Jascha Heifetz (February 2, 1901 - December 10, 1987) was a violinist, one of the most famous of the 20th century.

Heifetz was born in Vilna in Lithuania. His father was a violinist, and Jascha began playing the instrument at an early age. He was a child prodigy, playing the Violin Concerto by Mendelssohn in public at the age of six. In 1910 he entered the St Petersburg conservatory to study under Leopold Auer. He played in Germany and Scandinavia at the age of twelve and visited much of Europe while still in his teens.

His American debut came in 1917 when he played at Carnegie Hall. He stayed in the country and became an American citizen in 1925, making many public appearances and recordings. He had an immaculate technique and rapid vibrato. From time to time, his near perfect technique caused some critics to accuse him of being overly mechanical, even cold. Yet most critics agree, he infused his playing with feeling without compromising the composer's wishes.

Instead of soloing exclusively as most violinists of his stature did, Heifetz often enjoyed playing chamber music. Some notable collaborations include his 1940 recordings of trios by Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms with cellist Emmanuel Feuermann and pianist Artur Rubinstein as well as a later collaboration with Rubinstein and cellist Gregor Piatigorsky and recorded trios by Ravel, Tchaikovsky, and Mendelssohn.

Heifetz commissioned a number of pieces, perhaps most notably the Violin Concerto by William Walton.

In later years, he taught at the University of Southern California. He died in Los Angeles.