Lito Legaspi (born Ludovico A. Legaspi, September 10, 1941 – September 8, 2019) was a Filipino actor both in movies and television in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. He was the father of actors

Zoren Legaspi Zoren Lim Legaspi (; born January 30, 1972) is a Filipino actor and television director. He is best known for appearing in several television shows such as '' Ika-6 na Utos'', '' Mulawin'', '' Now and Forever: Ganti'', ''Majika'', '' Enchanted G ...

Kier Legaspi Christopher Lim Legaspi (born January 1, 1973), popularly known by his stage name Kier Legaspi, is a Filipino actor known for his villain roles in the 90s. He is the younger brother of fellow actors Zoren Legaspi and Brando Legaspi (whose real ...

, and Brando Legaspi. He won

Gawad Urian Award The Gawad Urian Awards are annual film awards in the Philippines held since 1977. It is given by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (MPP, "the Filipino Film Critics") and is currently regarded as the counterpart of the United States' New York Fi ...

for Best Supporting Actor in ''

Sinong Kapiling? Sinong Kasiping? ''Sinong Kapiling? Sinong Kasiping?'' is a 1977 award-winning Filipino romantic musical drama directed by Eddie Romero. The film picked up two Gawad Urian Awards, Daria Ramirez winning best actress and Lito Legaspi best supporting actor in 1978 ...

'' (1977).

Early career

Legaspi appeared in 1959 comedy film ''Ipinagbili Kami Ng Aming Tatay'', starring

Dolphy Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr. (; July 25, 1928 – July 10, 2012), better known by his stage names Dolphy, Pidol, and Golay, was a Filipino comedian and actor. He is widely regarded as the country's "King of Comedy" for his comedic talent embodied ...

. In 1963,

Sampaguita Pictures Sampaguita Pictures was a Philippine film production company. It was named for the Philippine national flower, sampaguita. Though no longer functioning, the company's Sampaguita Compound remains in Quezon City. History Sampaguita Pictures was ...

introduced Legaspi together with teenage stars such as

Rosemarie Sonora Rosa Maria "Rosemarie" Levy Sonora (born April 14, 1948) is a Filipina former actress. Life She was born to an American mother of French and Jewish extraction and a Filipino father of Spanish and Chinese Filipino descent. Her sister, Susan Roc ...

Gina Pareño Gina Pareño (; born Geraldine Acthley; October 20, 1947) is a Filipina actress. Early life Pareño was born to a German American father and a Filipina mother. Career She started her career in the 1960s as an extra in several films and then lat ...

, Dindo Fernando, Pepito Rodriguez,

Romeo Rivera Romeo Rivera (born September 27, 1946) is a Filipino actor. He appeared in more than 95 movies and television shows. Career In 1963, Sampaguita Pictures introduced him with a bunch of young teenage stars which they called the Sampaguita-Vera-Perez ...

and Bert Leroy, Jr., among others. He became a matinee idol like Eddie Gutierrez,

Jose Mari Gonzales Jose Mari C. Gonzalez or Jose Mari Gonzales (July 26, 1938 – April 16, 2019) was a Filipino actor, executive, matinee idol and politician. Career Gonzales entered the movies at the age of 17 in the late 1950s. He appeared in ''Ulilang Anghel ...

, Romeo Vasquez, Greg Martin and Juancho Gutierrez. He played an impotent husband in the movie ''Uhaw'' (1970) with Merle Fernandez and Tito Galla, directed by Ruben Abalos.

Later career

He played Mayor Joaquin Montejo in '' Esperanza'' shown in

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company under L ...

, starring

Judy Ann Santos Judy Anne Lumagui Santos (born May 11, 1978) is a Filipino actress and film producer. Prolific in film and television in the Philippines since the early 1990s, she is known for her comedic and dramatic roles in independent films and blockb ...

in 1997. He also played as Governor in'' Makapiling Kang Muli'',

GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network ( ...

's prime time television series. As a veteran actor, he appeared in more than 120 movies and television shows since 1959. He was inducted to the Eastwood City Walk Of Fame Philippines in December 2014 for his contribution in movie acting and also TV acting.

Personal life

Lito had 3 children, Zoren, Kier and Brando who are also prospective movie actors. His daughter-in-law (Zoren's wife), Carmina Villaroel-Legaspi is an actress and TV presenter. His grandchildren, fraternal twins Maverick and Cassandra (children of Zoren and Carmina) and Dani Barretto (daughter of Kier and actress Marjorie Barretto) are in show business as well.

Health and death

On September 6, 2019, Legaspi was rushed to the Cardinal Santos Memorial Medical Center after having chest pains. He later died from cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at around 10:00 AM on September 8, 2019, two days before his 78th birthday. He was buried at Caryana Monastery in Magalang,

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tar ...

Selected filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Legaspi, Lito 1941 births 2019 deaths Filipino male television actors People from San Juan, Metro Manila