Maria Riva
Encyclopedia
Maria Riva is a German-American actress who primarily worked on television in the 1950s. She is the daughter of the actress Marlene Dietrich
, about whom she wrote a memoir published in 1994.
and film production assistant Rudolf Sieber. In 1930, when she was 6 years old, she moved with her mother to Los Angeles
.
In 1934, aged 9, she had a small role in Josef von Sternberg
's film The Scarlet Empress
, based on the life of Catherine the Great, in which she played Catherine as a child. She was also an extra in the 1936 David O Selznick production, The Garden of Allah.
). Riva appeared at the Longacre Theatre
on Broadway in the 1954 production The Burning Glass, opposite Cedric Hardwicke
and Walter Matthau
After a brief marriage to Dean Goodman (whom she had married in 1943) ended in divorce, she married scenic designer William Riva in 1947; they had four sons. With the birth of her first child, J. Michael Riva
(now a film production designer) in 1948, the press dubbed Dietrich "the world's most glamorous grandmother". Her second son, Peter Riva, President and Owner of International Transactions, Inc., is her literary agent.
During the 1950s, Riva appeared in "over 500 live teleplays for us at CBS..." said Bill Paley, all broadcast from New York. Some series she guested on include The Milton Berle Show, Lux Video Theatre
, Hallmark Hall of Fame
, Your Show of Shows
, Suspense and Studio One. She received Emmy nominations as best actress in 1952 and 1953, respectively. She semi-retired from acting in the mid-50s, but made a cameo appearance as Mrs Rhinelaner in Bill Murray
's 1988 Dickens parody, Scrooged
.
In 2001, she was interviewed for Her Own Song, a documentary about Marlene Dietrich.
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
, about whom she wrote a memoir published in 1994.
Early life
Riva was born in Berlin as the only child of actress Marlene DietrichMarlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
and film production assistant Rudolf Sieber. In 1930, when she was 6 years old, she moved with her mother to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
In 1934, aged 9, she had a small role in Josef von Sternberg
Josef von Sternberg
Josef von Sternberg — born Jonas Sternberg — was an Austrian-American film director. He is particularly noted for his distinctive mise en scène, use of lighting and soft lens, and seven-film collaboration with actress Marlene Dietrich.-Youth:Von Sternberg was born Jonas Sternberg to a Jewish...
's film The Scarlet Empress
The Scarlet Empress
The Scarlet Empress is a 1934 historical drama film made by Paramount Pictures about the life of Catherine the Great. It was directed and produced by Josef von Sternberg from a screenplay by Eleanor McGeary, loosely based on the diary of Catherine arranged by Manuel Komroff...
, based on the life of Catherine the Great, in which she played Catherine as a child. She was also an extra in the 1936 David O Selznick production, The Garden of Allah.
Acting career
She received acting training and during the Second World War entertained Allied troops in Europe for the USO. She also acted in theatre and summer stock (including a production of Tea and SympathyTea and Sympathy
Tea and Sympathy is a 1953 stage play in three acts by Robert Anderson.-Broadway premiere:It received its premiere on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on September 30, 1953 in a production by The Playwrights' Company, directed by Elia Kazan and designed by Jo Mielziner. The play starred...
). Riva appeared at the Longacre Theatre
Longacre Theatre
The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 220 West 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.-Theatre History:Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts in 1912, it was named for Longacre Square, the original name for Times Square...
on Broadway in the 1954 production The Burning Glass, opposite Cedric Hardwicke
Cedric Hardwicke
Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke was a noted English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly fifty years...
and Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
After a brief marriage to Dean Goodman (whom she had married in 1943) ended in divorce, she married scenic designer William Riva in 1947; they had four sons. With the birth of her first child, J. Michael Riva
J. Michael Riva
J Michael Riva is a motion picture production designer.*Son of William and Maria Riva. Grandson of Marlene Dietrich.*Michael Riva's father is William Riva, who was a set designer for Broadway...
(now a film production designer) in 1948, the press dubbed Dietrich "the world's most glamorous grandmother". Her second son, Peter Riva, President and Owner of International Transactions, Inc., is her literary agent.
During the 1950s, Riva appeared in "over 500 live teleplays for us at CBS..." said Bill Paley, all broadcast from New York. Some series she guested on include The Milton Berle Show, Lux Video Theatre
Lux Video Theatre
Lux Video Theatre, is a weekly television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1959. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays....
, Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
, Your Show of Shows
Your Show of Shows
Your Show of Shows is a live 90-minute variety show that appeared weekly in the United States on NBC , from February 25, 1950, until June 5, 1954, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca....
, Suspense and Studio One. She received Emmy nominations as best actress in 1952 and 1953, respectively. She semi-retired from acting in the mid-50s, but made a cameo appearance as Mrs Rhinelaner in Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
's 1988 Dickens parody, Scrooged
Scrooged
Scrooged is a 1988 American comedy film, a modernization of Charles Dickens' novella, A Christmas Carol. The film was produced and directed by Richard Donner, and the cinematography was by Michael Chapman. The screenplay was written by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue...
.
In 2001, she was interviewed for Her Own Song, a documentary about Marlene Dietrich.