50s MATINEE IDOL AND LEGENDARY ACTOR ARMANDO GOYENA DIES AT AGE 88

Legendary actor and 1950s matinee idol Armando Goyena passed away Wednesday afternoon (March 9) at age 88. Armando, best known for his titular roles in Kapitan Kidlat (1953) and Tia Loleng (1953), won the Famas Best Actor award for the movie Yamashita: The Tiger's Treasure in 2001. He was among the most-sought-after leading men in his generation. He is the father of Maritess Revilla and Tina Revilla, both popular stars of the 70s and grandfather of actors Bernard and Mico Palanca and models-TV personalities Bianca Araneta-Elizalde and Lexi Schulze.

Goyena, Jose Revilla in real life, was among several sons of well-to-do families who were drawn to the movies after World War II. There had been, before him, Pancho Magalona, Oscar Moreno and Fred Montilla. Orphaned by his father during the war, Revilla got a job in a department store. Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero the playwright used to frequent the coffee shop in the store and he and Revilla became such good friends that the latter was persuaded to try the theater.

Starting as the male lead in Guerrero’s play, Wanted: A Chaperone, Revilla became a regular member of the Filipino Players group organized by Guerrero. Later he joined the Barangay Theater group of the Avellanas. With the Barangay, his memorable was that of Tony Javier, “the magnificent heel,” in Nick Joaquin’s A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino.

When his mother died in 1947, Revilla became the sole supporter of his sister and younger brother. He had by this time graduated from De La Salle College with a college degree but an office job was the last thing he wanted. He remembered Dona Sisang, who had been his mother’s friend and panggingge (card game) partner.

However, the Old Lady was not interested in him. She preferred his sister Tessie who had earlier made a positive impression on her in the film Prima Donna which the former First Lady, Mrs. Aurora A. Quezon, had produced. But Dona Sisang did not discourage him. Wait for a good role, she said. He did not hear from her for two months and he thought that was it.

He had by this time been promoted to managership of the Araneta-owned department store. And then a call slip came. He was being assigned to play the second male lead in a Leopoldo Salcedo-Norma Blancaflor film entitled Puting Bantayog.

Dona Sisang had plans for him after all. He was going to be cast in one movie after another playing second lead to the brightest stars of LVN. His second assignment was with Jose Padilla, Jr., his third with Rogelio de la Rosa, his fourth with Jaime de la Rosa. In Revilla’s fifth film he was promoted to full stardom.

The Old Lady allowed her friend’s son to choose a screen name for himself. He had always like the sound of Armand and Goyena was his mother’s name. As Armando Goyena, he was the star in close to fifty movies over a ten-year period.
Source: Dona Sisang Filipino Movies/ 1977
See: Armando Goyena as Tia Loleng/
See: Armando Goyena as Kapitan Kidlat

Left- Puting Bantayog (1948)- Stars Leopoldo Salcedo, Norma Blancaflor/ Introducing Tessie Quintana and Armando Goyena/ Directed by Gregorio Fernandez

Right- Sohrab at Rustum (1950)- Stars Rogelio de la Rosa, Lilia Dizon, Armando Goyena, Rosa Rosal, Evelyn Villar/ Directed by Nemesio Caravana

"Pag-asa" (1951)- Stars Armando Goyena, Priscilla Cellona, Ike Jarlego, Jr., Rosa Mia, Paco Zamora, Naty Bernardo, Gregorio Ticman/ Directed by Lamberto Avellana

Pagtutuus (1950)- Stars Armando Goyena, Tessie Quintana, Alfonso Carvajal/ Directed by Gregorio Fernandez

Left- Harana sa Karagatan (1951)- Stars Armando Goyena, Delia Razon, Lila Luna, Enrique Jarlego, Jr., Naty Bernardo/ Directed by Joe Climaco

Right- Talisman (1951)- Stars Armando Goyena, Tessie Quintana, Tony Santos, Frankie Gordon, Eusebio Gomez,Gil de Leon/ Directed by Enrique Jarlego

"Tia Loleng" (1953)- Stars Armando Goyena, Tessie Quintana, Lila Luna, Nida Blanca, Frank Gordon, Rosa Aguirre, Amado Cortez, Arturo Moran, Etang Discher/ Directed by Manuel Silos


"Kapitan Kidlat" (1953)- Stars Armando Goyena, Evelyn Villar, Milagros Naval, Eusebio Gomez, Jose Vergara/ Directed by Oscar Del Rosario

Left- Hawayana (1953)- Stars Armando Goyena, Tessie Quintana, Jose de Cordova/ Directed by Manuel Silos

Right- Banda Uno (1955)- Stars Armando Goyena, Nita Javier, Manding Claro, Nenita Vidal, Alfonso Carvajal, Bayani Casimiro, Oscar Obligacion, Hector Reyes/ Directed by Tony Santos

Kidlat... Ngayon (1954)- Sequel to Kapitan Kidlat- Stars Armando Goyena, Evelyn Villar, Alfonso Carvajal/Directed by Oscar Del Rosario

Left- Tucydides (1954)- Stars Lilia Dizon, Armando Goyena, Milagros Naval, Cecilia Lopez/ Directed by Artemio Marquez

Right-Anak ng Berdugo (1955)- Stars Armando Goyena, Cecilia Lopez, Johnny Reyes, Oscar Keesee, Joseph de Cordova, Oscar Obligacion/ Directed by Richard Abelardo

Medalyong Perlas (1956)- All- Star Cast/ 4 Episodes/

Laging Ikaw (1956)- Stars Armando Goyena, Cecilia Lopez, Rbecca Del Rio and Vic Silayan/ Directed byRino Bermudez

Left- Abandonado (1956)- Stars Armando Goyena, Tessie Quintana, Leroy Salvador/ Directed by Rino Bermudez

Right-Dalawang Ina (1957)- Stars Armando Goyena, Emma Alegre, Carmencita Abad, Milagros Naval, Vic Silayan/ Directed by Susana C. De Guzman

Left- Chaperone (1956)- Stars Armando Goyena, Tessie Quintana, Alfonso Carvajal/ Directed by Tony Santos

Right- El Robo (1957)- Stars Armando Goyena, Delia Razon, Carlos Padilla, Jr., Jose Vergara, Oscar Keesee / Directed by Manuel Conde

Sanga-Sangang Puso (1957)- Stars Armando Goyena, Rosa Rosal, Charito Solis, Rosa Aguirre, Milagros Naval, Eddie Rodriguez, Jose Vergara/ Directed by Susana C. De Guzman

Left- "Mahal Kita Walang Iba" (1992)- Stars Christopher de Leon, Edu Manzano and Kris Aquino/ with Armando Goyena, Nida Blanca, Rosa Rosal, Ai-ai delas Alas, Sheila Israel and Jomari Yllana/ Directed by Ishmael Bernal

Right- "Yamashita: The Tiger's Treasure" (2001)- Stars Danilo Barrios, Camille Prats, Armando Goyena, Rustom Padilla, Carlo Munoz, Vic Diaz, Tetsuya Matsui and Albert Martinez/ Directed by Chito Rono