Welcome to the Family on NBC
“Welcome to the Family” is a half hour comedy starring Mike O’Malley (“Glee”) as Dan Yoder. Yoder and his wife Caroline (Mary McCormack, “In Plain Sight”) think they finally have it made as their daughter Molly (Ella Rae Peck, “Gossip Girl”) — not the most diligent of students — heads off to college. Molly has some news for them, however. She and her secret boyfriend Junior Hernandez (Joseph Haro, “Glee) are unexpectedly pregnant and in an instant, everything changes. Junior puts his plans for Stanford on hold and the Yoder family meets their new future in-laws, Miguel Hernandez (Ricardo A. Chavira, “Desperate Housewives”) and Justina Machado (“Six Feet Under”).
Video exclusive features Hispanic Lifestyle red carpet interview with Ricardo Chavira
Ricardo Chavira
RICARDO A. CHAVIRA/Miguel
Ricardo A. Chavira plays Miguel Hernandez in NBC’s new comedy “Welcome to the Family.”
Born in Austin and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Chavira’s orientation toward an acting career started when he attended Performing Arts High School, followed by Incarnate World College. He received his M.F.A. in 2000 from the U.C. San Diego’s Professional Actor Training Program and moved to Los Angeles shortly thereafter.
While many actors have a difficult time breaking into the entertainment business, Chavira started to work immediately.
He portrayed Carlos Solis on ABC’s award-winning series “Desperate Housewives” for the entire run of the drama. Some of his other TV credits include a leading role in the A&E film “Kings of South Beach” and guest-starring roles in numerous series, including “Six Feet Under,” “The Division,” “Monk,” “JAG,” “24” and “The George Lopez Show.”
The well-rounded actor also co-starred in the independent film “Don’t Let Me Drown,” which was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. The movie also won best feature at the San Francisco International Film Festival. In the film, Chavira conveyed a father’s anguish after he loses his daughter in the 9/11 terrorist attack.
He brought the same angst and power to his performance as the iconic Stanley Kowalski in the classic play “A Streetcar Named Desire,” in which he starred at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Some of his other theater credits include “Tracers” at the Odyssey Theater in Los Angeles, “Dogeaters” at the La Jolla Playhouse, and “Bandido” at the San Diego Rep.
Over the years, Chavira has brought the same level of passion for his work to his support for Breast Cancer awareness and research. After losing his mother to the disease as a teenager, he is committed to doing whatever he can to help educate the public and raise funds for research.
Chavira has two children, Tomas Antonio and Belen Elysabeth.
Justina Machado
JUSTINA MACHADO/Lisette
Justina Machado plays Lisette in NBC’s new comedy “Welcome to the Family.”
Born and raised in Chicago, Machado is the eldest of five children in a family of Puerto Rican descent. Machado started her career upon graduating from high school and her performances on stage at the Latino Chicago Theater propelled her into acting on a full-time basis.
Machado might be best remembered as Vanessa Diaz in HBO’s critically-acclaimed, award-winning series “Six Feet Under.” Her other numerous television credits include “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Three Rivers,” in which she appeared opposite Alex O’Laughlin.
Most recently, Machado has enjoyed recurring roles on “Private Practice” and “Desperate Housewives,” as well as ABC Family’s “The Fosters.” She will also be lending her voice to the role of Rosa in the new Fox animated series “Murder Police.”
Machado’s feature film work includes Steven Soderbergh’s ground-breaking “Full Frontal” and “Torque” opposite Ice Cube. She also appeared in “The Accidental Husband” opposite Uma Thurman and “In the Electric Mist,” in which she starred as Tommy Lee Jones’ law enforcement partner. Machado’s first feature film was “She’s So Lovely,” directed by Nick Cassavetes and starring Sean Penn.
The actress made her Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning “In the Heights” at the Richard Rodgers Theater in New York. She also appeared in the world premiere production of “A Free Man of Color” at the Lincoln Center Theater. Additional theater credits include Neil LaBute’s “Some Girls,” in which she starred opposite Mark Feuerstein at the Geffen Theater in Los Angeles, and “Blade to the Heat” at the Mark Taper Forum.
