Irene Cara

Irene Cara (born March 18, 1959) is a critically acclamied American singer and actress. Cara won an Academy Award in 1984 in the category of Best Original Song for co-writing "Flashdance... What a Feeling." She is also known for her recording of the song "Fame", and she also starred in the 1980 film Fame.

Irene Cara Biography

Irene Cara Career

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 veteran actress Shirley Jones of The Partridge Family fame and late actor Jack Cassidy (Shirley's ex-husband), and Via Galactica with late actor Raul Julia.

Irene was the original Daisy Allen on the 1970s 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 the hit 1976 film) 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. 28, named her one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1976;" that same year, a readers' poll in Right On! magazine named her Top Actress.

Early life and education

New York City born and bred, Irene's father, Gaspar Cara, was Puerto Rican and Cara's mother, Louise, was an American of Cuban descent. Irene graduated from the Professional Children's School in Manhattan, a rival of the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art. Coincidentally, LaGuardia High was the inspiration for the performing arts school in her third movie, Fame, along with The Juilliard School. When she attended high school, it was called the School of Performing Arts. In 1984 the High School of Music & Art was merged with the School of Performing Arts to become LaGuardia High.

Fame and International Acclaim

The 1980 hit movie Fame catapulted Irene to stardom. Irene was originally cast as a dancer, and when production heard her voice they re-wrote the role of Coco Hernandez. As Coco Hernandez, she sang both the title song "Fame" and the film’s other single "Out Here on My Own". These songs helped make the film's soundtrack a chart-topping, multi-platinum album. Further history was made when at the Academy Awards that year: It was the first time two songs from the same film were nominated in the same category and both sung by the same artist. Thus, Cara had the opportunity to be one of the few singers to perform more than one song at the Oscar ceremony. "Fame", written by Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford, won the award that year. Irene earned Grammy award nominations in 1980 for Best New Female Artist and Best New Pop Artist, as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Musical. Billboard Magazine named her Top New Single Artist, while Cashbox Magazine awarded her both Most Promising Female Vocalist and Top Female Vocalist.

Asked by [the Fame TV series' producers to reprise her role as Coco Hernandez, she declined so as to focus her attention on her recording career. As a result, actress Erica Gimpel, a fellow New York City native assumed the role.

Irene was slated to star in her own sitcom, Irene, on NBC in 1981. Even though the pilot episode aired and received favorable reviews, the network did not pick it up for its fall season. It also starred veteran performers Kaye Ballard and Theodore Wilson, as well as newcomers Julia Duffy and Keenan Ivory Wayans.

In 1983, Cara appeared as herself in the film D.C. Cab, which is a film about a group of cabbies. The movie stars [[Mr. T]]. One of the characters, Tyrone played by Charlie Barnett, is an obsessed Cara fan who decorated his Checker Cab as a shrine to her.

In 1982, Cara earned the NAACP Image Award for Best Actress when she co-starred with Diahann Carroll and Rosalind Cash in the Nbc Movie of the Week, Maya Angelou's Sister, Sister. She also portrayed Myrlie Evers-Williams in the PBS-TV movie about civil rights leader Medgar Evers, For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story; and earned an NAACP Image Award Best Actress nomination. She also appeared in 1982's Killing 'em Softly.