Jimmy Durante was born James Francis Durante in 1893 and started out playing piano and singing in vaudeville shows. In the 1920s, he worked with Lou Clayton and Eddie Jackson in a comedy trio that did well enough to land them in films and on Broadway.
He formed his own band in the 1930s, keeping Clayton and Jackson with him. Their act mixed jazz numbers with comedy bits and sentimental ballads. Durante's version of "Smile," a song Charlie Chaplin wrote, became particularly well-known during World War II. Other songs people remember include "Make Someone Happy" and "As Time Goes By."
Durante had a distinctive stage presence with his gravelly voice, prominent nose, and catchphrases like "Everybody wants to be somebody, but nobody wants to be nobody." He kept performing for decades, appearing on television and recording Christmas songs like "Frosty The Snowman."
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