L. Dominguin; Famed Spanish Bullfighter

Luis Miguel Dominguin, the famed bullfighter profiled by Ernest Hemingway and romantically linked with actress Ava Gardner, died Wednesday at his home in southern Spain. He was 69.

Dominguin, whose real name was Luis Miguel Gonzalez Lucas, suffered a stroke at his farm near Andujar. He had been suffering from stomach cancer.

In “The Dangerous Summer,” Hemingway chronicled the intense rivalry during the summer of 1959 between Dominguin and bullfighter Antonio Ordonez. The account was first published as an article in Life magazine in 1960 and by Scribner’s in book form in 1985.

“Bullfighting is worthless without rivalry. But with two great bullfighters it becomes a deadly rivalry,” Hemingway wrote, explaining that the constant one-upmanship can force one bullfighter to go beyond his abilities and get wounded or killed.

That dangerous summer ended with Dominguin being gored.

“The bull paid no attention to the cape and sank his horn into Luis Miguel’s thigh,” Hemingway wrote.

Dominguin’s steely nerves and dark, lean looks sparked the amorous attentions of film actresses, including Gardner, with whom he was romantically linked from 1953-1956.

“When Ava got divorced she called me and told me I could marry her, but it was too late,” Dominguin told columnist Liz Smith in 1991. “The truth is I couldn’t have gone on with her. She didn’t leave me any time for my bulls!”

The son of a famous bullfighter, Dominguin began his bullfighting career at age 11 in Lisbon. His last bullfight was in Barcelona on Sept. 12, 1973.

Dominguin’s son, Miguel Bose, is a singer and film actor. Dominguin is also survived by two daughters, Paola and Lucia.