Justina Machado
Encyclopedia
Justina Machado is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Vanessa Diaz in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under.
. There her parents met and were married. The couple had two children and subsequently divorced. Her mother remarried and had three children. Machado was very active in drama, always participating in her school plays. In 1986, she attended Lane Technical College Prep High School
("Lane Tech") and during her spare time performed with the Latino Chicago Theater Company.
In 1990, she graduated from Lane Tech and 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
. She moved to Los Angeles and in 1996, Machado 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.
as "Sunny Estrada".
starring John Travolta
and Sean Penn
, a supporting role in Full Frontal
, Isabella Hudson in Final Destination 2
with director David R. Ellis
, Agent Herderson in Torque starring Ice Cube
, Natalia in Little Fugitive
, Teresa in Man Maid starring Sara Rue, Sofia in The Accidental Husband starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and FBI Agent Rosie Gomez in "In The Electric Mist".
in Broadway
's In the Heights
. In 2010 she appeared in the Los Angeles run of Love, Loss and What I Wore.
's song "Damaged
", the third single from their final studio album 3D, as a young woman trapped in an abusive relationship and unsure of what to do with her life.
Early life
Machado was born in Chicago, Illinois, where her family moved to from Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. There her parents met and were married. The couple had two children and subsequently divorced. Her mother remarried and had three children. Machado was very active in drama, always participating in her school plays. In 1986, she attended Lane Technical College Prep High School
Lane Technical College Prep High School
Albert G. Lane Technical College Preparatory High School , is a public, four-year, magnet high school located on the north side of Chicago...
("Lane Tech") and during her spare time performed with the Latino Chicago Theater Company.
In 1990, she graduated from Lane Tech and 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
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. She moved to Los Angeles and in 1996, Machado landed her first two acting roles. She was cast as "Elsa" in the TV series NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
episode #311, and she was also cast as "Val Cho" in the movie made for television No One Would Tell.
Six Feet Under
On June 10, 2001, Machado auditioned for the TV series Six Feet Under and was cast as "Vanessa Diaz", a supporting role character which evolved into a "regular" character in the series. Machado and her castmates were honored with a Screen Actors Guild Award for "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series". The series entered its fifth and final season in 2005. Machado has also appeared in the Canadian television series 1-800-Missing1-800-Missing
Missing is a Canadian-American crime drama television series based on the 1-800-WHERE-R-YOU book series by Meg Cabot...
as "Sunny Estrada".
Films
Machado has participated in over 14 films. Amongst her most notable roles so far have been Carmen Rodriguez in She's So LovelyShe's So Lovely
She's So Lovely is a 1997 film directed by Nick Cassavetes, written by the late John Cassavetes. At the time of its release, it received special attention because, eight years after his death, it was the first film to posthumously feature new material from John Cassavetes.The film stars Sean Penn...
starring John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
and Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
, a supporting role in Full Frontal
Full Frontal (film)
Full Frontal is a 2002 film by Steven Soderbergh, about a day in the life of people in Hollywood. The film, starring Catherine Keener, David Duchovny, Julia Roberts, Mary McCormack and David Hyde Pierce was shot on digital video in under a month using the Canon XL-1s...
, Isabella Hudson in Final Destination 2
Final Destination 2
Final Destination 2 is a 2003 supernatural horror film and the sequel to the 2000 film Final Destination and was directed by David R. Ellis. It was written by Jeffrey Reddick, Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber. The film stars Ali Larter, A. J. Cook, Michael Landes and Tony Todd...
with director David R. Ellis
David R. Ellis
David Richard Ellis is an American film director and former stuntman.-Life and career:Ellis was born in Hollywood, California. He began his career in the film industry as a supporting actor in juvenile roles; his big screen debut was in the 1975 Kurt Russell film The Strongest Man in the World...
, Agent Herderson in Torque starring Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
, Natalia in Little Fugitive
Little Fugitive
Little Fugitive is a 1953 film written and directed by Raymond Abrashkin , Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin, that tells the story of a child alone at Coney Island....
, Teresa in Man Maid starring Sara Rue, Sofia in The Accidental Husband starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and FBI Agent Rosie Gomez in "In The Electric Mist".
Theatre
She has also made appearances on stage, including Neil LaBute's Some Girl(s) at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. She participated in the productions of Blade to the Heat and Black Butterfly at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. She was the first replacement for Andrea BurnsAndrea Burns
Andréa Burns in Miami Beach, Florida, She is an American actress, singer and songwriter, primarily featured in theatre, recordings and television. She is married to Director Performer Peter Flynn, whom she met while touring in West Side Story...
in Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
's In the Heights
In the Heights
In the Heights is a musical with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story explores three days in the characters' lives in the New York City Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights....
. In 2010 she appeared in the Los Angeles run of Love, Loss and What I Wore.
Other work
In 2003, she appeared in the music video for TLCTLC (band)
TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
's song "Damaged
Damaged (TLC song)
"Damaged" is a 2003 R&B song written by Dallas Austin and Tionne Watkins, and was the third single released from TLC's fourth studio album 3D . The song peaked at #53 on the Billboard Hot 100...
", the third single from their final studio album 3D, as a young woman trapped in an abusive relationship and unsure of what to do with her life.
Movies
- She's So LovelyShe's So LovelyShe's So Lovely is a 1997 film directed by Nick Cassavetes, written by the late John Cassavetes. At the time of its release, it received special attention because, eight years after his death, it was the first film to posthumously feature new material from John Cassavetes.The film stars Sean Penn...
(1997) as Carmen Rodriguez - Lady Ticket Taker - Sticks (2001) as Maria
- Dragonfly (2002) as Oncology Desk Nurse
- Full FrontalFull Frontal (film)Full Frontal is a 2002 film by Steven Soderbergh, about a day in the life of people in Hollywood. The film, starring Catherine Keener, David Duchovny, Julia Roberts, Mary McCormack and David Hyde Pierce was shot on digital video in under a month using the Canon XL-1s...
(2002) as Linda's Friend in Kitchen - Final Destination 2Final Destination 2Final Destination 2 is a 2003 supernatural horror film and the sequel to the 2000 film Final Destination and was directed by David R. Ellis. It was written by Jeffrey Reddick, Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber. The film stars Ali Larter, A. J. Cook, Michael Landes and Tony Todd...
(2003) as Isabella Hudson - TorqueTorque (film)-Similarities to The Fast and the Furious:The film has often been called "The Fast and the Furious on Motorcycles", referring to the use of many of the same thematic elements between the two films...
(2004) as FBI Agent Henderson - Little FugitiveLittle FugitiveLittle Fugitive is a 1953 film written and directed by Raymond Abrashkin , Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin, that tells the story of a child alone at Coney Island....
(2006) as Natalia - I Think I Love My WifeI Think I Love My WifeI Think I Love My Wife is a romantic comedy-drama 2007 film directed by and starring Chris Rock and Kerry Washington. Rock co-wrote and produced the film...
(2007) as paramedic - Man Maid (2008) as Terressa
- The Accidental HusbandThe Accidental HusbandThe Accidental Husband is a 2008 American/Irish romantic comedy film directed by Griffin Dunne and starring Uma Thurman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Colin Firth, Isabella Rossellini, and Sam Shepard. The film is written by Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor and Bonnie Sikowitz, and is produced by Jennifer Todd,...
(2008) as Sofia - Breast Pump & Blender (2008) as Lizzie
- PedroPedro (film)Pedro is a 2008 American film about the openly gay, Cuban-American AIDS educator and television personality, Pedro Zamora, who became famous as a castmember on MTV's reality television series, The Real World: San Francisco. It was produced by Bunim-Murray Productions, the same company that produces...
(2008) as Mily Zamora - In the Electric MistIn the Electric MistIn the Electric Mist is a 2009 Franco-American drama/mystical film based on the novel In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke...
(2009) as Rosie Gomez - A Thousand Words (2011) as TBA
TV appearances
- NYPD BlueNYPD BlueNYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
as Elsa (1 episode, 1996) - Second Noah as Roxanna (1 episode, 1996)
- No One Would TellNo One Would TellNo One Would Tell is a 1996 television film directed by Noel Nosseck from an original script by Steven Loring. The film is based on the true story of Jamie Fuller, a 16-year-old high school student who murdered his 14-year-old girlfriend Amy Carnevale on August 23, 1991...
(1996) (TV) as Val Cho - Moloney (1 episode, 1997)
- Arsenio as Anna Montez (1 episode, 1997)
- Goode Behavior as Raquel DeLaRosa (5 episodes, 1997)
- ER as Ms. Cruz (1 episode, 1997)
- The Gregory Hines Show as Maria (1 episode, 1998)
- The Week That Girl Died (1998) as Marita
- Any Day Now as Olivia (1 episode, 1998)
- Touched by an AngelTouched by an AngelTouched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...
as Marisol (1 episode, 1998) - Malcolm & EddieMalcolm & EddieMalcolm & Eddie is an American television sitcom that premiered August 26, 1996 on the UPN Network, and ran for four seasons. This series starred Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Eddie Griffin in the lead roles. This show was canceled after its fourth season, and aired its final episode on May 22, 2000...
as Laura Morales (2 episodes, 1998–1999) - Promised Land as Roxie Kahle (1 episode, 1999)
- Early Edition as Laura Swallows (1 episode, 1999)
- Oh BabyOh BabyOh Baby is an American situation comedy series that ran on Lifetime from August 26, 1998 to March 4, 2000. It also ran from 1999 to 2003 on Canada's W Network...
as Mona (1 episode, 1999) - AngelAngel (TV series)Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
as Jo (1 episode, 2000) - Following Paula (2000) as Paula Ormida
- Sticks (2001) as Maria
- The Johnny Chronicles (2002) (TV) as Marisol
- Strong MedicineStrong MedicineStrong Medicine is a medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues and class conflict. The television series aired on the Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It is distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The series was created and produced in part by comedienne and...
(1 episode, 2002) - 1-800-Missing as Sunny Estrada (1st season, 2003–2004)
- Six Feet Under as Vanessa Diaz (39 episodes, 2001–2005)
- Ghost WhispererGhost WhispererGhost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts...
as Suzanne Alpha Mom (1 episode, 2006) - Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in AmericaFatal Contact: Bird Flu in AmericaFatal Contact: Bird Flu in America is an ABC two-hour TV movie which first aired May 9, 2006 in which an American "businessman visiting China is infected and carries the deadly mutated bird flu virus back via jetliner to the USA, soon it spreads throughout the country then the rest of the world...
(2006) (TV) as Alma Ansen - Grey's AnatomyGrey's AnatomyGrey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
as Anna Nyles (1 episode, 2006) - Ugly BettyUgly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
as Cousin Clara (in the episode A Tree Grows in GuadalajaraA Tree Grows in Guadalajara"A Tree Grows in Guadalajara" is the twenty-second episode from the dramedy series Ugly Betty, which aired on May 10, 2007. Originally this was supposed to be the season finale, but ABC extended its full season order to 23, thus the change in the scheduling and the extension in the storylines.-The...
, 2007) - Kath & KimKath & KimKath & Kim is a Logie Award-winning character-driven Australian television situation comedy series. The series was created by, and is written by Jane Turner and Gina Riley who play the title characters: a suburban mother and daughter with a dysfunctional relationship...
as Angel (2 episodes, 2008) - ERER (TV series)ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
as Claudia Diaz (regular guest star, 2009) - Three RiversThree Rivers (TV series)Three Rivers is a medical drama, which premiered on CBS on October 4, 2009 and aired Sundays at 9 pm Eastern Time/Pacific Time. The series was set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at a fictional hospital specializing in transplants, with Alex O'Loughlin starring as a famous transplant surgeon...
as Pam Acosta (2009) - Burn NoticeBurn Notice (TV series)Burn Notice is an American television series created by Matt Nix. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless, and, beginning in the fourth season, Coby Bell. The series premiered on June 28, 2007, on USA Network. On April 15, 2010, the show was renewed for its...
as Lauren (2010) - BonesBones (TV series)Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
as Lupe Rojas (in the episode "The Couple in the Cave", 2010) - Body of ProofBody of ProofBody of Proof is an American medical drama television series created by Chris Murphey and produced by ABC Studios. Starring Dana Delany as medical examiner Dr. Megan Hunt, the series premiered on March 29, 2011 on ABC....
as Emily Burrows (in the episode "Lazarus man", 2011)