Villegas is the son of Cruz Villegas, head union communist,[3] confined to the Amazon jungle during the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez, and former president of the United Workers of Venezuela (CUTV) and vice president of the World Federation of Trade Unions.

His mother, Maja Poljak was Jewish Communist social activist and photographer born in Zagreb, Croatia, formerly Yugoslavia.

He is the brother of the journalist and politician Ernesto Villegas, Minister of Communication and Information since October 2012.

[8] In 2006 he was named deputy Foreign Minister for Asia, the Middle East and Oceania;[4][6] he resigned in 2007 over disagreements regarding the 2007 constitutional referendum.

[9] Villegas ultimately declined the position citing "differences" with the newly created board of directors.