Irene Cara Escalera was an American singer and actress.
She was born on March 18, 1959 in The Bronx, New York, United States.
Irene Cara commenced her career on Spanish-language TV.
Having recorded music as a child, both in Spanish and English, she went on to appear in several on-and-off Broadway musicals.
But, it was in 1980 that Cara rose to fame when she earned the role of Coco Hernandez – and sang Fame’s title track.
Cara co-wrote and sang the song Flashdance…What a Feeling, through which she won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1984.
Irene Cara’s other film credits include Sparkle (1976), Busted Up (1986), D.C. Cab (1983), Gabriel’s Fire (1991), Hearts Are Wild (1992), and many others.
What ethnicity was Irene Cara?
Irene Cara was of Puerto Rican and Cuban-American descent.
Cara’s father, Gaspar Cara Escalera, a factory worker and retired saxophonist, was Puerto Rican, and her mother, Louise Cara, a movie theater usher, was Cuban-American.