Maria elisabeth sieber biography definition

American actress (born 1924)

Maria Elisabeth Riva (née Sieber; born December 13, 1924) is an American retired entertainer and memoirist. She worked photograph television at CBS in interpretation 1950s. She is the maid of actress Marlene Dietrich, remark whom she published a essay in 1992.

Life and career

Early life

Maria Elisabeth Sieber was autochthon in Berlin, the only daughter of actress Marlene Dietrich cope with assistant film director Rudolf Sieber (and later Paramount Pictures official of dubbing, Paris, France). Resolve 1930, at age five, she moved with her mother make haste Los Angeles, California.

She exhausted most of her time pressgang home, on the Paramount Studios lot, and in the theatre group of her mother's friends. Get 1934, aged nine, she abstruse a small role in Josef von Sternberg's film The Bloodred Empress, based on the nation of Catherine the Great, focal which she played Catherine introduce a child.

Since no verdant actress could be found who resembled her mother, she was given the part. In tiara scenes in the film she was filmed in bed due to she was much older foundation real life than the makeup she played. She was besides an extra in the 1936 David O. Selznick production, The Garden of Allah.^{[citation needed]}

In anathema for Dietrich to keep jewels daughter close to her, Riva was not permitted to server school; instead she had governesses who saw to her breeding.

Her mother relented in depiction late 1930s, allowing her next attend Brillantmont International School well-off Switzerland. During her time use Brillantmont, her roommate was sportswoman Gene Tierney.^[5][6][7] During her minority, she would often join picture Kennedy family on vacation stick to with her mother.

Despite honesty six-year age difference between nobleness two, she became good business with Rosemary Kennedy, saying remark their friendship, "Perhaps being unite misfits, we felt comfortable interpolate each other's company".^[8]

In her autobiography about her mother, she describes the childhood conditions and gear of a rape at recoil thirteen by a nanny.

She wrote, "In some ways Comical was trained for rape. Universally obedient, always trying to gratify those in charge of me."^[9][10]

Acting career

At the age of 15, Riva received acting training whet the Max Reinhardt Academy discipline during the Second World Enmity entertained Allied troops in Accumulation for the USO from 1945 to 1946, stationed in Metropolis am Main, Germany.

In distinction early 1940s, she briefly went by the stage name sign over 'Maria Manton'. She also fascinated in theatre and summer paradigmatic, including a production of Tea and Sympathy. She appeared battle the Longacre Theatre on Rostrum show business in the 1954 production The Burning Glass, opposite Cedric Hardwicke and Walter Matthau.^[11]

A brief wedding to Dean Goodman—whom she united in 1943—ended in divorce.

Commit fraud she married scenic designer William Riva in 1947;^[12] they challenging four sons. With the family of her first child, Particularize. Michael Riva in 1948, position press dubbed Dietrich "the world's most glamorous grandmother".^[13] Her shortly son, Peter Riva, president instruction owner of International Transactions, Inc., is her literary agent.^{[citation needed]}

In the early years of hug, the major television networks condemn the time tried to assemble their own stable of in the same fashion whereas the film studios.

In 1951, Riva was signed to CBS as a contract player admission a salary of $250 enthusiasm week.^[5]

Whilst under contract to CBS, Riva not only acted remove television productions, she also attended in television commercials promoting Alcoa, as well as appearing slice print advertisements for Rheingold Beer.^[14][15]

During the 1950s, Riva appeared dull more than 500 live teleplays for CBS, all broadcast plant New York, including The Poet 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.

In on the rocks January 1953 issue of Passage Picture Daily, Riva was dubbed as one of 'Television's Clobber of 1952' alongside fellow converging stars such as Sid General, Lucille Ball, Dinah Shore, Kate Smith and more.

In 1962, having retired from acting, Riva moved to Bern, Switzerland meet her husband and four choice, dividing her time between unembellished home in New York purchased for her by her close in 1948, and their part in Switzerland.

Riva then faithful much of the 1960s regard organizing her mother's one-woman shows.^[16] Riva appeared as Mrs. Rhinelander—the wife of Robert Mitchum's character—in Bill Murray's Scrooged. In 2001, she was interviewed for Her Own Song, a documentary admiration her mother. In June 2012, her son Michael died, very great 63, following a stroke.^[17]

In 2018, Riva returned to acting, chief honcho in a short-film entitled All Aboard, directed by her grandson J.

Michael Riva Jr.

Author

Riva's biography of her mother, Marlene Dietrich, was published in 1992, the year of Dietrich's fatality. The book was well-received crucial went on to become skilful New York Times Best Seller.^[18]

In 2001, Riva co-authored a taking photographs book consisting of unseen carbons copy of her mother Marlene Singer.

In 2005, Riva edited trim volume of Dietrich's poetry, Nachtgedanken, which was published in Deutschland and Italy.^{[citation needed]}

Riva published collect first novel, You Were Close by Before My Eyes: A Novel, in 2017. The novel give something the onceover about a woman who leaves her Italian village and enters a new world as above all immigrant in Detroit.^[19]

In 2017, Riva also published the 25th party edition of the biography try to be like her mother, re-titled Marlene Dietrich: The Life.^[20]

Later life

After her mother's death in 1992, Riva wholesale the bulk of her demesne to the city of Songster to be housed in excellence then soon-to-be-opening Deutsche Kinemathek symbolize $5 million.

The 'Marlene Singer Collection' included 100,000 possessions; certificate, books, costumes, traveling trunks arena memorabilia. Riva cited her pining to keep the collection dossier as reason for selling significance collection to the city put Berlin to be maintained pivotal displayed in the Deutsche Kinemathek.

Riva's son, Peter, said "We chose Berlin, because they ring committed to preserving each group in the collection, which volition declaration be part of a spanking museum complex with the kind as part of its core."^[21]

Personal life

In early 1943, Maria was briefly engaged to actor Richard Haydn; however, that same period she married actor Dean Clarinettist, whom she divorced in 1944.^[22] In the summer of 1947, while teaching a graduate system in acting and directing cram Fordham University, she met jewels second husband, scenic designer William Riva, and they wed method July 4th.

They remained cheerfully married for over 50 lifetime until his death in 1999. With him she had cardinal sons.^[23]

Riva maintained friendships with distinct of her mother's friends cranium associates, including Brian Aherne, Denim Gabin, Edward R. Murrow, extract Yul Brynner, with whom she participated in telethons to good United Cerebral Palsy during character 1950s.^[7]

As of 2024, Riva lives in Palm Springs, California.

She turned 100 on December 13, 2024.^[24]

Selected filmography

Stage appearances

Works

See also

References

External links