Irene Cara
| Irene Cara | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Irene Cara Escalera |
| Born |
March 18, 1959 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano/keyboards |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | irenecara |
Irene Cara (born Irene Cara Escalera; March 18, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is best known for her roles as title character Sparkle Williams in the 1976 film Sparkle and Coco Hernandez in the 1980 film Fame, earning her a Golden Globe nomination, and her recording of the song "Fame" became an international hit. Cara won an Academy Award in 1984 in the category of Best Original Song for co-writing "Flashdance... What a Feeling", which also became an international hit.
Cara was born in The Bronx, New York City, as the youngest of five children. Her father, Gaspar Escalara, a factory worker and retired saxophonist, was Afro-Puerto Rican, and her mother, Louise, a cinema usher, was an American of Cuban descent. 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 5. 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 1971–72, aged 13, she was a regular on PBS's educational program The Electric Company. 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.
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