Justina Machado

Justina Machado (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress of Puerto Rican descent. She is known for her roles as Vanessa Diaz on the HBO drama series Six Feet Under, and as Brenda on the drama Queen of the South. As of 2017, Machado stars as Penelope Alvarez on the Netflix show, One Day at a Time. 2Early life Machado was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents moved to Chicago from Puerto Rico. where they had two children, Her parents subsequently divorced and her mother remarried and had three children. Machado had a traditional quinceañera. She said her family was poor, and that she grew up in the Northwest Side of Chicago. Machado said she was raised Catholic. Machado was very active in drama, always participating in her school play