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

• 2021Frosty the evil snowman — Music
• 2004Checking Out: Grand Hotel — (archive footage)
• 1994That's Entertainment! III — (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 1988Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies — (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 1984Going Hollywood: The '30s — (archive footage)
• 1982Showbiz Goes to War — (archive footage)
• 1976Bob Hope's World of Comedy — (archive footage)
• 1976That's Entertainment, Part II — (archive footage)
• 1974That's Entertainment! — (archive footage) (uncredited)
• The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
• 1969Frosty the Snowman — Narrator (voice), Theme Song Performance
• 1969Monte Carlo or Bust! — Theme Song Performance
• The Mothers-in-Law — Jimmy Durante
• 1966Alice Through the Looking Glass — Humpty Dumpty
• 1966Murder at N.B.C.
• 1963It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World — Smiler Grogan
• 1962Billy Rose's Jumbo — Anthony ('Pop') Wonder
• The Lucy Show — Jimmy Durante
• 1961The Last Judgment — The man with the large nose
• 1960Pepe — Jimmy Durante
• 1959Sunday Showcase
• 1957Beau James — Jimmy Durante
• Summer Playhouse
• Four Star Revue — Host
• 1950The Great Rupert — Mr. Louie Amendola
• 1950The Milkman — Breezy Albright
• 1948On an Island with You — Buckley
• 1947It Happened in Brooklyn — Nick Lombardi
• 1947This Time for Keeps — Ferdi Farro
• 1946Two Sisters from Boston — 'Spike'
• 1944Music for Millions — Andrews
• 1944Two Girls and a Sailor — Billy Kipp / Julian Kipp
• 1941The Man Who Came to Dinner — Banjo
• 1941You're in the Army Now — Homer "Jeeper" Smith
• 1940Melody Ranch — Cornelius J. Courtney
• 1938Little Miss Broadway — Jimmy Clayton
• 1938Sally, Irene and Mary — Jefferson Twitchel
• 1938Start Cheering — Willie Gumbatz
• 1936Land Without Music — Jonah J. Whistler
• 1935Carnival — Fingers
• 1934George White's Scandals — Happy McGillicuddy
• 1934Hollywood Party — Jimmy Durante
• 1934Palooka — Knobby Walsh
• 1934Strictly Dynamite — Moxie
• 1934Student Tour — Hank Merman
• 1933Broadway to Hollywood — Jimmy
• 1933Give a Man a Job
• 1933Hell Below — Ptomaine' - Ships Cook
• 1933Meet the Baron — Joe McGoo
• 1933What! No Beer? — Jimmy Potts
• 1932Blondie of the Follies — Jimmy
• 1932Plumber in Love — Tony
• 1932Speak Easily — James
• 1932The Passionate Plumber — Julius J. McCracken
• 1932The Phantom President — Curly
• 1932The Wet Parade — Abe Shilling
• 1931New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford — Schnozzle
• 1931The Christmas Party — Santa Claus (uncredited)
• 1931The Cuban Love Song — O.O. Jones
• 1930Roadhouse Nights — Daffy (as Durante)

Appearances as themselves (37)

• 2019Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast — Self - Comedian (archive footage)
• 2017JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala — Self
• 2011Don Knotts: Tied Up with Laughter — Himself
• 2002Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 2001The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 1 — Self (archive footage)
• 2000Hollywood Musicals of the 40's — Self (archive footage)
• 1997Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults — Self (Archival Footage)
• 1997Vaudeville — Self (archive footage)
• 1988Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 1976It's Showtime — Self (archive footage)
• 1975Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? — Self (archive footage)
• The Pearl Bailey Show — Self
• 1970Brasileiros em Hollywood — Self (archive footage)
• The Don Knotts Show — Self
• Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters — Self
• 1968The Movie Orgy — Self (archive footage)
• The Hollywood Palace — Self
• The Jerry Lewis Show — Self
• 1962The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers — Self - Host
• 1959The Frank Sinatra Timex Show — Self
• 1958The All-Star Christmas Show — Self
• The Dinah Shore Chevy Show — Self
• The Steve Allen Show — Self
• The Jimmy Durante Show — Self - Host
• The Oscars — Self
• The Bob Hope Show — Self, Self (uncredited)
• The Colgate Comedy Hour — Self, Self - Cameo
• What's My Line? — Self - Mystery Guest
• The Ed Sullivan Show — Self
• 1942Breakdowns of 1942 — Self
• 1936Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1) — Self
• 1934Hollywood on Parade No. B-10 — Self
• 1934Hollywood on Parade No. B-9 — Self
• 1933Prohibition Newsreel No. 7 — Self
• 1932Hollywood on Parade — Self
• 1932Hollywood on Parade No. A-3 — Self
• 1930The March of Time — Self