Cardinal Luis Héctor Villalba, Archbishop emeritus of Tucumán (Argentina), was born in Buenos Aires on 11 October 1934. He entered the seminary in 1952 after obtaining the title of Perito mercantile in the state schools.

He was ordained a priest in 24 September 1960.

In 1961 he obtained a licentiate in theology and Church history from the Pontifical Gregorian University.

In 1967 he was appointed as prefect of the major seminary and professor in the Faculty of Theology at the Catholic University of Buenos Aires. In 1968 he became the first director of the San José vocational institute, where candidates to the priesthood of the archdiocese prepared for courses in philosophy and theology. From 1969 to 1971 he served as dean of the faculty of theology, and in 1972 he was appointed as parish priest of Santa Rosa da Lima in Buenos Aires.

On 20 October 1984 he was assigned the titular see of Ofena and appointed as auxiliary of Buenos Aires.

On 16 July 1991 he was transferred to the diocese of San Martin.

He served as metropolitan archbishop of Tucumán from 8 July 1999 to 10 June 2011. He was the first deputy president of the Episcopal Conference of Argentina for two consecutive mandates (2005-2008 and 2008-2011), under the presidency of the then-archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Previously he had been president of the Episcopal Commission for Catechesis and a member of the Commission for the Lay Apostolate.

Created and proclaimed Cardinal by Pope Francis in the consistory of 14 February 2015, of the Title of San Girolamo a Corviale.