TVOvermind: 10 things you didn't know about Diana Maria Riva

The distinguished CCM alumna has been a regular presence in film and television for nearly 25 years

Distinguished CCM alumna Diana Maria Riva (BFA, ’91; MFA, ’95) was recently profiled by TVOvermind.com, a website dedicated to television news, celebrity interviews and more.

The first-ever recipient of CCM Acting’s “Julia Winter Cohen Career Excellence Award,” Riva has been a regular on series television since 1996. Known for her comic timing and characterizations, her TV credits include “Man with a Plan,”  “The Good Guys,” “The West Wing,” “CSI,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “The X-Files," "Castle,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “Reba,” “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,” “Philly,” “The Drew Carey Show,” “Party of Five,” “Murder One,” “Common Law” and “NYPD Blue,” among many, many others. Learn more about Riva’s TV credits

Reflecting on the benefit of her training at CCM, Riva once commented, “There is simply an overabundance of competition in this business. I am convinced that CCM Acting … prepares an actor with a strong, multi-leveled, balanced, professional foundation, giving a CCM Acting student the advantage in pursuing an acting career with elite skill and a competitive edge.”

In addition to providing an overview of her impressive career, TVOvermind.com highlighted Riva’s hometown roots in Cincinnati and her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Related Stories

1

Medical devices exec touts UC co-op

October 15, 2026

UC College of Engineering and Applied Science alumnus Adam Hauke talks to Medium about the speed of innovation in developing new medical devices. Hauke is global director of product strategy & innovation at Gentherm Medical. He earned a doctorate and bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from UC.

3

More physical activity may mean slower Parkinson’s disease progression

October 15, 2026

National media including the Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report highlighted University of Cincinnati research that found higher levels of physical activity were associated with slower declines in thinking and memory as well as slower worsening of movement symptoms for people with Parkinson’s disease.