 You have to go back a number of years, though, to kick off his diverse showbiz career. Born way back in 1893, Jimmy Durante performed as a singer and piano player in the beer gardens of Coney Island, and by the late 1920s was on Broadway. Then he hit the big screen. In 1933, he came to radio starring for Chasen Sanborn as a summer replacement host for his pal Eddie Cantor.