Irene Cara Escalera (March 18, 1959 – November 25, 2022) was a singer and actress from the United States. In 1984, Cara sang and co-wrote the song “Flashdance… What a Feeling” (from the film Flashdance), for which she received an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Cara is also known for her role as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 film Fame, as well as her recording of the film’s title song “Fame.” Prior to her success with Fame, Cara starred in the original 1976 musical drama film Sparkle as the title character Sparkle Williams.
Cara has appeared in numerous Broadway and off-Broadway productions, including the musicals, Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Me Nobody Knows (for which she received an Obie Award), Maggie Flynn opposite Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy, and Via Galactica with Ral Juliá. Cara played Daisy Allen in the 1970s daytime drama Love of Life. Following her portrayal of Angela in the romance/thriller Aaron Loves Angela, she portrayed the title character in Sparkle. Cara received international acclaim for her performances in two outstanding mini-series, Roots: The Next Generations and Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones, on television. Screen World, Vol. 28, named her one of twelve “Promising New Actors of 1976,” and a Right On! magazine readers’ poll named her Top Actress that same year. Cara graduated from Manhattan’s Professional Children’s School.
Irene Cara wife
In April 1986, Cara married stuntman and film director Conrad Palmisano in Los Angeles. In 1991, they divorced. Cara died on November 25, 2022, at the age of 63, at her home in Largo, Florida.
Irene Cara parent
Cara was born as the youngest of five children in The Bronx, New York City. Her father, a factory worker and retired saxophonist named Gaspar Escalera was Puerto Rican, and her mother, a movie theater usher named Louise, was Cuban. Cara had two brothers and two sisters. Irene Cara was one of five finalists in the “Little Miss America” pageant when she was three years old.
Irene Cara children
Irene Cara was not known to have had children during her lifetime, despite being married for several years.
Irene Cara siblings
Cara has two brothers and two sisters. Irene Cara was one of five finalists in the “Little Miss America” pageant when she was three years old. She began playing the piano by ear, then studied music, acting, and dance seriously, beginning with dance lessons at the age of five.
