Jimmy Durante
Born: 1893-02-09 in New York City, New York, USA
Died: 1980-01-29
Known For: Acting
Biography
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".
Filmography
2021
- Frosty the evil snowman ... (Music)
2019
- Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast as Self - Comedian (archive footage)
2017
- JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala as Self
2011
- Don Knotts: Tied Up with Laughter as Himself
2004
- Checking Out: Grand Hotel as (archive footage)
2002
- Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2001
- The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 1 as Self (archive footage)
2000
- Hollywood Musicals of the 40's as Self (archive footage)
1997
- Vaudeville as Self (archive footage)
- Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults as Self (Archival Footage)
1994
- That's Entertainment! III as (archive footage)
1988
- Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies as (archive footage) (uncredited)
1984
- Going Hollywood: The '30s as (archive footage)
1982
- Showbiz Goes to War as (archive footage)
1976
- That's Entertainment, Part II as (archive footage)
- It's Showtime as Self (archive footage)
- Bob Hope's World of Comedy as Self (archive footage)
1975
- Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? as Self (archive footage)
1974
- That's Entertainment! as (archive footage) (uncredited)
1971
1970
- The Don Knotts Show as Self
- Brasileiros em Hollywood as Self (archive footage)
1969
- Frosty the Snowman as Narrator (voice)
- Monte Carlo or Bust! ... (Theme Song Performance)
- Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters as Self
1968
- The Movie Orgy as Self (archive footage)
1967
- The Mothers-in-Law as Jimmy Durante
1966
- Murder at N.B.C.
- Alice Through the Looking Glass as Humpty Dumpty
1964
- The Hollywood Palace as Self
1963
- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World as Smiler Grogan
- The Jerry Lewis Show as Self
1962
- The Lucy Show as Jimmy Durante
- Billy Rose's Jumbo as Anthony ('Pop') Wonder
- The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers as Self - Host
1961
- The Last Judgment as The man with the large nose
1960
- Pepe as Jimmy Durante
1959
1958
- The All-Star Christmas Show as Self
1957
- Beau James as Jimmy Durante
1956
- The Steve Allen Show as Self
- The Dinah Shore Chevy Show as Self
1954
- The Jimmy Durante Show as Self - Host
- Summer Playhouse
1953
- The Oscars as Self
1950
- What's My Line? as Self - Mystery Guest
- The Colgate Comedy Hour as Self
- The Bob Hope Show as Self
- The Milkman as Breezy Albright
- The Great Rupert as Mr. Louie Amendola
- Four Star Revue as Host
1948
- The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- On an Island with You as Buckley
1947
- It Happened in Brooklyn as Nick Lombardi
- This Time for Keeps as Ferdi Farro
1946
- Two Sisters from Boston as 'Spike'
1944
- Two Girls and a Sailor as Billy Kipp / Julian Kipp
- Music for Millions as Andrews
1942
- Breakdowns of 1942 as Self
1941
- The Man Who Came to Dinner as Banjo
- You're in the Army Now as Homer "Jeeper" Smith
1940
- Melody Ranch as Cornelius J. Courtney
1938
- Start Cheering as Willie Gumbatz
- Sally, Irene and Mary as Jefferson Twitchel
- Little Miss Broadway as Jimmy Clayton
1936
- Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1) as Self
- Land Without Music as Jonah J. Whistler
1935
- Carnival as Fingers
1934
- Hollywood Party as Jimmy Durante
- Student Tour as Hank Merman
- Hollywood on Parade No. B-10 as Self
- Palooka as Knobby Walsh
- Strictly Dynamite as Moxie
- George White's Scandals as Happy McGillicuddy
- Hollywood on Parade No. B-9 as Self
1933
- Hell Below as Ptomaine' - Ships Cook
- What! No Beer? as Jimmy Potts
- Meet the Baron as Joe McGoo
- Broadway to Hollywood as Jimmy
- Give a Man a Job
- Prohibition Newsreel No. 7 as Self
1932
- Blondie of the Follies as Jimmy
- The Wet Parade as Abe Shilling
- The Phantom President as Curly
- Speak Easily as James
- Plumber in love as Tony
- Hollywood on Parade No. A-3 as Self
- The Passionate Plumber as Julius J. McCracken
- Hollywood on Parade as Self
1931
- The Christmas Party as Santa Claus (uncredited)
- The Cuban Love Song as O.O. Jones
- New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford as Schnozzle
1930
- Roadhouse Nights as Daffy (as Durante)
- The March of Time as Self