J. Michael Riva


Production Designer

About

Also Known As
John Michael Riva, Michael Riva, Mike Riva
Birth Place
New York City, New York, USA
Born
June 28, 1948
Cause of Death
Stroke

Biography

It was inevitable that J Michael Riva would end up in show business. The grandson of actress Marlene Dietrich and film editor Rudolph Sieber and the son of actress-author Maria Riva and art director William Riva, he was raised in NYC where he observed his famous relatives at work in theater, film and TV. After a European education, Riva returned to the USA and enrolled at UCLA. Dropping ...

Family & Companions

Jamie Lee Curtis
Companion
Actor. Engaged at one time; no longer together.
Wendy Mickell
Wife
Assistant art director.

Biography

It was inevitable that J Michael Riva would end up in show business. The grandson of actress Marlene Dietrich and film editor Rudolph Sieber and the son of actress-author Maria Riva and art director William Riva, he was raised in NYC where he observed his famous relatives at work in theater, film and TV. After a European education, Riva returned to the USA and enrolled at UCLA. Dropping out to pursue a career in production design, he apprenticed with Jackson DeGoiva in the 1970s. By mid-decade, Riva had risen from assistant to art director on the silly sequel "Ilse, Harem Keeper of the Oil Shieks" (1975). He worked with Toby Rafelson on the tasteful production design for "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" (1977). Through this association, he was hired to design the prison setting for "Brubaker" (1980), starring Robert Redford. Redford, in turn, tapped Riva to create the tony, emotionally sterile world of "Ordinary People" (also 1980).

Oliver Stone hired Riva to create the world depicted in his schlocky horror film "The Hand" (1981). He fared better creating the quirky, subterranean world of "The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai: Across the 8th Dimension" (1984), the nightclubs and baseball fields of Hal Ashby's "The Slugger's Wife" (1985) and the dual suburban and cavernous worlds of Richard Donner's "The Goonies" (also 1985). For Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple" (1985), Riva created the detailed Southern period settings that spanned forty-years and shared in an Oscar nomination for Best Art Direction-Set Design. Subsequently, he designed the contemporary Los Angeles of Donner's "Lethal Weapon" (1987) and its first sequel "Lethal Weapon 2" (1989) as well as the past, present and future world inhabited by a NYC TV executive (Bill Murray) in "Scrooged" (1988), a contemporary version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". Riva has collaborated with Rob Reiner on the military courtroom drama "A Few Good Men" (1992) and "North" (1994). For Ivan Reitman's "Dave" (1993), he recreated the Oval Office and other rooms within the White House while "Congo" (1995) required not only a jungle setting but also a legendary lost city. More recently, Riva created the design for "Hard Rain", "Six Days/Seven Nights" and "Lethal Weapon 4" (all 1998).

Filmography

 

Director (Feature Film)

Radio Flyer (1992)
Director

Writer (Feature Film)

Lily in Winter (1994)
From Story

Producer (Feature Film)

Lily in Winter (1994)
Co-Producer

Art Director (Feature Film)

Ordinary People (1980)
Art Director
Brubaker (1980)
Art Director
Fast Charlie - The Moonbeam Rider (1978)
Art Director
Ilse, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (1975)
Art Direction

Production Designer (Feature Film)

Django Unchained (2012)
Production Designer
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Production Designer
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Production Designer
Iron Man (2008)
Production Designer
Seven Pounds (2008)
Production Designer
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Production Designer
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Production Designer
Stealth (2005)
Production Designer
Zathura (2005)
Production Designer
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
Production Designer
Evolution (2001)
Production Designer
Charlie's Angels (2000)
Production Designer
Tuesdays With Morrie (1999)
Production Designer
Hard Rain (1998)
Production Designer
Six Days, Seven Nights (1998)
Production Designer
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
Production Designer
Congo (1995)
Production Designer
North (1994)
Production Designer
Dave (1993)
Production Designer
A Few Good Men (1992)
Production Designer
Radio Flyer (1992)
Production Designer
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
Production Designer
Tango & Cash (1989)
Production Designer
Scrooged (1988)
Production Designer
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Production Designer
The Golden Child (1986)
Production Designer
The Goonies (1985)
Production Designer
The Color Purple (1985)
Production Designer
The Slugger's Wife (1985)
Production Designer
Stranger's Kiss (1984)
Production Designer
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Production Designer
Bad Boys (1983)
Production Designer
The Hand (1981)
Production Designer
Halloween II (1981)
Production Designer
Callie & Son (1981)
Production Designer
Bare Knuckles (1978)
Production Designer

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

Jurassic World (2015)
Art Department Assistant
Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)
Consultant
Romeo Must Die (2000)
Visual Consultant
Stranger's Kiss (1984)
Visual Consultant

Production Designer (Special)

On the Red Carpet: Oscars 2002 (2002)
Production Designer
The 74th Annual Academy Awards (2002)
Production Designer

Life Events

1975

First film credit, as art director on "Ilse, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks"

1977

First film credit as production designer, "Bare Knuckles"

1980

Served as art director on Robert Redford's "Ordinary People"

1981

Was production designer on Oliver Stone's first feature "The Hand"

1981

First TV-movie credit, as production designer on "Callie & Son" (CBS)

1985

First screen collaboration with Richrd Donner, "The Goonies"

1985

Worked with Steven Spielberg on "The Color Purple"; earned Oscar nomination for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration

1986

Made TV directorial debut with "Amazing Stories" episode "The Eternal Mind" (NBC)

1987

Was production designer on Richard Donner's "Lethal Weapon"

1989

Reteamed with Donner for the sequel "Lethal Weapon 2"

1992

Was production designer on Rob Reiner's "A Few Good Men"

1994

Worked again with Reiner on "North"

1994

TV-movie producing debut, "Lily in Winter" (USA Network), also received story credit; garnered Writers Guild of America nomination

1995

Served as production designer on "Congo"

1998

Worked on high profile features "Hard Rain", "Six Days, Seven Nights," and "Lethal Weapon IV" as production designer

2000

Credited as visual consultant on "Romeo Must Die"

2000

Served as production designer of "Charlie's Angels"

2002

Was the production designer for the telecast of the Academy Awards

2003

Re-teamed with director McG for the sequel "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle"

2007

Worked with Sam Raimi as production designer on "Spider-Man 3"

2008

Was production designer on the blockbuster "Iron Man" (2008) and its 2010 sequel

2012

Completed work on "The Amazing Spider-Man"; was in the middle of production for Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" at time of death

Family

Rudolph Sieber
Grandfather
Editor. Born in 1897 in Berlin; married Marlene Deitrich in May 1924; died in 1976.
Marlene Dietrich
Grandmother
Actor, singer. Born on December 27, 1901 in Berlin; married Rudolph Sieber on May 17, 1924; died on May 6, 1992 in Paris, France.
William Riva
Father
Art director. Married Maria Sieber on July 4, 1947; died in on July 3, 1999 at age 79.
Maria Sieber
Mother
Actor, author. Born on December 12, 1924 in Berlin; married second husband William Riva on July 4, 1947.
Peter Riva
Brother
Editor. Born c. 1950.
Jean-Paul Riva
Brother
Art director. Born c. 1957.
David Riva
Brother
Born c. 1960.

Companions

Jamie Lee Curtis
Companion
Actor. Engaged at one time; no longer together.
Wendy Mickell
Wife
Assistant art director.

Bibliography