Villella began dance training at age 10 and soon won a scholarship to the School of American Ballet. Later he entered New York City's School of Performing Arts. After a four-year hiatus he joined the New York City Ballet in 1957 and became a soloist within a year. A notable interpreter of the dramatic title role in a revival of George Balanchine's (Balanchine, George) Prodigal Son (1960), Villella also appeared as the Faun in Jerome Robbins (Robbins, Jerome)'s Afternoon of a Faun and created the roles of Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1962) and Harlequin in Harlequinade (1965), both by Balanchine. He also excelled in the nonvirtuosic but deeply dynamic Watermill (1972), created for him by Robbins. He performed in a number of pas de deux with Patricia McBride for television. After retiring from the stage, he worked with and taught at a number of dance companies and universities before helping to found the Miami troupe. Within a decade the Miami City Ballet was recognized worldwide. In 1997 Villella was awarded both the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors. Prodigal Son: Dancing for Balanchine in a World of Pain and Magic, an autobiography (written with Larry Kaplan), was published in 1992.