Maria Riva

Maria Elizabeth Riva (née Sieber, December 13, 1924 – October 29, 2025) was a German-born American actress, writer and activist. She worked on television in the 1950s. She was the daughter of actress Marlene Dietrich.^[1] Riva was born in Berlin, Weimar Republic. Her career began in 1934.^[2]

Maria Riva
Maria Riva in 1951.
Born	Maria Elisabeth Sieber (1924-12-13)December 13, 1924 Berlin, Weimar Republic
Died	October 29, 2025(2025-10-29) (aged 100) Gila, New Mexico, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation(s)	Actress, author
Years active	1934–1988
Spouse(s)	Dean Goodman ​ ​ (m. 1943; div. 1944)​ William Riva ​ ​ (m. 1947; died 1999)​
Children	4 including J. Michael Riva and Peter Riva
Parent(s)	Marlene Dietrich (mother)

During the 1950s, Riva appeared in more than 500 live teleplays for CBS, all broadcast from New York, including The Milton Berle Show, Lux Video Theatre, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Your Show of Shows and Studio One. She received Emmy nominations as best actress in both 1952 and 1953.

Riva was married to Dean Goodman from 1943 until they divorced a year later. She later married William Riva in 1947 and would remain married until his death in 1999. They had four children; including J. Michael and Peter Riva.

Riva turned 100 in December 2024.^[3] She died in her sleep at her home in Gila, New Mexico of natural causes on October 29, 2025.^[4]