Five Itzhak Perlman videos that range from hilarious to heart-warming

Violinist Itzhak Perlman turns 70 on 31 August. These videos prove that whether he's performing on a kitchen blender or teaching kids about disability, he is a true legend.

Playing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star on his blender

Last year the maestro demonstrated he's not just a great violinist but he's  also a wizard with kitchen hardware too.

Slapstick comedy

Itzhak Perlman and classical music comedian Peter Schickele brought the house down in 1994 at a Boston Pops Concert. The pair played 'Konzertschitcke for two violins mit orchestra' by P.D.Q. Bach - "the 21st of Bach's 20 children". The great composer John Williams conducts them - for added star wattage.

A duet for violin and tuba on Sesame Street

In 1980, Perlman duetted with Sesame Street's Telly Monster in a unique rendition of Beethoven's Minuet in G.

Perlman's Woody Allen film cameo

Perlman popped up in Woody Allen's 1996 musical comedy Everyone Says I Love You, playing at a 'chic soiree' thrown by Goldie Hawn's character, Steffi, to 'help the New York Philharmonic'.

A touching moment on Sesame Street

Perlman survived a bout of polio as a child and walked with crutches throughout his career. In 1981, Perlman appeared again on Sesame Street in a poignant segment which showed that people with disabilities in one area can have exceptional abilities in others.