Sergey Obraztsov

Sergey Vladimirovich Obraztsov (, 5 July 1901 – 8 May 1992) was a Soviet and Russian puppeteer who is credited by the Encyclopædia Britannica with "establishing puppetry as an art form in the Soviet Union." Puppet theaters in many countries owe their establishment to Obraztsov's influence. His collection of exotic puppets was the largest in Russia and one of the largest in the world.

Obraztsov was born on 22 June 1901 in Moscow into the family of a schoolteacher and a railroad engineer. Between 1922 and 1931, he worked as an actor with Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko in one of the studios of the Moscow Art Theatre. During this period, he staged several vaudeville-style puppet shows before going on to set up the State Central Puppet Theatre in Moscow in 1931. Obraztsov died on 8 May 1992 and was buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery.

The Obraztsov Foundation, established in 1998 by his family members and the Obraztsov Puppet Theatre, was aimed at preserving his rich creative legacy.

In September 2001, the Sergey Obraztsov Theatre (Moscow State Puppet Theatre named after Obraztsov) hosted a week-long centennial celebration which included an international array of performers.

Books written My Profession (1950) Foreign Languages, Moscow. Translated from the Russian by Ralph Parker and Valentina Scott. Contains many sepia plates of puppets plus a biography of Sergey Obraztsov. IMPRESSIONS OF LONDON: On What I Saw, Learned and Understood During Two Visits to London (1957) Sidgwick & Jackson, London The Chinese Puppet Theatre (1961) Faber & Faber Limited, UK.