Bio
Diana Maria Riva is an American actress best known for her starring television roles as cancer patient Vivy Porter in Side Order of Life (2007) and as Lt. Ana Ruiz in The Good Guys, in 2010.
Riva appeared in the 2009 film 17 Again, with Zac Efron. She can also be seen in the feature film Our Family Wedding in her first starring role opposite America Ferrera, Carlos Mencia and Forest Whitaker.
Her film repertoire also includes What Women Want, Employee of the Month, Chasing Papi and The Third Wheel.
Riva starred in the original drama series Side Order of Life, where she received rave reviews for her portrayal of Vivy Porter, a feisty outspoken woman who refuses to allow her diagnosis of cancer get the best of her.
Additional television credits include Common Law, Philly, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, City of Angels, NYPD Blue and Murder One.
She also recurred on such prominent series as Everybody Loves Raymond, The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Less Than Perfect, The Hughleys, Family Law, The Drew Carey Show, Strong Medicine, The X-Files, The Pretender and Party of Five.
She also guest-starred on The Ghost Whisperer and In Plain Sight. In 2016 she starred in the short-lived sitcom Telenovela.
Riva, whose roots trace back to the Dominican Republic, was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH. She received her M.F.A. from the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
While appearing in the Michael Weller play Help!, she had the opportunity to travel with the show to Los Angeles. Soon thereafter, she moved to the West Coast and landed her first television role.
When not hard at work, Riva dedicates her time to her family. She is enthusiastic about instilling the traditions of her upbringing in her two children.