A performer who practices ventriloquism; someone who makes their voice sound like it's coming from somewhere else, often a puppet or dummy.
From Latin 'gaster' (stomach) and 'loqui' (to speak), combined with '-ist' (a person who practices). The term became common in the 1700s as ventriloquism became popular entertainment.
The most famous gastriloquist was probably Edgar Bergen, whose dummy Charlie McCarthy was so lifelike that audiences debated whether the dummy or Bergen was actually speaking—he even brought the dummy to Hollywood premieres!
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