BULLFIGHTER (1932 - 1998)
Antonio Ordoņez was one of Spain's most famous bullfighters. Born
in Ronda in 1932, he made his first public appearance as a bullfighter
in 1948 and in 1951, aged 19, he appeared in the bullring in Madrid.
In the glittering career which followed, Ordoņez came face to face
with over 1000 bulls. He finally retired in 1968, having fought
over 60 bullfights in that year alone.
His father was "El Niņo de la Palmas", also a well-known bullfighter.
He fought in Pamplona in the 1920s where he met Ernest Hemingway,
who had developed a great interest in bullfighting. Antonio knew
Hemingway as a boy and called him 'Father Ernest'.
Antonio virtually retired in 1968 and turned to bull breeding
on his estate near Ronda. He was also a friend of the American film
star Orson Welles, and when Orson Welles died in 1987, his ashes
were scattered on Antonio's estate.
Following the family tradition, his grandson Francisco
Rivera Ordóñez also became a bullfighter and was
briefly married to the daughter of the Duquesa de Alba, a member
of Spain's most aristocratic family, with more titles to her name
than the king!
His daughter, Carmen Ordonez married the famous bullfighter Paquirri
(Francisco Rivera). They later divorced and Paquirri married the
singer Isabel Pantoja. Paquirri died in a bullfight near Cordoba.
Antonio Ordoņez died in Sevilla in 1998. His ashes were scattered
on his beloved estate near Ronda.
There is a monument this great bullfighter at the gates of the
La Malaguita bullring in Malaga.
