Sidney Franklin

Sidney Franklin (born Sidney Frumkin; 11 July 1903 – 26 April 1976) was the first American to become a successful matador, the most senior level of bullfighter. Biography Sidney Franklin was born in Brooklyn, New York to Orthodox Jewish parents. In 1922, he traveled to Mexico City, where he began a career in bullfighting. He fought bulls in Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Colombia, and Panama. In Death in the Afternoon, Ernest Hemingway wrote: Franklin is brave with a cold, serene and intelligent valor but instead of being awkward and ignorant he is one of the most skillful, graceful and slow manipulators of a cape fighting today. His repertoire with the cape is enormous but he does not attempt by a varied repertoire to escape from the performance of the veronica as the base of his cape work and his veronicas are classical, very emotional, and beautifully timed and executed. You will find no Spaniard who ever saw him fight who will deny his artistry and excellence with the cape.