Memorial Page for Maria Riva (née Maria Elisabeth Sieber)

Maria Riva (born 13 December 1924 in Berlin; died 29 October 2025 in Gila, New Mexico) was a German-American actress and author. She was the only child of Marlene Dietrich and Rudolf Sieber, but she made her own name above all in early American live television.

Childhood between Berlin and Hollywood

Riva was born Maria Elisabeth Sieber. Her childhood brought her early into the world of film. In Josef von Sternberg's The Scarlet Empress she played a child role in 1934, while her mother portrayed Catherine the Great as an adult. Later she grew up in the United States in a world shaped by studio work, travel and her mother's public role.

Live television

In the 1950s Riva was one of the actresses who helped carry live television in New York. She appeared in programs such as Suspense, Studio One, Robert Montgomery Presents and The Milton Berle Show. The Television Academy lists two Emmy nominations for best actress, in 1952 and 1953.

Withdrawal and second profession

As television production moved increasingly toward California, Riva withdrew from regular acting work. She lived with her husband William Riva and their family for a time in Europe. Later she worked as an author and as a precise witness to the film and family history that had surrounded her life.

The book about Marlene Dietrich

After her mother's death, Riva published an extensive book about Marlene Dietrich in 1992. It drew on memories, letters, documents and decades of closeness that also carried strain. Riva's account did not diminish Dietrich's art, but it also showed control, dependency and loneliness behind the public image.

Death and memory

Maria Riva died on 29 October 2025 at the home of her son Peter Riva in Gila, New Mexico. She was 100 years old. Her memory remains connected with early television history, a rare inside view of Hollywood and writing that made visible the distance between public image and private reality.