J. Michael Riva facts for kids

J. Michael Riva (born June 28, 1948 – died June 7, 2012) was a talented American production designer. A production designer is like the head artist for a movie. They are in charge of how everything looks on screen. This includes the sets, locations, props, and even the colors used. They help create the visual world of a film.

About J. Michael Riva's Life

John Michael Riva was born in New York City. His father, William Riva, designed sets for plays on Broadway. His mother, Maria Elisabeth Sieber, was an actress. Her mother, and Michael's grandmother, was the famous star Marlene Dietrich.

Michael had three brothers. He went to a special school in Switzerland for six years. Later, he studied at the UCLA. He was married to Wendy Mickell and they had four sons: Jean-Paul, Mikey, Daniel, and Adam.

His Amazing Career

J. Michael Riva had a long and successful career. He worked as an art director and a production designer on many popular movies.

One of his most famous works was the 1985 film The Color Purple. For this movie, he was nominated for an Academy Award. This award is one of the highest honors in filmmaking.

He also helped create the look for other well-known films. These include The Goonies (1985), Lethal Weapon (1987), and A Few Good Men (1992). Later, he worked on superhero movies like Spider-Man 3 (2007), Iron Man (2008), and Iron Man 2 (2010).

His last movies were The Amazing Spider-Man and Django Unchained. These films were released after he passed away. Michael Riva also designed the opening ceremony for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He also worked on the 74th and 79th Academy Awards shows. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for his work on the 79th Academy Awards.

His Passing

J. Michael Riva had a stroke on June 1, 2012. He was in New Orleans, Louisiana, working on the movie Django Unchained. He passed away in a hospital there on June 7, 2012. He was 63 years old. The director of Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino, said that Michael became a "dear friend" and a "magnificent, talented colleague."

Movies He Worked On

Here are some of the films J. Michael Riva worked on. He was usually the production designer, unless noted otherwise.

Television Work

J. Michael Riva also worked on several television projects.