Irene Cara

Biography

Irene Cara Escalera (March 18, 1959 - November 25, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and actress. Cara sang and co-wrote the song Flashdance... What a Feeling from the film Flashdance. She won an Oscar for Best Original Song as a co writer. Cara rose to fame as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 film Fame, and the hit song "Fame" spawned from the movie.

Known for

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Roots: The Next Generations

February 18, 1979

What's Happening!!

August 5, 1976

Acting roles

Year	Movie / TV show / Other	Role
—	On Location with: FAME	Self - ‘Coco’
2008	Bring Back... Fame	Self
2008	Gone Country	Self
2007	Disco Explosion - Flash Back	Self
2006	Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion - Vol. 1	Self
2005	Hit Me, Baby, One More Time	Self
2003	Die ultimative Chartshow	Self
1999	Where Are They Now?	Self
1994	The Jungle King	Leonette
1992	Beauty and the Beast	Beauty (voice)
1992	The Magic Voyage	Marilyn (voice)
1989	Happily Ever After	Snow White (voice)
1989	Caged in Paradiso	Eva
1986	Busted Up	Simone
1986	4 gegen Willi	Self
1985	Certain Fury	Tracy
1984	City Heat	Ginny Lee
1984	Style Wars	Self
1983	D.C. Cab	Irene Cara
1983	For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar Evers	Myrlie Evers
1982	Champs-Elysées	Self
1982	Sister, Sister	Sissy Lovejoy
1982	Killing 'em Softly	Jane
1981	Wetten, dass..?	Self
1980	Fame	Coco
1980	Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones	Alice Jefferson
1980	Verstehen Sie Spaß?	Self
1980	Solid Gold	Self
1980	Show-Express	Self
1979	Roots: The Next Generations	Bertha Palmer Haley
1976	What's Happening!!	Maria
1976	Sparkle	Sparkle
1975	Aaron Loves Angela	Angela
1973	Kojak	Amy
1971	The Electric Company	Iris - Member of the Short Circus
1962	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson	Self
1951	Love of Life	Daisy Allen

Credits

Year	Movie / TV show / Other	Role
1984	Going Bananas	Theme Song Performance