Dolls have always played an important role in our lives, no matter what our activities are.

Today we take a look at dolls from an unusual angle. We show rare photos of famous people, and talk about the dolls as full-fledged partners that have helped to bring out the main characters in films more vividly.

Charlie McCarthy - Edgar Bergen's famous puppet ventriloquist partner

Charlie McCarthy, Detective

Charlie McCarthy is Edgar Bergen's famous puppet ventriloquist partner. Charlie took part in Bergen's performance while still in high school, and by 1930 was wearing his famous top hat, dinner jacket and monocle. The character was so famous that his popularity exceeded that of Bergen himself.

Charlie Chaplin (Charles Spencer Chaplin)

Charlie Chaplin (Charles Spencer Chaplin) is an actor, composer, screenwriter, director, producer and editor. He became famous for the image he invented of Charlie the Tramp.

Chaplin's name is familiar to everyone on the planet. His films have been seen by audiences of all generations and his biography is studied in film directing courses as a model for combining talent with a hands-on approach to the filmmaking process. He is rightly considered the king of comedy and a genius of directing.

17th December 1930: American silent screen comedian and actor Buster Keaton (1895-1966), known as 'The King of Deadpan' sits beside a model resembling himself.

Buster Keaton is an American actor known in the film world as "the comedian without a smile". At the height of his career, his popularity was comparable to that of Charlie Chaplin. The "stone face" of American silent cinema, Buster Keaton entertained people without sound or facial expressions. The subtle and perceptive artist made audiences weep with laughter.

Albert Einstein with an Albert Einstein doll

Everyone on earth knows Albert Einstein's name, even if physics is not their favourite subject or occupation. The theory of relativity he created is taught in general education schools. This photo shows Albert Einstein with an Albert Einstein doll given to him in 1931.

Actors Pierre Richard and Fabrice Greco with an inspiration doll. Film The Toy

Fabrice Greco, who played the title role, and the famous French actor Pierre Richard spent a lot of time surrounded by dolls and toys during the filming of the comedy Toy. The film premiered in 1976. The film is still very popular today.

The doll, as a prototype of a human being, often finds itself in the hands of creative people, giving further opportunities to reveal the image, or being a source of inspiration.

In the title photo: Marina Bychkova with her doll.

Photos are taken from open sources on the Internet.

With love and respect, Tatiana Kalinina