Mario Riva

Who was Mario Riva?

Mario Riva was an Italian presenter and actor. He appeared in 51 films between 1941 and 1960.

Born in Rome as Mario Bonavolontà, the son of a composer, Riva debuted at young age as a dubber and a radio actor.

He became first known as presenter of the stage show Clan. After a long season of successes on stage Riva reached the peak of his career with the RAI variety television Il musichiere. He also appeared on several films, usually in supporting roles.

While he was presenting from the Arena di Verona a special event linked to the TV program, the Secondo Festival del Musichiere, he inadvertently fell into a hole in the stage covered with a tarpaulin and died.