Comedian, composer, actor, singer and songwriter ("Inka Dinka Doo") Jimmy Durante was educated in New York public schools. He began his career as a Coney Island pianist, and organized a five-piece band in 1916. He opened the Club Durant with Eddie Jackson and Lou Clayton, with whom he later formed a comedy trio for vaudeville and on television. He appeared in the Broadway musicals "Show Girl", "The New Yorkers", "Strike Me Pink", "Jumbo", "Red Hot and Blue", and "Stars in Your Eyes". By 1936, he had appeared at the Palladium in London. Later he had his own radio and television shows, and was a featured headliner in night clubs. Biographer Gene Fowler wrote his biography, "Schnozzola". Joining ASCAP in 1941, he collaborated musically with Jackie Barnett and Ben Ryan, and his other popular song compositions include "I'm Jimmy That Well-Dressed Man", "I Know Darn Well I Can Do Without Broadway", "I Ups to Him and He Ups to Me", "Daddy Your Mamma Is Lonesome For You", "Umbriago", "Any State In the Forty-Eight", "Chidabee Chidabee Chidabee", and "I'm Jimmy's Girl". Date of Birth 10 February 1893, New York City, New York Date of Death 29 January 1980, Santa Monica, California (pneumonia)
Movie | And the Oscar Goes To... | Self (archive footage) | 2014-02-01 |
Movie | Don Knotts: Tied Up with Laughter | Himself | 2011-04-09 |
Movie | Checking Out: Grand Hotel | (archive footage) | 2004-02-03 |
Movie | Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2002-03-21 |
Movie | Hollywood Musicals of the 40's | Self (archive footage) | 2000-09-01 |
Movie | That's Entertainment! III | (archive footage) | 1994-07-01 |
Movie | Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC | Self (archive footage) | 1988-05-16 |
Movie | Going Hollywood: The '30s | (archive footage) | 1984-01-01 |
Movie | That's Entertainment, Part II | (archive footage) | 1976-05-16 |
Movie | It's Showtime | Self (archive footage) | 1976-03-31 |
Movie | Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? | Self (archive footage) | 1975-08-06 |
Movie | That's Entertainment! | (archive footage) | 1974-06-21 |
Series | The Don Knotts Show | Unknown | 1970-09-15 |
Series | Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters | Self | 1969-09-26 |
Movie | Frosty the Snowman | Narrator (voice) | 1969-12-07 |
Movie | The Movie Orgy | Self (archive footage) | 1968-01-01 |
Movie | Alice Through the Looking Glass | Humpty Dumpty | 1966-11-06 |
Movie | Hollywood My Home Town | Self (archive footage) | 1965-12-31 |
Series | The Hollywood Palace | Unknown | 1964-01-04 |
Movie | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | Smiler Grogan | 1963-11-07 |
Movie | The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers | Self - Host | 1962-01-06 |
Movie | Billy Rose's Jumbo | Anthony ('Pop') Wonder | 1962-12-06 |
Series | The Lucy Show | Unknown | 1962-10-01 |
Movie | The Last Judgment | The man with the large nose | 1961-10-26 |
Movie | Pepe | Jimmy Durante | 1960-12-21 |
Movie | Beau James | Jimmy Durante | 1957-06-07 |
Series | The Steve Allen Show | Unknown | 1956-06-24 |
Series | The Jimmy Durante Show | Self - Host | 1954-10-02 |
Series | The Oscars | Unknown | 1953-03-19 |
Series | This Is Your Life | Unknown | 1952-10-01 |
Movie | The Great Rupert | Mr. Louie Amendola | 1950-03-01 |
Series | The Colgate Comedy Hour | Unknown | 1950-09-10 |
Series | Four Star Revue | Host | 1950-10-04 |
Movie | The Milkman | Breezy Albright | 1950-10-17 |
Movie | On an Island with You | Buckley | 1948-05-03 |
Series | The Ed Sullivan Show | Unknown | 1948-06-20 |
Movie | It Happened in Brooklyn | Nick Lombardi | 1947-03-13 |
Movie | This Time for Keeps | Ferdi Farro | 1947-10-17 |
Movie | Two Sisters from Boston | 'Spike' | 1946-06-06 |
Movie | Music for Millions | Andrews | 1944-12-18 |
Movie | Two Girls and a Sailor | Billy Kipp / Julian Kipp | 1944-06-14 |
Movie | Breakdowns of 1942 | Self | 1942-12-31 |
Movie | The Man Who Came to Dinner | Banjo | 1941-12-24 |
Movie | You're in the Army Now | Homer "Jeeper" Smith | 1941-12-25 |
Movie | Melody Ranch | Cornelius J. Courtney | 1940-09-15 |
Movie | Sally, Irene and Mary | Jefferson Twitchel | 1938-03-04 |
Movie | Start Cheering | Willie Gumbatz | 1938-03-03 |
Movie | Little Miss Broadway | Jimmy Clayton | 1938-07-29 |
Movie | Land Without Music | Jonah J. Whistler | 1936-10-07 |
Movie | Carnival | Fingers | 1935-02-15 |
Movie | Hollywood on Parade No. B-9 | Self | 1934-04-28 |
Movie | George White's Scandals | Happy McGillicuddy | 1934-03-15 |
Movie | Palooka | Knobby Walsh | 1934-01-26 |
Movie | Strictly Dynamite | Moxie | 1934-05-11 |
Movie | Hollywood Party | Jimmy Durante | 1934-05-24 |
Movie | Student Tour | Hank Merman | 1934-10-05 |
Movie | What! No Beer? | Jimmy Potts | 1933-02-10 |
Movie | Hell Below | Ptomaine' - Ships Cook | 1933-06-08 |
Movie | Meet the Baron | Joe McGoo | 1933-10-20 |
Movie | Broadway to Hollywood | Jimmy | 1933-09-15 |
Movie | The Wet Parade | Abe Shilling | 1932-03-26 |
Movie | The Passionate Plumber | Julius J. McCracken | 1932-02-06 |
Movie | Hollywood on Parade | Self | 1932-06-05 |
Movie | Speak Easily | James | 1932-08-13 |
Movie | Blondie of the Follies | Jimmy | 1932-09-01 |
Movie | The Phantom President | Curly | 1932-09-23 |
Movie | New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford | Schnozzle | 1931-10-03 |
Movie | The Cuban Love Song | O.O. Jones | 1931-11-18 |
Movie | The Christmas Party | Santa Claus (uncredited) | 1931-12-17 |
Movie | Roadhouse Nights | Daffy (as Durante) | 1930-02-15 |
Movie | The March of Time | Self | 1930-09-01 |