Irene Cara was an American singer and actress. She passed away at the age of 63.
So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about Irene Cara.
- Her full name was Irene Cara Escalera
- She was born on March 18, 1959
- She died on November 25, 2022
- Irene Cara was an American singer and actress
- Cara rose to prominence in 1980 for her role as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 musical film Fame
- And for recording the film’s title song “Fame”
- The song reached number 1 in several countries
- In 1983, Cara sang and co-wrote the song “Flashdance… What a Feeling” from the film Flashdance
- For which she won an Academy Award for Best Original Song
- And a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1984
- Prior to her success with Fame, Cara portrayed the title character Sparkle Williams in the original 1976 musical drama film Sparkle
- Cara was born in The Bronx, New York City, the youngest of five children
- Her father, Gaspar Cara, a factory worker and retired saxophonist, was Puerto Rican
- Her mother, Louise Escalera, a movie theater usher, was Cuban
- Cara had two sisters and two brothers
- At the age of three, she was one of five finalists for the “Little Miss America” pageant
- She began to play the piano by ear, studied music, acting and dance seriously
- She began taking dance lessons when she was five
- Her performing career started with her singing and dancing professionally on Spanish-language television
- She made early TV appearances on The Original Amateur Hour and Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show
- In 1971–1972, she was a regular on PBS’s educational program The Electric Company as a member of the show’s band, the Short Circu
- As a child, Cara recorded a Spanish-language record for the Latin market and an English-language Christmas album
- She also appeared in a major concert tribute to Duke Ellington, which featured Stevie Wonder, Sammy Davis Jr. and Roberta Flack
- Cara attended the Professional Children’s School in Manhattan
- Cara appeared in on- and off-Broadway theatrical shows including the musicals Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Me Nobody Knows (which won an Obie Award), Maggie Flynn opposite Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy, and Via Galactica with Raúl Juliá
- Cara was the original Daisy Allen on the 1970s daytime serial Love of Life
- She later took on the role of Angela in the romance/thriller Aaron Loves Angela
- Followed by her portrayal of the title character in Sparkle
- Television brought Cara international acclaim for serious dramatic roles in two outstanding mini-series, Roots: The Next Generations and Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
- John Willis’ Screen World, Vol. 28, named her one of twelve “Promising New Actors of 1976”
- That same year, a readers’ poll in Right On! magazine named her Top Actress
- In March 2004, Cara received two honors with an induction into the Ciboney Cafe’s Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Award presented at the sixth annual Prestige Awards
- In June 2005, Cara won the third round of the NBC television series Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, performing “Flashdance (What a Feeling)” and covered Anastacia’s song “I’m Outta Love” with her all-female band, Hot Caramel
- At the 2006 AFL Grand Final in Melbourne, Cara performed “Flashdance (What a Feeling)” as an opener to the pre-match entertainment
- In 2005, Cara contributed a dance single, titled “Forever My Love”, to the compilation album titled Gay Happening Vol. 12
- As of 2016, Cara had residences in both New Port Richey, Florida and Santa Fe, New Mexico
- She was in Hot Caramel, a band which she formed in 1999
- Their album, called Irene Cara Presents Hot Caramel, was released on April 4, 2011
- Cara appeared in season 2 of CMT’s reality show Gone Country
- Cara married stuntman and film director Conrad Palmisano in Los Angeles in April 1986
- They divorced in 1991
- Cara died at her home in Largo, Florida, on November 25, 2022, at the age of 63
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