Justina Machado

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Justina Machado
Justina Machado as Vanessa Diaz in Six Feet Under
Born	September 6, 1972 Chicago, Illinois
Notable roles	Vanessa Diaz in Six Feet Under Carmen Rodriguez in She's So Lovely Isabella Hudson in Final Destination 2 FBI Agent Henderson in Torque

Justina Machado (born September 6, 1972 in Chicago, Illinois), is an American actress of Puerto Rican descent who is best known for her role of Vanessa Diaz in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early years 1.2 "Six Feet Under" 1.3 Film roles 2 Filmography 2.1 Movies 2.2 TV appearances 3 Links 4 See also

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early years

Machado's family moved from Puerto Rico and settled in the city of Chicago. There her parents met and were married. The couple had five children, amongst them Justina. 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 Can Tell.

[edit] "Six Feet Under"

On June 10, 2001, Machado auditioned for the "new" TV series Six Feet Under and was cast as "Vanessa Diaz", a supporting role character which has 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-Missing as "Sunny Estrada".

[edit] Film roles

Machado has participated in over 14 films. Amongst her most notable roles so far are: "Carmen Rodriguez" in the 1997 film She's So Lovely directed by Nick Cassavetes; a supporting role in Full Frontal (2002); as "Isabella Hudson" in director David R. Ellis' 2003 horror movie Final Destination 2; as "Agent Herderson" in the 2004 thriller Torque starring Ice Cube, Little Fugitive and she is currently cast as "Terressa" in Man Maid which is in its post-production stages and as "Sofia" in The Accidental Husband which is currently being filmed.

Machado has also made appearances on stage. She participated in the productions of Blade to the Heat and Black Butterfly at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Movies

Among the movies in which Machado has or will participate in are the following:

• "She's So Lovely" (1997) as Carmen Rodriguez - Lady Ticket Taker
• "Full Frontal" (2002) as Linda's Friend in Kitchen
• "Final Destination 2" (2003) as Isabella Hudson
• "Torque" (2004) as FBI Agent Henderson
• "Little Fugitive" (2006) as Natalia
• "Man Maid" (2006) (post-production) as Terressa
• "The Accidental Husband" (2007) (filming) as Sofia

[edit] TV appearances

Among Machado's TV appearances are the following:

• "NYPD Blue" as Elsa (1 episode, 1996)
• "Second Noah" as Roxanna (1 episode, 1996)
• "No One Would Tell" (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 Angel" as Marisol (1 episode, 1998)
• "Malcolm & Eddie" as Laura Morales (2 episodes, 1998-1999)
• "Promised Land" as Roxie Kahle (1 episode, 1999)
• "Early Edition" as Laura Swallows (1 episode, 1999)
• "Oh Baby" as Mona (1 episode, 1999)
• "Angel" as Jo (1 episode, 2000)
• "Following Paula" (2000) as Paula Ormida
• "Sticks" (2001) as Maria
• "The Johnny Chronicles" (2002) (TV) as Marisol
• "Strong Medicine" (1 episode, 2002)
• "Dragonfly" (2002) .... Oncology Desk Nurse
• "1-800-Missing" as Sunny Estrada (3 episodes, 2003-2004)
• "Six Feet Under" as Vanessa Diaz (39 episodes, 2001-2005)
• "Ghost Whisperer" as Suzanne Alpha Mom (1 episode, 2006)
• "Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America" (2006) (TV) as Alma Ansen
• "Grey's Anatomy" as Anna Nyles (1 episode, 2006)

[edit] Links

• Justina Machado at the Internet Movie Database

[edit] See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans