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.

Filmography

• 1989All Dogs Go to Heaven — Theme Song Performance
• 1989Caged in Paradiso — Eva
• 1989Happily Ever After — Snow White (voice)
• 1986Busted Up — Simone, Songs
• 1986The Longshot — Theme Song Performance
• 1985Certain Fury — Tracy
• 1984City Heat — Ginny Lee, Songs
• Going Bananas — Theme Song Performance
• 1983D.C. Cab — Irene Cara
• 1983Flashdance — Songs
• 1983For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar Evers — Myrlie Evers
• American Playhouse — Myrlie Evans
• 1982Killing 'em Softly — Jane
• 1982Sister, Sister — Sissy Lovejoy
• 1982Trans — Songs
• 1980Fame — Coco Hernandez, Songs
• Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones — Alice Jefferson
• Roots: The Next Generations — Bertha Palmer Haley, Bertha Palmer (archive footage)
• 1976Apple Pie — Dancer
• 1976Sparkle — Sparkle, Songs
• What's Happening!! — Maria
• 1975Aaron Loves Angela — Angela
• Kojak — Amy
• The Electric Company — Iris - Member of the Short Circus

Appearances as themselves (17)

• 2008Bring Back... Fame — Self
• Gone Country — Self
• 2007Disco Explosion - Flash Back — Self
• 2006Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion - Vol. 1 — Self
• Hit Me, Baby, One More Time — Self
• Die ultimative Chartshow — Self
• Where Are They Now? — Self
• 1989Friend to Friend: Armenian Earthquake Relief — Self
• 4 gegen Willi — Self
• 1984Style Wars — Self
• Champs-Elysées — Self
• Wetten, dass..? — Self
• 1980On Location with: FAME — Self - ‘Coco’
• Show-Express — Self
• Solid Gold — Self
• Verstehen Sie Spaß? — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self