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 activ ...

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 () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, 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 public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

Death

Manolete died on 29 August 1947, following a fatal goring that occurred in his appearance alongside the up-and-coming matador Luis Miguel Dominguín in the town of Linares. As he killed the fifth bull of the day, the

Miura bull The Spanish Fighting Bull is an Iberian heterogeneous cattle (''Bos taurus'') population. It is exclusively bred free-range on extensive estates in countries where bullfighting is organized. Fighting bulls are selected primarily for a certai ...

Islero Islero was a Miura bull famed for killing the celebrated Bullfighting, 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 tend ...

, Manolete was gored in his right thigh, 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'' featured a character named Manolete, who was named after the bullfighter. *

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' 2005 album '' Dignity and Shame'' is loosely based in part on the life of Manolete. *"Death of Manolete" is a

10,000 Maniacs 10,000 Maniacs are an American alternative rock band founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four albums that c ...

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." *

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portrays Manolete in his double-image painting, ''

The Hallucinogenic Toreador ''The Hallucinogenic Toreador'' (Spanish: El Torero Alucinógeno) is a 1969–1970 multi-leveled oil painting by Salvador Dalí which employs the canons of his particular interpretation of surrealist thought. It is currently being exhibited at ...

'', 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 ''

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'' starring

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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 are ''Birdman of Alcatraz (film), Birdman of Alcatraz'', ''The Manc ...

in 1957. *

Adrien Brody Adrien Nicholas Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an American actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Polish pianist Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's war drama '' The Pianist'' (2002) becoming the youngest acto ...

played Manolete in ''

Manolete Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez (4 July 1917 – 29 August 1947), known as Manolete, was a Spanish bullfighter. Career Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez was the son of a bullfighter (who also went by the name Manolete) and his wife An ...

'' (2008). Omar Muñoz played a young Manolete. *In ''

The Blacklist ''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Jon Bokenkamp and developed by John Eisendrath. It stars James Spader as Raymond Reddington, an international criminal and one of the FBI's Most Wanted fugitives ...

'' season 10 episode "The Sicilian Error of Color", Reddington returns from Mexico with the horns of the bull named

which "killed Manolete". In the series final episode he brings the skull back to Spain 'where it belongs' after which he faces death the same way as Manolete. * He is mentioned in ''

RKO 281 ''RKO 281'' is a 1999 American historical drama television film directed by Benjamin Ross, written by John Logan, and starring Liev Schreiber, James Cromwell, Melanie Griffith, John Malkovich, Roy Scheider, and Liam Cunningham. The film d ...

''.

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 ( Luis Sanguino) 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. Barnaby Conrad also wrote, and narrated, an LP recording in 1957: "The Day Manolete Was Killed." Audio Fidelity AFLP 1831

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