But Riva, who was Dietrich’s only daughter, laid the groundwork with her scintillating stories of her mother’s life out of the spotlight. Dietrich, whom Riva called “Mutti,” kept Maria close by on set ...

She appeared in films as a child with her mom before becoming a great star for CBS in the early days of television.

Maria Riva, an actress and author who spent much of her life as a self-described “handmaiden” to her mother — the German-born ...