One of the most famous ventrilquists of the 20th century was Paul Winchell. Below is an excerpt of his biography from Wikipedia. At the end of the excerpt, a video clip from Winchell and Jerry Mahoney in 1956

Paul Winchell (born Paul Wilchinsky; December 21, 1922 – June 24, 2005) was an American ventriloquist, comedian, actor, voice artist, humanitarian, and inventor whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1950 to 1954, he hosted The Paul Winchell Show, which also used two other titles during its prime time run on NBC: The Speidel Show, and What’s My Name?. From 1965–1968, Winchell hosted the children’s television series Winchell-Mahoney Time.

Winchell made guest appearances on Emmy Award-winning television series from the late 1950s to the mid 1970s, such as Perry Mason, The Dick Van Dyke Show, McMillan & Wife, The Donna Reed Show, and appearances as Homer Winch on The Beverly Hillbillies. In animation, he was the original voice of Tigger, Dick Dastardly, Gargamel, and other characters.

Winchell, who had medical training, was also an inventor, becoming the first person to build and patent a mechanical artificial heart, implantable in the chest cavity (US Patent #3097366).^[1] He has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television.