Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez (4 July 1917 – 29 August 1947), known as Manolete, was 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 ...

Career

Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez was the son of a bullfighter (who also went by the name Manolete) and his wife Angustias. His father died when Manolete was five years old. Rising to prominence shortly after the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

, Manolete went on to be considered one of the greatest bullfighters of all time. His style was sober and serious, with few concessions to the gallery, and he excelled at the ''suerte de la muerte'' — the kill. Manolete's contribution to bullfighting included being able to stand very still while the bull passed close to his body and, rather than giving the passes separately, remaining in one spot and linking four or five consecutive passes into a compact series. He popularized the "Manoletina": a pass with the muleta normally given just before entering to kill with the sword. In addition to appearing in all of the major

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 ...

s of Spain, Manolete had important triumphs in

Plaza Mexico A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

Death

Manolete died in August 1947, following a fatal goring that occurred in his appearance alongside the up-and-coming matador

Luis Miguel Dominguín Luis Miguel González Lucas (9 November 1926 – 8 May 1996), better known as Luis Miguel Dominguín, was a bullfighter from Spain and son of noteworthy bullfighter, Domingo Dominguín. Dominguín adopted his father's name to gain popularity. ...

in the town of

Linares Linares may refer to: People *Fernando de Alencastre, 1st Duke of Linares (1641–1717), Spanish nobleman and military officer; viceroy of New Spain from 1711 to 1716 *Andreu Linares (born 1975), Spanish futsal player * Art Linares, American polit ...

. As he killed the fifth bull of the day, the Miura bull

Islero Islero was a Miura bull famed for killing the celebrated bullfighter Manolete on August 28, 1947. Bulls from the Miura ranch, located near Seville, Spain, are known for being large and ferocious. Islero had poor eyesight and tended to chop with ...

, Manolete was gored in his upper right leg, in an event that left Spain in a state of shock. The cause of his death has not been fully determined, and some believe that he died after receiving a transfusion with the wrong type of blood.

In popular culture

*The George A. Romero film, ''

Land of the Dead ''Land of the Dead'' (also known as ''George A. Romero's Land of the Dead'') is a 2005 post-apocalyptic horror film written and directed by George A. Romero; the fourth of Romero's six ''Living Dead'' movies, it is preceded by ''Night of the Liv ...

'' featured a character named Manolete, who was named after the bullfighter. * Crooked Fingers' 2005 album ''

Dignity and Shame ''Dignity and Shame'' is the fourth album recorded by the indie rock band Crooked Fingers. This album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005. It has been billed as a concept album based on the lives of bullfighter Manol ...

'' is loosely based in part on the life of Manolete. *"Death of Manolete" is a 10,000 Maniacs song from the 1983 album '' Secrets of the I Ching''. *Manolete was cited as the greatest bullfighter in the '' Twilight Zone'' episode, " A Game of Pool." *

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in ...

portrays Manolete in his double-image painting, '' The Hallucinogenic Toreador'', 1969, Salvador Dalí Museum, St. Petersburg, FL *A song called "The Great Manolete" (to the tune of "La Virgen De La Macarena") appears on the album '' Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, Volume 2'' (A&M, 1962). *"The Death of Manolete" was an entry in the television series ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of the ...

'' starring

Jack Palance Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk ( uk, Володимир Палагню́к); February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American actor known for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, all fo ...

in the titular role and directed by

John Frankenheimer John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films. Among his credits were '' Birdman of Alcatraz'' (1962), '' The Manchurian Candidate'' ...

in 1957. *

Adrien Brody Adrien Nicholas Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an American actor. He received widespread recognition and acclaim after starring as Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's '' The Pianist'' (2002), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Ac ...

played Manolete in '' Manolete'' (2008). Omar Muñoz played a young Manolete. * He is mentioned in RKO281.

Gallery

File:Manolete.jpg, Plaque commemorating his birthplace File:Monumento a Manolete, Córdoba 003.JPG, Manolete in his home town of Córdoba (Spain) File:Madrid-Manolete monument near Tore Arias.jpg, Manolete monument in Madrid File:MRodriguezPlazaTorosDF.JPG, Statue of Manolete in outside the bullring in Mexico City File:Manolete. Maracay.jpg, Manolete in Venezuela

Publications

* Barnaby Conrad, ''The Death of Manolete'', Phoenix Books, 2007.

References

External links

Manolete
at Spanish-Fiestas.com
Manolete, Estrella Internacional
La Cueva de Zaratustra
Manolete en México 1945 (in Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manolete 1917 births 1947 deaths Sportspeople from Córdoba, Spain Spanish bullfighters Bullfighters killed in the arena Sport deaths in Spain Sport in Mexico