Irene Cara Escalera (born March , ) known professionally as Irene
Cara, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Cara sang
and co-wrote the song "Flashdance... What a Feeling" (from the movie
Flashdance), for which she won an Academy Award for Best Original Song
and a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in . Cara is
also known for playing the role of Coco Hernandez in the film Fame,
and for recording the film's title song "Fame". Prior to her success
with Fame, Cara portrayed the title character Sparkle Williams in the
original musical drama film Sparkle.Cara was born in The Bronx, New
York City, the youngest of five children. Her father, Gaspar Escalera,
a factory worker and retired saxophonist, was Afro-Puerto Rican, and
her mother, Louise, a movie theater usher, was Cuban-American. Cara
has two sisters and two brothers. At the age of three, Irene Cara was
one of five finalists for the "Little Miss America" pageant. She began
to play the piano by ear, then studied music, acting, and dance
seriously, first having dance lessons, aged five. Her performing
career started on Spanish-language television, professionally singing
and dancing. She made early TV appearances on the Original Amateur
Hour (singing in Spanish) and Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show. In
â€", aged , she was a regular on PBS's educational program The
Electric Company, as a member of the show's band, The Short Circus. As
a child, Cara recorded a Latin-market Spanish-language record and an
English Christmas album. She also appeared in a major concert tribute
to Duke Ellington that also featured Stevie Wonder, Sammy Davis Jr.,
and Roberta Flack.[citation needed]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 s daytime
serial Love of Life. Next came her role as Angela in 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. , named her one of twelve "Promising New Actors of
"; that same year, a readers' poll in Right On! magazine named her Top
Actress. Cara graduated from the Professional Children's School in
Manhattan.
Cara, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Cara sang
and co-wrote the song "Flashdance... What a Feeling" (from the movie
Flashdance), for which she won an Academy Award for Best Original Song
and a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in . Cara is
also known for playing the role of Coco Hernandez in the film Fame,
and for recording the film's title song "Fame". Prior to her success
with Fame, Cara portrayed the title character Sparkle Williams in the
original musical drama film Sparkle.Cara was born in The Bronx, New
York City, the youngest of five children. Her father, Gaspar Escalera,
a factory worker and retired saxophonist, was Afro-Puerto Rican, and
her mother, Louise, a movie theater usher, was Cuban-American. Cara
has two sisters and two brothers. At the age of three, Irene Cara was
one of five finalists for the "Little Miss America" pageant. She began
to play the piano by ear, then studied music, acting, and dance
seriously, first having dance lessons, aged five. Her performing
career started on Spanish-language television, professionally singing
and dancing. She made early TV appearances on the Original Amateur
Hour (singing in Spanish) and Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show. In
â€", aged , she was a regular on PBS's educational program The
Electric Company, as a member of the show's band, The Short Circus. As
a child, Cara recorded a Latin-market Spanish-language record and an
English Christmas album. She also appeared in a major concert tribute
to Duke Ellington that also featured Stevie Wonder, Sammy Davis Jr.,
and Roberta Flack.[citation needed]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 s daytime
serial Love of Life. Next came her role as Angela in 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. , named her one of twelve "Promising New Actors of
"; that same year, a readers' poll in Right On! magazine named her Top
Actress. Cara graduated from the Professional Children's School in
Manhattan.
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