Antonio Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez (born 13 January 1977 in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, Spain) is a Spanish ''

torero 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 activi ...

'' or bullfighter.

Family ties

Rivera is the son of Francisco Rivera '

Paquirri Francisco Rivera Pérez (; 5 March 1948 – 26 September 1984), better known as Paquirri (), was a Spanish bullfighter. He died after being gored by a Spanish Fighting Bull, bull named Avispado at the Pozoblanco bullring. During his career, he ...

' and Carmen Ordóñez. He belongs to a long line of famous bullfighters: his great-grandfather was Cayetano Ordóñez, who fought under the name 'El Niño de la Palma', and was the inspiration for the young matador in

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

's novel ''

The Sun Also Rises ''The Sun Also Rises'' is the first novel by the American writer Ernest Hemingway, following his experimental novel-in-fragments '' In Our Time (short story collection)'' (1925). It portrays American and British expatriates who travel from Par ...

''. His grandfather, the great matador

Antonio Ordóñez Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular ...

, was a friend of Hemingway and of

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

. Antonio is the subject, with Cayetano's ''torero'' great-uncle Luis Miguel Dominguín, of Hemingway's book ''

The Dangerous Summer ''The Dangerous Summer'' is a nonfiction book by Ernest Hemingway published posthumously in 1985 and written in 1959 and 1960. The book describes the rivalry between Spanish-style bullfighting, bullfighters Luis Miguel Gonzalez Lucas, Luis Miguel ...

''. His father

was killed by the bull Avispado when Cayetano was 8. His elder brother is the matador Francisco Rivera Ordóñez.

Career

Rivera made his novice debut 'con picadores' on 26 March 2005. On 9 September 2006 he took his 'alternativa' to become a full matador in the bullring with which his family is most associated in Ronda with his brother, Francisco, as his 'padrino.' He cut four ears of the two bulls he fought that day. In 2007 he was on the cover of Vogue with

Penélope Cruz Penélope Cruz Sánchez (born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Prolific in Spanish and English-language films, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, a David di Donatello and three Goya Awards. Cru ...

for an editorial titled 'Made in Spain' shot by

Annie Leibovitz Anna-Lou Leibovitz ( ; born October 2, 1949) is an American Portrait photography, portrait photographer best known for her portraits, particularly of celebrities, which often feature subjects in intimate settings and poses. Leibovitz's Polaroid ...

. Rivera met Giorgio Armani in

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

in 2006 and the Italian designer proposed to design a 'suit of lights' for Rivera to wear during the bullfights of the world famous 'feria goyesca' celebrating the first matador, Pedro Romero, in his - and Rivera's - hometown of

Ronda Ronda () is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliffside location and a deep canyon that ca ...

. Cayetano's grandfather founded the feria in the 1950s and

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

designed his suit for him. Cayetano has also represented the men's luxury fashion house Loewe as brand ambassador. During the 2009 season he fought in 58 festivals and cut 77 ears, ranking him as number 6 in Spain on the ''Escalafón Matadores'', the 'Matadors Ladder', up from number 16 in 2008. That year, before a corrida in

Sanlúcar de Barrameda Sanlúcar may refer to: * Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a city in the Province of Cádiz, Spain * Sanlúcar de Guadiana, a village in the Province of Huelva, Spain * Sanlúcar la Mayor, a city in the Province of Seville, Spain *Sanlúcar de Albaida, forme ...

, he met with British author and amateur bullfighter

Alexander Fiske-Harrison Alexander Rupert Fiske-Harrison (born 22 July 1976) is an English author, journalist, and conservationist. His writing is known for his immersion in his subject matter. He trained and worked for some years as a method actor. For his first boo ...

, for an interview for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

''. He invited Fiske-Harrison to join him in the bullring, and, later that year, to stay with him and his family during the 'feria goyesca' in Ronda. This is recounted in ''Into The Arena: The World Of The Spanish Bullfight''. (The book went on to be shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 2011.) In September 2012 the documentary filmmaker Stevan Riley, in an interview with

Screen International ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...

about his cinema documentary ''Everything And Nothing: 50 Years Of James Bond'', said that he was currently making a feature-length documentary on

bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

with Cayetano for cinematic release. It is being produced by the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning John Battsek's Passion Pictures. Fiske-Harrison is the writer on the project and is co-producing it with Mephisto Productions. Cayetano soon afterwards announced his temporary retirement from professional bullfighting to pursue "other projects".Editorial staff
'Cayetano Rivera deja de torear temporalmente'
''El Mundo'', 7 October 2012

References

External links

Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera Ordonez, Cayetano 1977 births Living people Spanish bullfighters Sportspeople from Madrid