Maria Riva, the beloved actress and daughter of the iconic Marlene Dietrich, has passed away at the age of 100. She died peacefully in her sleep at her home in New Mexico, as confirmed by her son, Peter Riva, in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Riva had distanced herself from acting for many years, with her last film appearance occurring over three decades ago. Born in 1924, she moved to the United States at the age of five, settling in Los Angeles, California, in 1930. Her acting career began in 1934, and she quickly rose to prominence, particularly through her work in CBS series. Riva earned nominations for two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1952 and 1953.
At the age of 15, Riva pursued formal acting training at the Max Reinhardt Academy. During World War II, she served with the USO, entertaining Allied troops in Europe. Her passion for theater flourished, notably on Broadway with productions such as “The Burning Glass” in 1954. Riva participated in over 500 soap operas for CBS while based in New York.
In her personal life, Riva married in 1943 but divorced shortly after in 1944. It was not until 1947 that she found lasting love and married the man she considered to be her soulmate, with whom she had four children. Although she retired from acting in 1962 and relocated to Switzerland, she made a brief return to film in the aforementioned short in 2018. In addition to her acting career, Riva was an accomplished author, publishing her novel “You Were There Before My Eyes” in 2017, among other works.
