Irene Cara
Biography
Irene Cara Escalera was an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer born on March 18, 1959, in the Bronx, New York City, New York. She passed away on November 25, 2022, at the age of 63 in New Port Richey, Florida. Cara rose to fame portraying the character Coco Hernandez in the 1980 film Fame, which also featured the hit song Fame. In 1983, she co-wrote and sang the song Flashdance... What a Feeling from the film Flashdance. For her work on the song, she shared an Academy Award for Best Original Song as a co-writer and won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1984. Throughout her career, she accumulated 41 known acting credits in movies and television shows.
Career overview
Irene Cara Escalera was an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer born in the Bronx, New York City, New York, on March 18, 1959. She began acting in theater at the age of five and built a notable career in film and music, accumulating 41 known acting credits on the Movie Database.
Cara rose to fame playing the character Coco Hernandez in the 1980 film Fame, and she also performed the hit song Fame that spawned from the movie. Her work in cinema extended to the 1983 film Flashdance, for which she co-wrote and sang the song Flashdance What a Feeling. For her work on Flashdance, she shared an Academy Award for Best Original Song as a co-writer and won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1984.
Throughout her life, Cara was recognized as a multi-talented artist contributing to both the screen and the music industry. Her career spanned decades, highlighted by her defining performances and musical contributions to major 1980s films. Cara passed away on November 25, 2022, at the age of 63 in New Port Richey, Florida.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
40 titles- Gone Country (2008) as Self
- Bring Back... Fame (2008) as Self
- Disco Explosion - Flash Back (2007) as Self
- Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion - Vol. 1 (2006) as Self
- Hit Me, Baby, One More Time (2005) as Self
- Die ultimative Chartshow (2003) as Self
- Where Are They Now? (1999) as Self
- Happily Ever After (1989) as Snow White (voice)
- Friend to Friend: Armenian Earthquake Relief (1989) as Self
- Caged in Paradiso (1989) as Eva
- Busted Up (1986) as Simone
- 4 gegen Willi (1986) as Self
- Certain Fury (1985) as Tracy
- Going Bananas (1984) Theme Song Performance
- City Heat (1984) as Ginny Lee
- Style Wars (1984) as Self
- Trans (1983) Songs
- D.C. Cab (1983) as Irene Cara
- For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar Evers (1983) as Myrlie Evers
- Champs-Elysées (1982) as Self
- American Playhouse (1982) as Myrlie Evans
- Sister, Sister (1982) as Sissy Lovejoy
- Killing 'em Softly (1982) as Jane
- Wetten, dass..? (1981) as Self
- Solid Gold (1980) as Self
- Verstehen Sie Spaß? (1980) as Self
- Fame (1980) as Coco Hernandez
- Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980) as Alice Jefferson
- Show-Express (1980) as Self
- On Location with: FAME (1980) as Self - ‘Coco’
- Roots: The Next Generations (1979) as Bertha Palmer Haley
- Roots: The Next Generations (1979) as Bertha Palmer (archive footage)
- What's Happening!! (1976) as Maria
- Sparkle (1976) as Sparkle
- Apple Pie (1976) as Dancer
- Aaron Loves Angela (1975) as Angela
- Kojak (1973) as Amy
- The Electric Company (1971) as Iris - Member of the Short Circus
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) as Self
- Love of Life (1951) as Daisy Allen
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Irene Cara best known for?
Irene Cara is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Doubt (2008), Die ultimative Chartshow (2003), Happily Ever After (1989), Busted Up (1986).
When and where was Irene Cara born?
Irene Cara was born on March 18, 1959 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. They passed away on November 25, 2022.
How many credits does Irene Cara have?
Irene Cara has accumulated over 40 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1951 to 2008.
What is Irene Cara's background in cinema and television?
Irene Cara Escalera was an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer born on March 18, 1959, in the Bronx, New York City, New York. She passed away on November 25, 2022, at the age of 63 in New Port Richey, Florida. Cara rose to fame portraying the character Coco Hernandez in the 1980 film Fame, which also featu...
Irene Cara by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- Roots: The Next Generations (1979) as Bertha Palmer Haley — aged about 20
- Roots: The Next Generations (1979) as Bertha Palmer (archive footage) — aged about 20
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) as Self — aged about 3
- What's Happening!! (1976) as Maria — aged about 17
- Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980) as Alice Jefferson — aged about 21
- The Electric Company (1971) as Iris - Member of the Short Circus — aged about 12
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