El Matador Jaime Bravo
VISUAL MEDIA
Matador Jaime Bravo was a showman... Starting as a trapeze artist, in his teens, then stowing away on ships to reach Spain and become a celebrity matador, to appearing in various documentaries, films, and television shows. A car accident cut short his life, before he was able to fully transition to a new career, in film and television.
Below are 4 of those documentary, film, and television appearances, as well as 1 clip from a 1962 bullfight.
DOCUMENTARY TELEVISION FILM
This film, directed by Art Swerdloff, and titled "The Story Of A Matador" (1962), was a David Wolper production, with Bravo demonstrating what a bullfighter went through as he rose to stardom in the rings. "It is one of my favourite half hour films," Swerdloff commented recently when asked about it. "One of the best I've done."
FILM
LOVE HAS MANY FACES (1965)
Scandalous for the time, "Love Has Many Faces" (1965) featured Bravo as what else... a matador. Starring Lana Turner, Cliff Robertson, Hugh O'Brian, Ruth Roman, and Stefanie Powers, the film was rife with repeated affairs... seemingly Bravo was typecast. Although Bravo spoke English very well, the film's producers used another actor's voice to dub over Bravo's thick accent.
One article described the following: "Though his role is small, one of the more interesting people in the film, at least off-screen, is Bravo. A legendary bullfighter for many years prior to this shot at feature filmmaking, he was renowned for his dramatic performances in the ring and notorious for his ridiculously high number of conquests outside it (including, allegedly, Ava Gardner."
EL Matador Jaime Bravo played a small part in a movie called "Un Toro Me Llama" (1968), which was available through a California distributor some years ago in both English and Spanish. (English title, "Call Of A Bull").
The film starred the late Emilio Fernandez and a cast of Americans, the main theme being about a woman wanting to be a bullfighter. Bravo was there, for more reason than not, just to see how he looked on the screen... which was pretty good.
TELEVISION
A hit TV show, for 11 years. "To Tell The Truth" featured El Matador Jaime Bravo on it's January 31, 1966 episode.
BULFFIGHT FOOTAGE
Rare color footage of Matador Jaime Bravo, performing in the ring by sea, Plaza Monumental, in Tijuana, Mexico.