London/Madrid  - The world's only British bullfighter has made a successful comeback at age 67 after four years out of the bullring, media reported Monday.

Frank Evans has a quadruple heart bypass and a prosthetic knee, but that did not prevent him from killing two bulls in Benalmadena, southern Spain, on Sunday.

The bullfighter known as El Ingles (The Englishman) received thunderous applause from a public comprising numerous British tourists, and was allowed to cut an ear from each bull in recognition of his skills.

The businessman from Manchester initially became interested in bullfighting when visiting Spain as a young man. He studied at a bullfighting school in Valencia, and made the grade of professional matador in 1991.

In 2005, Evans' doctors advised him to keep out of the bullring after a knee operation, but the lure of the bulls finally became too strong for the grandfather of five, who divides his time between Spain and Britain.

"It is not a pleasant way to spend an afternoon," Evans told The Times. "These are big beasts. But I only remember the good bits at the end."

Foreign matadors are nothing new in Spain, where they have included Britons, Italians, Russians, Japanese and Latin Americans.