(s) and In the Heights.

Justina appeared in many popular TV shows. These include Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Bones, and Desperate Housewives. She had a repeating role as police officer Claudia Diaz in the medical drama ER in 2009. From 2009 to 2010, she starred in Three Rivers. She also had repeating roles in Private Practice and Devious Maids. In 2013, she starred in the sitcom Welcome to the Family. She also appeared in films like The Call (2013) and The Purge: Anarchy (2014).

Leading Roles: 2016 to Present

In 2016, Justina played Brenda Parra in the first season of Queen of the South. Later that year, she joined the cast of Jane the Virgin. In 2017, she got a main role in the Netflix comedy series One Day at a Time. This show was based on an older series. Justina played a single mother raising two children. She received great reviews for her acting. She won two Imagen Awards for Best Actress in Television. The series ended in 2020 after four seasons.

In 2019, Justina starred in the TV movie Family Pictures. She also had a repeating role on the NBC comedy series Superstore. In 2020, Justina was one of the celebrities on Dancing with the Stars. She danced with professional dancer Sasha Farber and finished in fourth place. In 2021, she was a singing bust in Muppets Haunted Mansion.

In 2020, Justina starred in the drama film All Together Now, released on Netflix. In 2021, she starred in the TV movie Switched Before Birth. She also starred with Will Sasso in the comedy film The Throwback.

In 2023, Justina played Dolores Roach in the series The Horror of Dolores Roach on Amazon Prime Video. Her performance was highly praised. In 2024, she was cast in the Netflix medical drama series Pulse as Dr. Natalie Cruz.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

See also

In Spanish: Justina Machado para niños

• List of Puerto Ricans
• Puerto Ricans in Chicago