A native Chicagoan of Puerto Rican descent, this award-winning actress made her television debut in 1993, appearing in episodes of ABC Afterschool Specials and Missing Persons. Her big breakthrough role came 2001, when she was cast as mortician Rico Diaz’s wife Vanessa on the hit HBO drama series Six Feet Under and went from occasional supporting to main character during the show’s five seasons. She would go on to guest star in a number of popular series, including Ugly Betty, ER, Desperate Housewives, Private Practice, and Devious Maids, before landing recurring roles on both Jane The Virgin and Queen of The South in 2016. As for the big screen, Justina can be seen in A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Final Destination 2 (2003), Torque (2004), and The Purge: Anarchy (2014). In 2017, Justina produced and starred in the acclaimed contemporary remake of the sitcom One Day at a Time and in 2023 took center stage again as the title character in Amazon Prime’s The Horror of Dolores Roach. She plays an ex-con who lands in a Sweeney Todd-esque situation with the owner of an empanada shop , but it’s Justina who’s the real dish when a guy eats her out in the fifth episode. After more than three decades in the biz, Justina is still a snack!
