Maria Elisabeth Riva (née Sieber), born on December 13, 1924, is an American retired actress, writer, and memoirist. Known for her extensive work in early television at CBS, Maria Riva is also recognized for her famous lineage as the daughter of legendary actress Marlene Dietrich. Over the decades, she has built a remarkable career of her own, transitioning from acting to writing and preserving the legacy of her mother.
Early Life
Maria Elisabeth Sieber was born in Berlin, Germany, as the only child of Marlene Dietrich and assistant film director Rudolf Sieber. Her father later worked as the head of dubbing for Paramount Pictures in Paris, while her mother pursued an illustrious career in Hollywood. In 1930, when Maria was just five years old, she moved with her mother to Los Angeles, where she was immersed in the film industry from an early age. Her childhood was largely spent on the Paramount Studios lot, surrounded by her mother’s friends, many of whom were Hollywood elites.
Maria first tried acting at the age of nine in “The Scarlet Empress” (1934), a film by Josef von Sternberg about Catherine the Great. She played the younger version of her mother’s character, a decision made due to the lack of a suitable child actress who resembled Dietrich. Maria also appeared as an extra in “The Garden of Allah” (1936), though her acting career was still in its infancy at the time.
Maria Riva’s Acting and Television Career
Maria Elisabeth Sieber pursued her passion for acting in earnest as a teenager. She trained at the Max Reinhardt Academy and, during World War II, performed for Allied troops in Europe as part of the USO between 1945 and 1946. During this time, she briefly used the stage name “Maria Manton.”
She performed in theater and summer stock productions, including “Tea and Sympathy,” before making her Broadway debut in “The Burning Glass” (1954), alongside Cedric Hardwicke and Walter Matthau.
In 1951, Maria Elisabeth Sieber signed a contract with CBS, becoming a regular television performer with a weekly salary of $250. She starred in over 500 live teleplays, including:
- “The Milton Berle Show”
- “Lux Video Theatre”
- “Hallmark Hall of Fame”
- “Your Show of Shows”
- “Studio One”
Her television presence was so significant that she earned Emmy nominations for Best Actress in 1952 and 1953.
Personal Life and Family
Love and loss marked Maria’s private life. She married actor Dean Goodman briefly in 1943, but the union ended in divorce a year later. In 1947, she married scenic designer William Riva with whom she had four sons: J. Michael Riva, Peter Riva, John Paul Riva, and J. David Riva. The couple married for more than five decades until William Riva died in 1999.
Writing and Preserving Marlene Dietrich’s Legacy
Maria Riva turned to writing in her later years. In 1992, she published “Marlene Dietrich,” a candid and detailed memoir that became a New York Times bestseller. In 2001, she co-authored a photography book featuring unseen images of Dietrich, further preserving her mother’s legacy.
Her literary pursuits continued with “You Were There Before My Eyes” (2017), a novel about an Italian immigrant woman navigating life in Detroit. That same year, she released a 25th-anniversary edition of her memoir, retitled “Marlene Dietrich: The Life.”
Maria also played a crucial role in curating the Marlene Dietrich Collection, which she sold to the city of Berlin for $5 million in 1992. The collection, consisting of 100,000 items including costumes, diaries, books, and memorabilia, is housed in the Deutsche Kinemathek museum.
Maria Elisabeth Sieber’s Later Life and Legacy
Even in retirement, Maria Riva remained active in the arts. In 2018, she returned to acting in a short film, “All Aboard,” directed by her grandson J. Michael Riva Jr.
As of 2024, Maria Riva resides in Palm Springs, California, and celebrated her 100th birthday on December 13, 2024. Her life is a testament to resilience, artistic dedication, and an unbreakable connection to Hollywood’s golden era.
