An eventful life

Marlene Dietrich’s daughter Maria is 100 years old

Marlene Dietrich (large picture), small picture: Maria River, Marlene's daughter. In 1947, she married the set designer William Riva.

(Bild: APA/dpa/dpa, AFP, Krone KREATIV)

For many, Maria Riva is just the daughter of actress and icon Marlene Dietrich. But the 100-year-old can look back on an eventful life herself. Formerly in front of the camera herself, she now lives in the USA, has raised four sons and has never quite been able to free herself from the shadow of her famous mother.

The only child of the German international star celebrates her 100th birthday in the USA on December 13. "She's doing well, she's mentally fully involved and still has a great sense of humor," says one of her four sons, David Riva (63). However, she would no longer be traveling or giving interviews.

There would not be a big celebration, the family would take it "rather easy". The famous grandmother would also have isolated herself in her old age, and Maria did the same.

Maria Riva in 1951, she used to be an actress herself.

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Fans hardly ever got to see her, although "Die Dietrich" (1901 - 1992) was one of the most famous women of the century. She was a sex symbol, actress ("The Blue Angel", "Shanghai Express") and singer ("I am set on love from head to toe"), but lived in complete seclusion in her Paris apartment.

Star wanted to protect her image
"She loved Paris and she actually liked going out, but she had no other choice," says David about his grandmother. In order to protect her lucrative image as the star Marlene Dietrich, she no longer appeared in public as an older woman. She was 90 years old when she died in Paris on May 6, 1992.

Pictures of Marlene Dietrich:

After moving to Hollywood, she became a US citizen in 1939. The cameras were there, of course.

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In his documentary film "Marlene Dietrich - Her Own Song" (2002), David Riva focused in particular on his grandmother's political mission during the Second World War.

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Marlene Dietrich was buried in her native Berlin in May 1992.

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Marlene Dietrich's great career had an impact on her daughter Maria. She grew up in America as an only child in an adult world.

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World star with the nickname "Grandma Massy"
David Riva has many memories of the times with his family and his "Grandma Massy" - she owes this nickname to her grandson Michael, who couldn't pronounce Marlene's name correctly as a toddler. In the end, everyone in the family called her Massy, including his own mother, says Riva. As a young boy, it was David's job to bring a bouquet of roses on stage after Dietrich's performances.

Riva also raves about the actress and singer's cooking skills. She was particularly famous for her soups. As a tribute to his grandmother, Riva now runs a catering business in Los Angeles. Under the name "Massy Soups", he delivers soups based on the star's favorite recipes.

Mother's global career began in 1929
Maria Elisabeth Sieber was born in Berlin on December 13, 1924 after one and a half years of marriage to assistant director Rudolf Sieber. She shot to fame in 1929 with Josef von Sternberg's film "The Blue Angel" - and quickly became a world star.

Marlene Dietrich with her daughter Maria Riva in 1959: Riva took acting lessons herself after playing small roles as a child, for example alongside her mother in the historical film "The Scarlet Empress". She later took care of her family and her mother's career.

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Maria Riva's difficult childhood
"I never really had a mother," said Riva in Berlin in 1992, when she presented her book "My Mother Marlene" a few months after Dietrich's death. "I wanted to put the image of the goddess Marlene into perspective, so I simply wrote the truth. I wasn't allowed to go to school, I didn't have any friends, I wasn't allowed to go to any parties."

Marlene constantly wanted to have her little daughter with her, to polish up the image of the loving mother. "But it would never have occurred to me to take my mother's hand and cuddle her." Nevertheless, Maria gave up her career and managed her mother's. With the family in tow, they traveled across Europe, from show to show, according to son David.

During the war, she sang in American uniform in front of US soldiers at the front. As an opponent of National Socialism, she consistently turned down film offers from the Nazis.

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However, Riva says that his mother later regretted the harsh criticism of Dietrich in her book. She really admired her mother and had great respect for her talent and discipline.

"She was on the phone all day"
Riva also told of rare visits to the diva when she had already retired to her luxury apartment in Paris. However, she was in constant contact with the outside world via seven telephone lines, says the grandson. "She was on the phone all day. The monthly bill was often more than 3,000 dollars." She just didn't want to show her face to the world anymore.