Antonio Ordóñez Araujo

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ordóñez and the second or maternal family name is Araujo.

Excelentísimo Señor Don Antonio Ordóñez MML
Ordonez in 1959
Born	Antonio Ordóñez Araujo (1932-02-16)16 February 1932 Ronda, Málaga, Spain
Died	19 December 1998(1998-12-19) (aged 66) Seville, Spain
Occupation	Bullfighter
Spouse	Carmen Cristina González
Children	2
Awards	Légion d'honneur Gold Medal of Merit in Labour

Antonio Ordóñez Araujo (16 February 1932 – 19 December 1998) was a Spanish bullfighter.

Early life

Antonio Jiménez Ordóñez Araujo was born in Ronda, Spain, on 16 February 1932. Son of Cayetano Ordóñez, Antonio was called Niño de la Palma, and some critics believe he was the prototype for the character of Pedro Romero, the matador in Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises.

Career

He was one of the top bullfighters of his time. As a matador, Ordóñez fought over 3,000 bulls. He retired in 1968, having fought over 60 bullfights in that year alone, but came back until finally retiring in 1988.

Social life

Antonio Ordóñez and Ernest Hemingway, in Málaga, 1959

Ordóñez met a number of writers and actors, and he also starred in a few films. Antonio was a long time friend of Ernest Hemingway, whom he called Father Ernesto. Hemingway wrote an account of Ordóñez's rivalry with the matador Luis Miguel Dominguín (also Ordóñez's brother-in-law) titled The Dangerous Summer. Ordóñez also befriended Hollywood movie star Orson Welles, whose ashes were buried on Ordóñez's estate after Welles's death.

Family

Ordóñez was married to Carmen Cristina González. They had two children, Ana Belén Ordóñez and Carmen Ordóñez. Carmen married the matador Paquirri (killed by a bull in 1984). His grandchildren, by daughter Carmen, are bullfighters Francisco Rivera Ordóñez and Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez.

Death

Antonio Ordóñez statue in the Plaza de Toros, Ronda

Ordóñez died of liver cancer on 19 December 1998.

Legacy

He was honored with a monument at the gates of La Malagueta bullring in Málaga and his ashes lie beneath the "toril" gate, opened to allow the bull to enter, in the oldest bullring in the world, in his home town of Ronda. His family owned the arena. There is a statue of him outside the arena.

Filmography

• Sol, playa y toros II. Bilbao - San Sebastián (1969)
• Toros y fiestas (1968)
• Historias de la fiesta (1965)
• La becerrada (1963)
• Tarde taurina (1957)

Honours

• Gold Medal of Merit in Labour (Kingdom of Spain, 24 December 1998).

References

• Antonio Ordóñez, Spanish matador in Encyclopædia Britannica
• Hemingway, Ernest (1985). The Dangerous Summer; London: Hamish Hamilton Ltd; ISBN 0-241-11521-3

External links

• Portal Taurino article