El Cordobés biography
El Cordobés, (Spanish: “The Córdovan”) , byname of Manuel Benítez Pérez, additionally known as Manolo, (born May 4, 1936?, Palma del Río, Córdoba, Spain), Spanish bullfighter, essentially the most extremely paid torero in historical past. The crudity of his method was offset by his distinctive reflexes, braveness (generally thought of complete indifference to his personal security), and crowd attraction.
Reared in an orphanage in his native city, Benítez was imprisoned for stealing meals and later for unauthorized entry into bullrings. He remained illiterate till the interval of his obligatory army service within the late Nineteen Fifties. Said to have been impressed by a monument to the nice matador Manolete in Córdoba, Spain, he started his profession in 1959. During the 1960 season, whereas he was nonetheless a novillero (novice bullfighter), he attracted consideration all through Andalusia. He didn't attain full rank as a matador till 1963, when he had already change into well-known. In 1965 he fought in 111 corridas, breaking the single-season file of 109 established by Juan Belmonte in 1919. In August 1965 he killed 64 bulls (a file for one month) and is believed to have been paid 35,000,000 pesetas (about $600,000).
El Cordobés’s antics and daredevil stunts—similar to kissing the bull between the horns—attracted extraordinary crowds. He appeared in movement footage, the primary of which was Aprendiendo a morir (1962; “Learning to Die”). He retired in 1972, however returned briefly to the bullring in 1979.