Luis Miguel González Lucas
Encyclopedia
Luis Miguel González Lucas (November 9, 1926, Madrid
- May 8, 1996) was a famous bullfighter
from Spain
, better known as Luis Miguel Dominguín. His father was the legendary Domingo Dominguín; he adopted his father's name to gain popularity.
Dominguín enjoyed wide popularity during the 1940s and 1950s as he conquered bulls all over Spain
, Portugal
, Colombia
and other places. He debuted at the age of eleven and was active in the card where another legend, Manolete
, lost his life.
Dominguín was also a socialite having friends like Pablo Picasso
and who had a tempestuous romance with the American actress Ava Gardner
and the fashion model China Machado. In 1954, he married actress Lucia Bosé
, who gave birth to his son Miguel Bosé
, a Grammy winning singer. In 1959, he and his brother-in-law, Antonio Ordóñez
, engaged in a bullfighting rivalry that was chronicled by Ernest Hemingway
in his book, The Dangerous Summer
. Ordóñez won.
Dominguin's last fight was in Barcelona on Sept 12 1973.
(Cadiz).
. Dominguin is half a year her junior, so far they parted as friends only until they met again in 1954, this time in the States. She went on to work abroad in Spain to meet up with friends and Dominguin. After her return back to Mexico
Sternova was found dead from an overdose. In one hand she clutched three farewell notes; in the other, a photograph showing her with Dominguin and his mother. Rumor has it that she took her own life over the marriage of Dominguin and Bosè.
was being widely reported. He considered her the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but liked her more, he said, for her humor and understanding; he confessed himself unsure what he looked for in women. "Men fall in love with a woman`s faults rather than her qualities," he mused.
Ava, had been previously associated with other bullfighters, though then she was still married to Frank Sinatra
, she didn't spare any affairs during her vacations in Spain. The most spirited of them all was, no doubt, Luis Miguel Dominguin. However, the relationship was so passionate and stormy, and the fights between him and the diva had people talking. But also they had their tender moments. It is said that in their first night of lovemaking, he got out of bed and she asked: "Where are you going?". "To go tell!" Replied the bullfighter. Years later, he admitted to a friend he made up that anecdote. Frank Sinatra's jealousy intervened in this affair, and it is said that on one occasion in which she was beside herself, mixing insults in English and Spanish, Luis Miguel whipped her a few slaps.
Subsequently Ava divorced Sinatra and Luis Miguel saw his chance to establish their relationship. He wanted to get married and have children, but this wasn't in the Hollywood actress's plans. The idyll ended in September 1954. Years later, he was recalling with affection: "She was the prettiest and the most fierce. I had a very fierce wolf in a cage."
At the airport she met the producer, Manuel Goyanes, and Luis Miguel, who introduced him to the Italian actress. At first she thought he was just a blowhard bully, but in the end he inspired interest and won her over. They soon overcame the language barrier that separated them and the fact that she knew nothing about bullfighting. They still had not yet kissed when he asked her to marry him. They were married in Las Vegas on March 1, 1955.
Lucia has confessed that their first year of marriage was not too idyllic: "It was a very hard experience. I did not speak Spanish and I do not know anything, he did not speak Italian. I think that's how the passion was born, because we did not understand each other. When I began to understand who he was and he who I was, the crisis began."
But the matador knew well how to compensate: "It never ceased to amaze me the incalculable force of his sexual incontinence," said the actress. Shortly after marrying she became pregnant and was forced to marry through the church in order to quell the scandals. The ceremony took place on 19 October 1955.
Luis Miguel returned to the bullfighting arenas abroad and their first son, little Miguel, was born in Panama on April 3, 1956. Their second child, Lucia, born in 1957 and Paola, born in 1960.
Lucia and Luis Miguel were married for years, but their differences were accentuated over time, especially her lack of interest for the bulls. She never became part of the "Dominguin" clan, and the Dominguíns never liked her. On the other hand, the infidelities of the bullfighter also took their toll. "I, in a matter of horns, a gold medal," Lucia asserted.
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
- May 8, 1996) was a famous bullfighter
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, southern France and some Latin American countries , in which one or more bulls are baited in a bullring for sport and entertainment...
from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, better known as Luis Miguel Dominguín. His father was the legendary Domingo Dominguín; he adopted his father's name to gain popularity.
Dominguín enjoyed wide popularity during the 1940s and 1950s as he conquered bulls all over Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and other places. He debuted at the age of eleven and was active in the card where another legend, Manolete
Manolete
Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez , better known as Manolete, was a Spanish bullfighter.He rose to prominence shortly after the Spanish Civil War and is considered by some to be the greatest bullfighter of all time. His style was sober and serious, with few concessions to the gallery, and he...
, lost his life.
Dominguín was also a socialite having friends like Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
and who had a tempestuous romance with the American actress Ava Gardner
Ava Gardner
Ava Lavinia Gardner was an American actress.She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers . She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day...
and the fashion model China Machado. In 1954, he married actress Lucia Bosé
Lucia Bosé
Lucia Bosè, born Lucia Borloni , is an Italian actress, who was at the height of her fame during the period of Italian Neorealism, the 1940s and 1950s. She is the mother of famous Spanish singer Miguel Bosé.-Life and career:...
, who gave birth to his son Miguel Bosé
Miguel Bosé
Miguel Dominguín Bosé is a Latin Grammy-winning Spanish/Italian musician and actor.-Early life:Bosé was born in San Fernando Hospital in Panama City, Panama, the son of the famous Italian actress Lucia Bosé and the legendary bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín. He is also a cousin of Carmen...
, a Grammy winning singer. In 1959, he and his brother-in-law, Antonio Ordóñez
Antonio Ordóñez
Antonio Ordóñez Araujo was a famous Spanish bullfighter.-Bullfighting career:Ordóñez was born Antonio Ordóñez Araujo in Ronda, Spain. He was one of the top bullfighters of his time. As a matador, Ordoñez came face to face with over 3000 bulls...
, engaged in a bullfighting rivalry that was chronicled by Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
in his book, The Dangerous Summer
The Dangerous Summer
The Dangerous Summer is a book written by Ernest Hemingway published in 1985, which describes the rivalry between bullfighters Luis Miguel Dominguín and his brother-in-law Antonio Ordóñez during the "dangerous summer" of 1959...
. Ordóñez won.
Later career
In 1971 at the age of 44 he returned to the bullring. That year he retired again, but returned to the ring in 1971, aged 45, when he attempted to fathom the sport's continuing allure. His comeback was at Las Palmas, the Canary Islands, when he wore the costume known as the "suit of lights," which had been designed for him by Picasso. He killed two bulls and won one ear, but was overshadowed by younger men - although the actress Deborah Kerr, who was in the crowd, insisted, "He is still the greatest bull-fighter."Dominguin's last fight was in Barcelona on Sept 12 1973.
Death
He died of heart failure at 69 in 1996. He is buried in the cemetery San Enrique de Guadiaro, near SotograndeSotogrande
Sotogrande is the largest resort and privately owned residential development in Andalusia. A large part of the resort is administered by NH Hotels and it is considered part of the NH World...
(Cadiz).
Miroslava Sternova
In 1953 Luis Miguel Dominguin meets Miroslava Sternova in CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Dominguin is half a year her junior, so far they parted as friends only until they met again in 1954, this time in the States. She went on to work abroad in Spain to meet up with friends and Dominguin. After her return back to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
Sternova was found dead from an overdose. In one hand she clutched three farewell notes; in the other, a photograph showing her with Dominguin and his mother. Rumor has it that she took her own life over the marriage of Dominguin and Bosè.
Ava Gardner
By 1954 Dominguin's friendship with Ava GardnerAva Gardner
Ava Lavinia Gardner was an American actress.She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers . She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day...
was being widely reported. He considered her the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but liked her more, he said, for her humor and understanding; he confessed himself unsure what he looked for in women. "Men fall in love with a woman`s faults rather than her qualities," he mused.
Ava, had been previously associated with other bullfighters, though then she was still married to Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, she didn't spare any affairs during her vacations in Spain. The most spirited of them all was, no doubt, Luis Miguel Dominguin. However, the relationship was so passionate and stormy, and the fights between him and the diva had people talking. But also they had their tender moments. It is said that in their first night of lovemaking, he got out of bed and she asked: "Where are you going?". "To go tell!" Replied the bullfighter. Years later, he admitted to a friend he made up that anecdote. Frank Sinatra's jealousy intervened in this affair, and it is said that on one occasion in which she was beside herself, mixing insults in English and Spanish, Luis Miguel whipped her a few slaps.
Subsequently Ava divorced Sinatra and Luis Miguel saw his chance to establish their relationship. He wanted to get married and have children, but this wasn't in the Hollywood actress's plans. The idyll ended in September 1954. Years later, he was recalling with affection: "She was the prettiest and the most fierce. I had a very fierce wolf in a cage."
Lucia Bosé
Italian actress and former Miss Italy, Lucia Bosé flew to Madrid to shoot the film "Muerte de un ciclista" (Death of a cyclist).At the airport she met the producer, Manuel Goyanes, and Luis Miguel, who introduced him to the Italian actress. At first she thought he was just a blowhard bully, but in the end he inspired interest and won her over. They soon overcame the language barrier that separated them and the fact that she knew nothing about bullfighting. They still had not yet kissed when he asked her to marry him. They were married in Las Vegas on March 1, 1955.
Lucia has confessed that their first year of marriage was not too idyllic: "It was a very hard experience. I did not speak Spanish and I do not know anything, he did not speak Italian. I think that's how the passion was born, because we did not understand each other. When I began to understand who he was and he who I was, the crisis began."
But the matador knew well how to compensate: "It never ceased to amaze me the incalculable force of his sexual incontinence," said the actress. Shortly after marrying she became pregnant and was forced to marry through the church in order to quell the scandals. The ceremony took place on 19 October 1955.
Luis Miguel returned to the bullfighting arenas abroad and their first son, little Miguel, was born in Panama on April 3, 1956. Their second child, Lucia, born in 1957 and Paola, born in 1960.
Lucia and Luis Miguel were married for years, but their differences were accentuated over time, especially her lack of interest for the bulls. She never became part of the "Dominguin" clan, and the Dominguíns never liked her. On the other hand, the infidelities of the bullfighter also took their toll. "I, in a matter of horns, a gold medal," Lucia asserted.
Rosario Primo de Rivera
He divorced Bosé in 1968, and in 1987 married Rosario Primo de Rivera. In 1971 at the age of 44 he returned to the bullring, and retired for good in 1973.External links
- Luis Miguel Dominguin - Daily Telegraph obituary