The Legend Of Tessie Agana: Beloved Child Star Of The Philippines

Tessie Agana is known as the Shirley Temple of the Philippines. Her movie career is legendary in the Philippines as she starred in dozens of films, many with her mother, Linda Estrella. In fact, Agana was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 FAMAS awards (Philippines equivalent of the Oscars). A book titled “The Legend of Tessie Agana: Beloved Child Star of the Philippines” is debuting on September 20. The book was written by Agana’s daughter, Mylene Agana Jao Richardson.

A book signing will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, September 22, 2023, at Barnes & Noble Valparaiso, Valparaiso Marketplace, 150 Silhavy Road, Suite 120, Valparaiso, IN.

The book chronicles the life stories of two separate yet inextricably connected film careers and the personal choices behind them. As the author learns more about her famous mother, she experiences her own voyage of self-discovery which provides insight into her life.

Mylene connects with her mom who today lives with dementia. Mylene listens to her mother’s stories of yesteryear, and their candid discussions, described in the book, break barriers between mother and daughter.

“The process of writing this book was an eye-opener in every way, and my mother and I have rebuilt a more fulfilling relationship,” Mylene said. “We have learned to embrace the past and celebrate the present. This story, I believe, can only be told from the lens of a family member revealing details out of love, respect, and honor.”

In 2022, Tessie received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) during its 70th Awards ceremony. Tessie and her children and grandchildren were able to travel to the Philippines for the event.

Looking Back

Tessie Agana was affectionately deemed “The Nation’s Little Sweetheart” and known as the “Shirley Temple of the Philippines.” With unsparing truth, Mylene offers the first intimate portrait of her mother, whose early fame and exposure to the public eye led to dark shadows that impacted her entire life.

The story follows their early lives and extraordinary rise to fame. Just eight years old, Mylene’s mother, Tessie Agana, starred in the lead role as a young child actor in a movie, and overnight, she catapulted to a household name and broke box-office records with a sensational hit called “Roberta.” Although a shy young girl, Tessie’s sweetness and charisma captivated the entire country.

Full of behind-the-scenes anecdotes, the book transitions to personal narratives of Tessie’s adult struggles - the complexities of family dynamics, depression, and isolation, showing how in Tessie’s life, a spiral of love, mental health, and pain lurked behind a charmed façade.

Mylene also tells of historical events that played important roles as the background to the story. During World War II, Mylene’s grandparents hid in the rice fields from the Japanese soldiers on their dangerous walks to Sunday Mass. Consuelo gave birth to Tessie in 1942 with bombs exploding around the hospital.

Tessie’s mother, Linda Estrella, began acting at seventeen years old. Her beauty, with hazel eyes and an operatic voice, had fans adoring her. The mother/daughter duo starred in popular movies together and toured the world as professional singers.

Fame has its difficulties. Hundreds of fans gathered, all day and all night, outside the gates to their home. They had to have around-the-clock body guards. Thousands lined the streets to catch a glimpse as they were in route to an event led by a police motorcade. With paparazzi surrounding them, they lived in a glass bubble where every move was written about or was the latest gossip. This close, almost unbearable, scrutiny led to the decision to move to the United States.

Tessie felt an immediate change from the whirlwind of the Philippines, and after the move, she was living like every teenager. For the first time, she experienced a sense of relief and freedom without chaperones or bodyguards. Growing up as a teenager in America was fascinating for Tessie. She had high school girlfriends, listened to records, drove to the beach, and had crushes on stars like Elvis and Rock Hudson.

“It’s rare for a daughter to put into poignant prose the travails and triumphs of her mother,” said Gina Vera-Perez De Venecia, Humanitarian, former Congresswoman in the Philippines. “It is rarer still for a mother to view her entire life through the prism of her beloved offspring. Yet, this is the lyrical brilliance of this jewel of a book, ‘The Legend of Tessie Agana.’”

The Author

Mylene Agana Jao Richardson is a first-time author who in 2009 developed a passionate desire to write a book as a way for her sons to learn about their grandmother and great-grandmother. This effort turned into years of interviews with family members and friends, and it provided a unique glimpse into the lives of these important women.

Mylene was born in Manila, Philippines, and is the sixth of nine children (six boys and three girls) of Tessie Agana Jao and Dr. Rodolfo Jao. Although Mylene grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana, her trips back to the Philippines are her most memorable family vacations.

Today, Mylene lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband and their two teenage sons.

For more information, visit https://www.mylenerichardson.com.