Discovering the Soviet Union: Images of Foreign Celebrities Visiting Moscow

Visiting the Soviet Union, mainly Moscow and Saint Petersburg, was an extraordinary event for foreign actors and musicians due to the Iron Curtain policy that dominated the country's political scene after WW II.

The Moscow International Film Festival, which was established in 1935, became a symbolic meeting point for foreign and Soviet actors and filmmakers. For the Soviet audience, seeing a foreign celebrity with their own eyes was an unforgettable experience.

Check out Sputnik's gallery to see the world-famous actors and musicians visiting Moscow in the 20th century.

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American actor and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger in Red Square, 31 January 1988

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Italian actress Sophia Loren and Soviet actor Sergo Zakaridze in Red Square during the IV Moscow International Film Festival, on 4 July 1965

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German actress and singer Marlene Dietrich during a concert in Moscow in 1964

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American author John Steinbeck during autograph session in Moscow, 30 September 1963

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French actors Geneviève Page and Robert Hossein during the 4th Moscow International Film Festival in 1965

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Author Herbert Wells (1866-1946) among foreign tourists on Red Square, 24 July 1934

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British rock superstar Elton John strikes a Cossack pose in Cathedral Square, Moscow, May 27, 1979.

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Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida and Soviet actor Arkady Raikin at the Second International Film Festival in Moscow, 31 July 1961

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French actors Simone Signoret, Yves Montand and Françoise Arnoul after visiting the Moscow Kremlin on 16 July 1963

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Elizabeth Taylor (L) portraying the Queen of Light and Patsy Kensit as Mytyl (R) in 'The Bluebird' film made jointly by the Lenfilm studio and 20 Century Fox Studios, August 1976

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The Boney M disco band during a walk in Red Square, December 1978

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Italian singer and actor Adriano Celentano performs at the Olympyisky stadium in Moscow, 1987

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Soviet writer Maksim Gorky bids farewell to French novelist Romain Rolland and his wife. Moscow 1935

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Italian actress Claudia Cardinale in Moscow, 1967

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Actress Michelle Pfeiffer, left, and actor Sean Connery discuss an upcoming scene with director Fred Schepisi during a break in filming in Moscow of "The Russian House," based on the spy novel by John Le Carre, Oct. 13, 1989.