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".
Movie | Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast | Self - Comedian (archive footage) | 2019-02-27 |
Movie | JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala | Self | 2017-05-23 |
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 | It's Showtime | Self (archive footage) | 1976-03-31 |
Movie | That's Entertainment, Part II | (archive footage) | 1976-05-16 |
Movie | Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? | Self (archive footage) | 1975-08-06 |
Movie | That's Entertainment! | (archive footage) | 1974-06-21 |
Series | The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour | Unknown | 1971-08-01 |
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 | 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 Dinah Shore Chevy Show | Unknown | 1956-10-05 |
Series | Summer Playhouse | Unknown | 1954-07-06 |
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 |
Series | The Colgate Comedy Hour | Unknown | 1950-09-10 |
Movie | The Great Rupert | Mr. Louie Amendola | 1950-03-01 |
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 | Two Girls and a Sailor | Billy Kipp / Julian Kipp | 1944-06-14 |
Movie | Music for Millions | Andrews | 1944-12-18 |
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 | Start Cheering | Willie Gumbatz | 1938-03-03 |
Movie | Sally, Irene and Mary | Jefferson Twitchel | 1938-03-04 |
Movie | Little Miss Broadway | Jimmy Clayton | 1938-07-29 |
Movie | Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1) | Self | 1936-09-11 |
Movie | Land Without Music | Jonah J. Whistler | 1936-10-07 |
Movie | Carnival | Fingers | 1935-02-15 |
Movie | George White's Scandals | Happy McGillicuddy | 1934-03-15 |
Movie | Hollywood on Parade No. B-9 | Self | 1934-04-28 |
Movie | Palooka | Knobby Walsh | 1934-01-26 |
Movie | Student Tour | Hank Merman | 1934-10-05 |
Movie | Strictly Dynamite | Moxie | 1934-05-11 |
Movie | Hollywood Party | Jimmy Durante | 1934-05-24 |
Movie | Give a Man a Job | 1933-01-31 | |
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 | Blondie of the Follies | Jimmy | 1932-09-01 |
Movie | Speak Easily | James | 1932-08-13 |
Movie | The Phantom President | Curly | 1932-09-23 |
Movie | New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford | Schnozzle | 1931-10-03 |
Movie | The Christmas Party | Santa Claus (uncredited) | 1931-12-17 |
Movie | The Cuban Love Song | O.O. Jones | 1931-11-18 |
Movie | Roadhouse Nights | Daffy (as Durante) | 1930-02-15 |