Justina Milagros Machado (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress. She began her career playing secondary roles on television and film before starring as Vanessa Diaz in the HBO comedy-drama series, Six Feet Under (2001–05), for which she received… Justina Milagros Machado (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress. She began her career playing secondary roles on television and film before starring as Vanessa Diaz in the HBO comedy-drama series, Six Feet Under (2001–05), for which she received Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Machado later starred in the short-lived series Missing, Three Rivers and Welcome to the Family and was a regular cast member in the first season of the USA Network crime drama Queen of the South.
From 2017 to 2020, Machado starred as Penelope Alvarez in the Netflix/Pop TV comedy series, One Day at a Time, for which she received positive reviews from critics and two Imagen Awards for Best Actress - Television, and well as nomination for Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. She also has appeared in films Final Destination 2 (2003), Torque (2004), Little Fugitive (2006), The Call (2013), The Purge: Anarchy (2014), All Together Now (2020) and The Throwback (2024). In 2023, she played the leading role in the Amazon Prime Video black comedy-horror series, The Horror of Dolores Roach. In 2025 Machado appeared in the Broadway Musical Real Women Have Curves for which she received critical acclaim and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
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