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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 activity of bullfighting as practised in Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Peru, France, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and other countries influenced by Portuguese and Spanish culture. The main performer and leader of the entourage in a bullfight, and who finally kills the bull, is addressed as maestro (master), or with the formal title matador de toros (killer of bulls). The other bullfighters in the entourage are called subalternos and their suits are embroidered in silver as opposed to the matador's gold. They include the , , and banderilleros.
Present since the sport's earliest history, the number of women in bullfighting has steadily increased since the late-19 century, both on foot and on horseback. Usually, toreros start fighting younger bulls ( novillos or, more informally in some Latin American countries, vaquillas), and are called novilleros. Fighting of mature bulls commences only after a special match, called "the Alternative". At this same bullfight, the novillero (junior bullfighter) is presented to the crowd as a matador de toros.
In English, a torero is sometimes referred to by the term toreador, which was popularized by Georges Bizet in his opera Carmen. In Spanish, the word designates bullfighters on horseback, but is little used today, having been almost entirely displaced by rejoneador. Bullfighting, historically, started more with nobles upon horseback, all lancing bulls with accompanying commoners on foot doing helper jobs. As time went by, the work of the commoners on foot gained in importance up to the point whereupon they became the main and only act. Bullfighting on horseback became a separate and distinct act called "rejoneo" which is still performed, although less often.
The established term, Maletilla or espontáneo, is attributed to those who illegally jump into the ring and attempt to bullfight for their sake and glory. While the practice itself is widely despised by many spectators and fans alike, it is often claimed that some bullfighters started their careers in this way, El Cordobés being one of them.
The danger associated with bullfighting added to the matador's performance; they are regularly injured by bulls and, concurrently, 533 professional bullfighters have been killed in the arena since 1700.Fiske-Harrison, Alexander. '533 professional bullfighters killed in the ring since 1700', The Last Arena: In Search of the Spanish Bullfight blog Spanish bullfighter Manolete died from an injury in 1947. Matador Iván Fandiño died on 17 June 2017 at the Arènes Maurice-Lauche in Aire-sur-l'Adour, France, from a similar bullfighting injury.Fiske-Harrison, Alexander, 'Iván Fandiño: We Who Are About To Die Salute You…', The Last Arena: In Search of the Spanish Bullfight blog This hazard is said to be central to the nature and appeal of bullfighting.
The American writer Ernest Hemingway was a bullfighting aficionado. In his 1926 fictional work, The Sun Also Rises, the main storyline features a matador and scenes of bullfighting, as do his short stories The Capital of the World and The Undefeated. Outside of fiction, he also wrote at length on the subject in Death in the Afternoon (1932) and The Dangerous Summer (1959).
In 1962, Hollywood producer David Wolper produced The Story of a Matador, documenting what it was like to be a matador. In this case, it was the Matador Jaime Bravo.
In 2024, film director Albert Serra created a documentary film on the bullfighter Andrés Roca Rey called Afternoons of Solitude (Tardes de soledad).[5] Afternoons of Solitude El Diario Vasco[6] Yannick Vely Festival de San Sebastián 2024: Albert Serra Coquille d'Ardes Soledad, Paris Match
In order to protect the horse from the bull's horns, the horse is surrounded by a 'peto' – a mattress-like protection. Prior to 1928, horses did not wear any protection and a bull would frequently disembowel the opposing horse during this vulnerable stage.
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