Jimmy Durante

Jimmy Durante (James Francis Durante) was born on February 10, 1893, on the Lower East Side of New York City to Italian immigrant parents, Bartolomeo and Rosa (née Lentino) Durante. He was the youngest of four children and grew up serving as an altar boy at St. Malachy Roman Catholic Church, experiences that later reinforced his lifelong Roman Catholic faith. Dropping out of school in seventh grade, he became a full‑time ragtime pianist known as “Ragtime Jimmy,” and soon joined the Original New Orleans Jazz Band, the only non‑New Orleanian in the group, where his trademark habit of interrupting songs with jokes began to take shape. By the mid‑1920s, Durante had risen to vaudeville stardom as part of the trio Clayton, Jackson, and Durante, and his radio debut on Eddie Cantor’s Chase and Sanborn Hour introduced the nation to his unmistakable gravelly voice, the catchphrase “Dat’s my boy dat said dat!” and the novelty hit “Inka Dinka Doo,” which would remain his personal theme for decades. His film career launched in the early 1930s with appearances alongside Buster Keaton and George M. Cohan, and although he never carried a feature as a lead, his side‑kick roles in MGM comedies such as Speak Easily and What! No Beer? cemented his reputation as a beloved supporting comic. Durante’s television presence blossomed in the 1950s with The Jimmy Durante Show and later collaborations with Garry Moore, Sonny King, and the Lennon Sisters, showcasing his adaptability across emerging media. Off‑stage, he married Jeanne Olsen in 1921, who died in 1943, and later Margie Little in 1960; together they adopted a daughter, CeCe, in 1961. A devout Democrat and Catholic, Durante supported numerous charitable causes, most notably the Fraternal Order of Eagles’ children’s fund, which was renamed in his honor. He continued performing until a 1972 stroke forced retirement, and he passed away from pneumonia on January 29, 1980, leaving a legacy of laughter, music, and an indelible nose that inspired generations of comedians.