Diana Maria Riva was born on July 22 in Cincinnati, Ohio and has made the rounds of many popular shows on television. She attended the University of Cincinnati and graduated in 1993. Among her more prominent appearances are in City of Angels, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Everybody Loves Raymond, Murder One, Party of Five, The X Files, NYPD Blue, The Drew Carey Show, CSI, Less than Perfect, The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Her film credits include Employee of the Month with Christina Applegate, Matt Dillon and Steve Zahn and What Women Want starring Academy Award winners, Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. She was also in the 2003 comedy Chasing Papi.
In 2007, Riva was cast as the lead on the Lifetime dramedy Side Order of Life as Vivy Porter, Jenny’s tough and outspoken Hispanic best friend. In an article, Riva wrote how her role on Side Order of Life was something she had been “waiting for.”
"This business has been great to me. I've had steady work for 10 years. But this role is the one I have been waiting for. The one I trained for. The one I fought for. The one I have longed for. It has been absolutely fulfilling to dive into this character,” she said.