Justina Machado

After having been announced to portray Florence Johnston in the first Live in Front of a Studio Audience’s The Jeffersons portion, instead reprised by Marla Gibbs, Machado was cast in the second edition in December 2019.

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. Before this, Machado began portraying the recurring role of Darci Factor in The CW drama series Jane the Virgin.

In 2009, she appeared in nine episodes on the series ER as Chicago police officer Claudia Diaz. Machado also appeared in Body of Proof as villainess Emily Burrows, and recurred on Devious Maids as Zoila's sister, Reina. Machado also recurred as Brenda in the USA crime drama series Queen of the South.

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 Andréa Burns in Broadway's In the Heights. In 2010, Machado appeared in the Los Angeles run of Love, Loss and What I Wore.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Justina Milagros Machado (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress, known for her roles as Penelope Alvarez on the Netflix and Pop TV sitcom One Day at a Time, Darci Factor in The CW dramedy Jane the Virgin, Vanessa Diaz on the HBO drama Six Feet Under, and Brenda on the USA drama Queen of the South.