[3] Magalona and his wife Tita Duran, appeared in numerous Sampaguita Pictures films.
He also co-starred on some Hollywood movies that were shot in the Philippines, such as The Hook (with Kirk Douglas) and Merrill's Marauders (with Jeff Chandler).
[6] He won the FAMAS Award for Best Actor in 1958 for Hanggang sa Dulo ng Daigdig and is best remembered for playing the character Simoun in the film version of José Rizal's novel El Filibusterismo.
A heavy smoker, he suffered from emphysema and died at the Lung Center of the Philippines on April 7, 1998.
He was buried in Loyola Memorial Park, Sucat, Parañaque beside his wife Tita Duran.