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Irene Cara

Cast & creator

Irene Cara

1959-03-18 (died at 63) The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA Website IMDb

Best known for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Champs-Elysées, American Playhouse

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.

Also known as: Irene T. Escalera, Irene Cara Escalera, Айрин Кара, Ирен Кара

Movies

27

film credits

Series

19

television credits

Career

37

1962–2008 · acting roles

Credit score

6.7

average across scored titles

Signature credits

Known for

Ordered by popularity

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Self · 1962

Champs-Elysées

Champs-Elysées

Self · 1982

American Playhouse

American Playhouse

Myrlie Evans · 1982

Wetten, dass..?

Wetten, dass..?

Self · 1981

The Electric Company

The Electric Company

Iris - Member of the Short Circus · 1971

Across film & television

Filmography (46)

Search filmography

Showing 46 of 46 credits

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Self

Champs-Elysées

Champs-Elysées

Self

American Playhouse

American Playhouse

Myrlie Evans

Wetten, dass..?

Wetten, dass..?

Self

The Electric Company

The Electric Company

Iris - Member of the Short Circus

Kojak

Kojak

Amy

Die ultimative Chartshow

Self

Verstehen Sie Spaß?

Verstehen Sie Spaß?

Self

What's Happening!!

What's Happening!!

Maria

Solid Gold

Solid Gold

Self

All Dogs Go to Heaven

All Dogs Go to Heaven

Theme Song Performance

Where Are They Now?

Self

Roots: The Next Generations

Roots: The Next Generations

Bertha Palmer Haley

Roots: The Next Generations

Roots: The Next Generations

Bertha Palmer (archive footage)

Flashdance

Flashdance

Songs

Gone Country

Gone Country

Self

Fame

Fame

Coco Hernandez

Fame

Fame

Songs

Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

Alice Jefferson

City Heat

City Heat

Ginny Lee

City Heat

City Heat

Songs

Show-Express

Self

4 gegen Willi

Self

Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After

Snow White (voice)

D.C. Cab

D.C. Cab

Irene Cara

Going Bananas

Going Bananas

Theme Song Performance

Busted Up

Busted Up

Simone

Busted Up

Busted Up

Songs

Friend to Friend: Armenian Earthquake Relief

Friend to Friend: Armenian Earthquake Relief

Self

Trans

Trans

Songs

Hit Me, Baby, One More Time

Self

Certain Fury

Certain Fury

Tracy

Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion - Vol. 1

Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion - Vol. 1

Self

Style Wars

Style Wars

Self

Sparkle

Sparkle

Sparkle

Sparkle

Sparkle

Songs

The Longshot

The Longshot

Theme Song Performance

For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar Evers

For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar Evers

Myrlie Evers

Sister, Sister

Sister, Sister

Sissy Lovejoy

Disco Explosion - Flash Back

Disco Explosion - Flash Back

Self

Killing 'em Softly

Killing 'em Softly

Jane

Caged in Paradiso

Caged in Paradiso

Eva

On Location with: FAME

Self - ‘Coco’

Apple Pie

Apple Pie

Dancer

Bring Back... Fame

Self

Aaron Loves Angela

Aaron Loves Angela

Angela