Diana-Maria Riva is an American actress of Dominican heritage who has been in the movie industry since 1996 when she was featured in a Television series titled ‘Common Law’. She was first discovered by ABC Studios and was quickly signed with them to a holding deal.
She has been starred in a lot of movies and her unique personality makes it easy for her to fit into any role assigned. She delivers on every role the movie expects from her; from sitcom to crime drama to high school movies, or political-themed movies, to sinister stories, and so on.
She has also been featured as guest on TV shows and has cameos in several movies as well.
Diana-Maria Riva is definitely the go-to-gal for all roles and she is totally a delight to watch although she is the actress we may not have crammed the name, she is a regular face on our screens.
Brief Biography of Diana-Maria Riva
Diana-Maria Riva was born Diana-Maria Uhlenbrock in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is the daughter of Chris B. Uhlenbrock who was a dentist and her mother is named Maria Riva.
Diana-Maria was born on the 22nd of July 1969 and this makes her 55 years old.
She attended St. Ursula Academy and furthered her education and graduated from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory Of Music and she got two degrees (BFA and MFA) in Theatre Performance.
10 Important Facts To Know About The Actress
1. Diana-Maria Riva Has Dominican Roots
Tracing her roots down her lineage, it is uncovered that her parents, Chris B and Maria Riva were part of the first generation Americans whose parents hail from the Dominican Republic. Diana-Maria feels a strong connection to this part of her lineage and she even played a role depicting her Dominican side in the comedy series ‘Sunnyside’ where the directors made her play ‘Griselda’ the Latina.
2. She is Comfortable Playing Any Role
Diana-Maria admits having never turned down any role especially not because it fits a certain stereotype.
Whenever she is given a role, she makes it a point of duty to execute the role perfectly and depict the true essence of the character in order to make a connection and create an understanding between the character and the audience.
3. What Does She Love To Do In Her Spare Time?
When she’s not on set working, she loves to sit in the backyard of her Burbank home which has a Spanish touch to it.
She sits in the backyard enjoying the sun and weather while reminiscing of the times spent there with her kids and how many times she has transformed the backyard to suit whatever times, situation, occasion, and need.
4. A Note-Worthy Feature
When we say that Diana-Maria Riva is an all-rounder, it is well-meant. The American actress has been featured in a couple of Disney movies.
She has starred in movies such as ‘McFarland’, ‘Noelle’ and ‘Love and Mercy’ which are both Disney movies.
5. If She Hadn’t Been An Actor, She Would Have Been A Therapist
Acting has always been her first choice seeing that she has two degrees for the career path. However, Diana-Maria said if she wasn’t an actor, she’d have been a therapist.
She sees herself dishing out expert advice to people and helping lost souls, minds and hearts find reconnection.
6. A perfect Holiday According To Diana-Maria Riva
During an interview about the Christmas movie ‘Noelle’ which she starred in and also featured Anna Kendricks, she said that a perfect Christmas holiday for her is one she gets to spend time with her family.
She is obviously a woman who loves to dedicate her time to her family and she enjoys every bit of time she spends with her kids.
She currently resides in Los Angeles with her Children.
7. She Has Been Honoured By Her Alma-Mater
The Dominican rooted American actress has been given the ‘College-Conservatory of Music Distinguished Alumna’ award.
Seeing that she has more than two decades of experience working in television, film, and theatre, her University decided to honor her with the award for her amazing feats and her relevance to the movie industry and also for putting their University out there.
8. Diana-Maria Riva Was A Teacher
While learning to act, she also tried her hands on some teaching. After graduating from the University, she worked for the ArtReach Touring Theatre which is now referred to as the Childrens Theatre’s TCT On Tour.
She taught drama to and for children and this experience helped her play teacher roles in movies perfectly well. She mixes her experience as a teacher and as a student especially in second grade because according to her, she had an awesome teacher while in her second grade.
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9. A Top Challenge Diana-Maria Faces As A Latina Actress
As expected, there aren’t a lot of movies that feature Latinos as leads. There isn’t quite a niche for Latinos to dominate in and this poses a huge challenge for Diana-Maria.
Therefore, in order to remain relevant in the movie industry, she has to find a way to overcome the challenges and fit better into roles that don’t necessarily depict her roots.
10. Diana-Maria’s Wish-List
Although the vibrant, fun-to-watch American actress feels really glad and fortunate to still be relevant and consistent in the business, she has a wish list that she hopes to achieve someday.
She feels like she hasn’t done everything possible there is for her to do and so, on her bucket list is; producing, directing, and doing a period film.
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