Manuel Benítez Pérez (born 4 May 1936), more commonly known as ''El Cordobés'' (The Cordovan), is a Spanish

bullfighter A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activity ...

matador A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...

, and actor active in the 1960s who brought an unorthodox acrobatic and theatrical style to the

bullring A bullring is an arena where bullfighting is performed. Bullrings are often associated with the Iberian Peninsula, but they can also be found through Iberian America and in a few Spanish and Portuguese ex-colonies in Africa. Bullrings are ...

Career

One of the original techniques practiced by El Cordobés was first shown at Anjucar. He waved his ''banderilla'' (Columpio) away, broke his banderillas down to 'pencil length', and standing with his back to the bull as it charged, moved his right leg out moments before the bull was upon him, causing the bull to swerve and allowing El Cordobés a moment to slam in the banderillas from just behind the left horn. This maneuver was repeated in bullfights across Spain, sometimes with even more dangerous variations, such as standing with his back to the barerra and driving in the banderillas after the horns passed either side of him. On May 20, 1964, when he made his first appearance at

Las Ventas The plaza de toros de Las Ventas, known simply as Las Ventas, is the largest bullfighting ring in Spain, located in the Guindalera quarter of the Salamanca district of Madrid. It was inaugurated on June 17, 1931. Its seating capacity of 23,798, m ...

in Madrid, the bullfight ended with the near-fatal goring of El Cordobés on the horns of the bull Impulsivo. Twenty-two days later El Cordobés fought again.Collins, Larry and Dominique Lapierre. ''Or I'll Dress You in Mourning''. Simon and Schuster, 1968, p. 319. By the time of his first retirement, in 1971, El Cordobés had become the highest-paid

in history. After eight years of retirement, he returned to bullfighting in 1979. Following an incident in 1983, when a bull that he was about to fight killed an ''espontáneo'' (bystander who jumps into bullring), El Cordobés was criticized by the press for allowing it to happen. El Cordobés continued to make occasional appearances as a matador until 2000, when he retired permanently. He also acted in several motion pictures. El Cordobés lives in near seclusion near Córdoba. In 2016 he appeared with the woman bullfighter Conchi Ríos and

Antonio Puerta Antonio José Puerta Pérez (; 26 November 1984 – 28 August 2007) was a Spanish professional footballer who played solely for Sevilla. Mainly a left midfielder who could also operate as an attacking left-back, he died on 28 August 2007 affec ...

Cehegín Cehegín () is a town and municipality in the Comarca del Noroeste of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, Spain, situated some 66 km from the city of Murcia. It has a population of approximately 16,248 with 8227 males and 8021 ...

in Murcia.Corrida toros fiestas Alcañiz
La Comarca.tv, Retrieved 27 November 2016

In art, entertainment, and media

An early biography, ''Or I'll Dress You in Mourning'', by journalists Larry Collins and

Dominique Lapierre Dominique Lapierre (30 July 1931 – 2 December 2022) was a French author. Life Dominique Lapierre was born in Châtelaillon-Plage, Charente-Maritime, France. At the age of thirteen, he travelled to the U.S. with his father who was a diploma ...

, was published in 1968 by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publi ...

. El Cordobés' story was also the basis for the musical ''

Matador A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...

'' (1987) by

Mike Leander Michael George Farr (30 June 1941 – 18 April 1996), known professionally as Mike Leander, was a British arranger, songwriter and record producer. He worked variously with The Beatles, David McWilliams ("Days of Pearly Spencer"), Gary Gli ...

and Eddie Seago. Poet Mike O'Connor included "Canción del Cordobés", about the matador's breakout performances in Mexico City in 1964, in his poetry volume ''When the Tiger Weeps,'' (2005). A song titled "El Cordobés" was performed by the Norwegian rap artist Diaz.

References

External links

*(Spanish
Biography and dates of bullfights
Francoist Spain Spanish bullfighters 1936 births Living people Sportspeople from the Province of Córdoba (Spain) People named in the Paradise Papers {{spain-bullfighting-bio-stub

Career

In art, entertainment, and media

See also

References

External links