One of the best known classical musicians in the world, Itzhak Perlman is a world-class violin player and conductor.

Born in Tel Aviv, Perlman taught himself violin on a toy fiddle at the tender age of three. Although he contracted polio when he was four, he made a strong recovery and was well enough to begin his formal training at the Shulamit Conservatory and Academy of Music in Tel Aviv before moving to the US to train at Juilliard when he was ten. He entered America's public consciousness with a couple of performances on the uber-popular Ed Sullivan Show in 1958 and officially began his decades-long career with his first tour in 1963. Perlman's resume is eclectic to say the least: he's performed on Sesame Street and the Tonight Show in addition to more conventional venues like Carnegie Hall. Although he's best known as a classical soloist, he's mixed it up with some high-profile jazz performances and has habitually partnered up with Yo-Yo Ma, for events like the 150th anniversary of Tchaikovsky's birth to film scores like Memoirs of a Geisha. He's even earned acclaim as a singer, such as when he played the role of "Un carceriere" in Puccini's Tosca and has continued to diversify his pursuits as a conductor for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Westchester Philharmonic. [Image via Getty]