Irene Cara - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Irene Cara is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

singer and actress. Cara won an Academy Award in 1984 in the category of Best Original Song for co-writing "Flashdance... What a Feeling

Flashdance... What a Feeling

"Flashdance... What a Feeling" is a song from the 1983 film Flashdance, written by Giorgio Moroder, Keith Forsey, and Irene Cara, and performed by Cara. Despite the title, the word "Flashdance" is never used in the lyrics; however, the line "In a flash, take a hold of my heart" refers to the...

." She is also known for her recording of the song "Fame

Fame (Irene Cara song)

"Fame" is a pop song, written by Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford that was released in 1980, and achieved chart success as the theme song to the Fame film and TV series. The song was performed by Irene Cara, who played the role of Coco Hernandez in the original movie...

", and she also starred in the 1980 film Fame.

She married Hollywood stuntman Conrad Palmisano in 1986. They divorced in 1991.

Early life

Cara's father, Gaspar Cara, was Puerto Rican and Cara's mother, Louise, was an American of Cuban

Cubans

Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...

descent. Cara has two sisters and two brothers. At age three, Irene Cara was one of five finalists for the 'Little Miss America' pageant. Cara began to play the piano "by ear" and soon thereafter, she began seriously studying music, acting, and dance. Cara's performing career started when she was a child on Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

-language television, professionally singing and dancing.
She made early TV appearances on the Original Amateur Hour

Original Amateur Hour

The Original Amateur Hour is an American radio and television program. The show was a continuation of Major Bowes Amateur Hour which had been a radio staple from 1934 to 1945. Major Edward Bowes, the originator of the program and its master of ceremonies, left the show in 1945 and died the...

(singing in Spanish) and Johnny Carson

Johnny Carson

John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...

's The Tonight Show

The Tonight Show

The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...

. She was a regular on PBS’s educational program The Electric Company

The Electric Company

The Electric Company is an educational American children's television series that was produced by the Children's Television Workshop for PBS in the United States. PBS broadcast 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from October 25, 1971 to April 15, 1977...

, which starred Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby

William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...

, Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....

, and Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...

. As a child, Cara recorded a Latin-market Spanish-language record; an English Christmas album soon followed. She also appeared in a major concert tribute to Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...

which also featured Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder

Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...

, Sammy Davis Jr, and Roberta Flack

Roberta Flack

Roberta Flack is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is notable for jazz, soul, R&B, and folk music...

Career

Cara appeared in on-and off-Broadway theatrical shows including the musicals Ain't Misbehavin', The Me Nobody Knows

The Me Nobody Knows

The Me Nobody Knows is a musical with music by Gary William Friedman and lyrics by Will Holt. It debuted off-Broadway in 1970 and then transferred to Broadway. It received the Obie Award and a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical...

(which won an Obie award

Obie Award

The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...

), Maggie Flynn

Maggie Flynn

Maggie Flynn is a musical with a book by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss and music and lyrics by Peretti, Creatore, and Weiss....

opposite Shirley Jones

Shirley Jones

Shirley Mae Jones is an American singer and actress of stage, film and television. In her six decades of television, she starred as wholesome characters in a number of well-known musical films, such as Oklahoma! , Carousel , and The Music Man...

and Jack Cassidy

Jack Cassidy

John Joseph Edward “Jack” Cassidy was an American actor of stage, film and screen.His frequent professional persona was that of an urbane, super-confident egotist with a dramatic flair, much in the manner of Broadway actor Frank Fay...

, and Via Galactica

Via Galactica

Via Galactica is a rock musical with a book by Christopher Gore and Judith Ross, lyrics by Gore, and music by Galt MacDermot. It marked the Broadway debut of actor Mark Baker....

with Raul Julia

Raúl Juliá

Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay was a Puerto Rican actor.Born in San Juan, he gained interest in acting while still in school. Upon completing his studies, Juliá decided to pursue a career in acting. After performing in the local scene for some time, he was convinced by entertainment personality Orson...

.

She 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

Aaron Loves Angela

Aaron Loves Angela is a 1975 Soul Cinema Classic film written by Gerald Sanford and directed by Gordon Parks, Jr. This film stars Moses Gunn, Kevin Hooks and Irene Cara.-Plot:...

, followed by her portrayal of the title character in Sparkle

Sparkle (1976 film)

Sparkle is a 1976 American film directed by Sam O'Steen and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Inspired by The Supremes, Sparkle is a period film set in Harlem, New York during the late 1950s and early 1960s which follows the rough lives and careers of singer Sparkle Williams and her family and...

, Television brought Cara international acclaim for serious dramatic roles in two outstanding mini-series, Roots: The Next Generations

Roots: The Next Generations

Roots: The Next Generations is a 1979 television miniseries that continues the story of the family of Alex Haley from the 1880s, and their life in Henning, Tennessee, to the 1960s, with Haley researching his family history and his travels to Africa to learn of his ancestor, Kunta Kinte...

and Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones, also called The Mad Messiah, is a 1980 television miniseries about the Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones, and their 1978 mass suicide at Jonestown. Based on the book by Charles A...

.

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.

Cara 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

Juilliard School

The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...

. 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 (founded in 1948 by Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia

Fiorello H. LaGuardia

Fiorello Henry LaGuardia was Mayor of New York for three terms from 1934 to 1945 as a liberal Republican. Previously he was elected to Congress in 1916 and 1918, and again from 1922 through 1930. Irascible, energetic and charismatic, he craved publicity and is acclaimed as one of the three or...

) to become LaGuardia High.

Fame and International Acclaim

The 1980 hit movie Fame catapulted Irene Cara to stardom. Cara 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

Fame (Irene Cara song)

" 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

Academy Awards

An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

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

Michael Gore

Michael Gore is an American composer. He, along with lyricist Dean Pitchford, won the Oscar in 1980 for best original song for "Fame" from the film of the same title. He also won the award that year for best original score. Gore is the younger brother of singer/songwriter Lesley Gore.Gore wrote...

and Dean Pitchford

Dean Pitchford

Dean Pitchford is an American songwriter, screenwriter, director, actor, and novelist. His work has earned him an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for three additional Oscars, two more Golden Globes, seven Grammy Awards and two Tony Awards.-Early life:Pitchford was born in...

, won the award that year.

Cara earned Grammy 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'

Fame (1982 TV series)

Fame is an American television series originally produced between 1982 and 1987. The show was based on the 1980 motion picture of the same name. Using a mixture of drama and music, it followed the lives of the students and faculty at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. Although...

producers to reprise her role as Coco Hernandez, she declined so as to focus her attention on her recording career. As a result, Erica Gimpel

Erica Gimpel

Erica Fawn Gimpel , American television actress. She is best known for her roles on television shows Fame as Coco Hernandez and on Profiler as Angel Brown. She is also known for her major recurring roles on the television shows ER as Adele Newman and on Veronica Mars as Alicia Fennel...

assumed the role.

Post-Fame Career

Cara was slated to star in her own sitcom, Irene, on NBC in 1981. Even though the pilot

Television pilot

A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...

aired and received favorable reviews, the network did not pick it up for its fall season. It also starred veteran performers Kaye Ballard

Kaye Ballard

Kaye Ballard is an American musical theatre and television actress, comedienne, and singer.-Life and career:Ballard was born as Catherine Gloria Balotta in Cleveland, Ohio, to an Italian American family, the daughter of Lena and Vincent James Balotta.Ballard established herself as a musical...

and Teddy Wilson

Theodore Wilson

Theodore "Teddy" Wilson was an American character actor best known for his recurring role as Sweet Daddy Williams on the CBS sitcom Good Times.-Career:...

, as well as newcomers Julia Duffy

Julia Duffy

Julia Duffy is an American actress from Minneapolis, Minnesota, specializing in character roles, best known as the spoiled rich girl and Dick Loudon's inn maid, Stephanie Vanderkellen, on the 1980s sitcom, Newhart.-Career:Duffy's early caeer included parts in soap operas such as One Life to Live,...

and Keenan Ivory Wayans.

In 1983, Cara appeared as herself in the film D.C. Cab

D.C. Cab

D.C. Cab is a 1983 comedy film, starring Mr. T, Max Gail, Adam Baldwin, Gary Busey and a special appearance by singer Irene Cara. The film was co-written and directed by Joel Schumacher. The R-rated comedy was controversial upon release due to Mr...

, which is a film about a group of cabbies. The movie stars Mr. T

Mr. T

Mr. T is an American actor known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team, as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III, and for his appearances as a professional wrestler. Mr. T is known for his trademark African Mandinka warrior hairstyle, his gold jewelry,...

. One of the characters, Tyrone played by Charlie Barnett

Charlie Barnett

Charlie Barnett may refer to:* Charles John Barnett , British Army officer and diplomat* Charles James Barnett , English cricketer* Charlie Barnett , English cricketer...

, is an obsessed Cara fan who decorated his Checker Cab as a shrine to her.

In 1982, Cara earned the Image Award for Best Actress

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special

The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special:*Most Wins: Cicely Tyson, Halle Berry, Angela Bassett, Alfre Woodard- 2 wins*Most Nominations:-Stats:...

when she co-starred with Diahann Carroll and Rosalind Cash

Rosalind Cash

Rosalind Cash was an American singer and actress, whose best known film role was as Charlton Heston's character's love interest Lisa, in the 1971 science fiction cult classic, The Omega Man...

in the NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

Movie of the Week, Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...

's Sister, Sister

Sister, Sister (film)

Sister, Sister is a 1982 TV movie that stars Diahann Carroll, Rosalind Cash, and Irene Cara. It was written by Maya Angelou.-Plot:The story starts out with Caroline Lovejoy singing in the church choir at the local church. It is later revealed that she is having an intense affair with the church's...

. Cara portrayed Myrlie Evers-Williams

Myrlie Evers-Williams

SynopsisEarly LifeLife with MedgarMedgar Evers MurderLife After Medgar'NAACP/ HonorsAccomplishmentsWhoopi Goldberg played her in Ghosts of Mississippi...

in the PBS

Public Broadcasting Service

The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

TV movie about civil rights

Civil rights

Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...

leader Medgar Evers

Medgar Evers

Medgar Wiley Evers was an African American civil rights activist from Mississippi involved in efforts to overturn segregation at the University of Mississippi...

, For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story

For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story

For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story is a made-for-television biopic that aired on PBS on March 22, 1983. The film was based on the book, For Us, the Living, by Myrlie Evers-Williams and William Peters.-Synopsis:...

; and earned an NAACP Image Award Best Actress nomination. She also appeared in 1982's Killing 'em Softly.

In addition to her music and film work, Cara also continued to perform in live theatre during this period. In the summer of 1980, she briefly played the role of Dorothy in The Wiz

The Wiz

The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...

on tour, in a role that Stephanie Mills

Stephanie Mills

Stephanie Dorthea Mills is an American R&B and soul singer, and a former Broadway star.-Career:Mills began her career appearing in her first play at the age of nine. Two years later, Mills won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater a record six times...

had first portrayed in the original Broadway production. Coincidentally, Cara and Mills had shared the stage together as children in the original 1968 Broadway musical Maggie Flynn

Maggie Flynn

Maggie Flynn is a musical with a book by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss and music and lyrics by Peretti, Creatore, and Weiss....

, starring Shirley Jones

Shirley Jones

and Jack Cassidy

Jack Cassidy

, in which both young girls played Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

orphans.

In 1983, Cara reached the peak of her music career with the title song for the movie Flashdance

Flashdance

Another song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance...

: "Flashdance... What A Feeling", which she co-wrote with Giorgio Moroder

Giorgio Moroder

Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...

and Keith Forsey

Keith Forsey

Keith Forsey is an English soundtrack composer, drummer, songwriter and record producer.-Biography:Forsey's first recordings were as the younger member of the group The Spectrum, better known for the end title theme for Gerry Anderson's Captain Scarlet, but hit makers across Europe in their own...

. Cara penned the lyrics to the song with Keith Forsey while riding in a car in New York heading to the studio to record it; Moroder composed the music.

Cara admitted later that she was initially reluctant to work with Giorgio Moroder because she had no wish to invite further comparisons with another artist who worked with Moroder, Donna Summer

Donna Summer

LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...

. But the colloboration paid off and became a hit in several countries, garnering numerous accolades for Cara. She won the 1983 Academy Award for Best Song (Oscar), 1984 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance is the latest in a series of awards recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. The award goes to the artist...

, 1984 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1960s:...

, and American Music Awards for Best R&B Female Artist and Best Pop Single of the Year among other accolades.

"Flashdance..." was re-recorded by Cara twice. The first time was in 1995 as a track in the original soundtrack for the movie "The Full Monty;" the second time was in 2002, as a duet she recorded with successful Swiss artist DJ BoBo

DJ Bobo

Peter René Cipiriano Baumann , better known as DJ BoBo, is a Swiss singer, songwriter, dancer and music producer. He has sold 14 million records worldwide and has released 10 studio albums as well as a few compilation albums which have included his previous hits in a reworked format...

.

In 1984, she was in the comedic thriller City Heat

City Heat

City Heat is a 1984 American action-comedy film starring Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds. The film was released in North America in December 1984. The pairing of Eastwood and Reynolds in a Prohibition-era action-comedy seemed to give the film the potential to be a hit...

, in which she co-starred opposite Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood

Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...

and Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds

Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...

and sang the standards "Embraceable You

Embraceable You

"Embraceable You" is a popular song, with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song was originally written in 1928 for an unpublished operetta named East is West. It was eventually published in 1930 and included in the Broadway musical Girl Crazy. where it was performed by...

" and "Get Happy." She also co-wrote the theme song "City Heat", which was sung by the jazz vocalist Joe Williams. In 1985, Cara co-starred with Tatum O'Neal

Tatum O'Neal

Tatum Beatrice O'Neal is an American actress best known for her film work as a child actress in the 1970s. She is the youngest to win a competitive Academy Award, at the age of 10, which she won for her performance as Addie Loggins in Paper Moon opposite her father Ryan O'Neal...

in Certain Fury

Certain Fury

Certain Fury is a 1985 American action/drama film directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal and starring Tatum O'Neal and Irene Cara....

, an exploitation underachiever about two troubled young women who flee a court hearing and are mistaken for killers. In 1986, Cara appeared in the film Busted Up. She also provided the voice of Snow White in the unofficial sequel to Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...

, Filmation

Filmation

Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...

's Happily Ever After, in 1993. That same year, she appeared as Mary Magdalene in the record-breaking anniversary tour of Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...

opposite Ted Neeley

Ted Neeley

Ted Neeley is a rock and roll drummer, singer, actor, composer, and record producer. He is probably best known for performing the title role in the film Jesus Christ Superstar in 1973....

, Carl Anderson

Carl Anderson (singer)

Carl Anderson was an American singer, film and theatre actor best known for his portrayal of Judas Iscariot in the Broadway and film versions of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.-Early life:Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, Anderson was one of 12 children of...

, and Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoung is an American singer, songwriter, musician and producer best known for being a founding member of the rock band Styx, a tenure that lasted from 1970 to 1999.-Early life:...

.

Also in the 1990s, Cara won a bitter lawsuit against her old record company over unpaid royalties and other career issues.

Along with her career in acting and several hit singles, Cara has released three albums thus far. Those albums are Anyone Can See

Anyone Can See

Anyone Can See is Irene Cara's debut album, released in 1982. This album followed up her successful hit singles "Out Here On My Own" and "Fame". The album is solid R&B featuring such standout songs as "Reach Out ", "Slow Down" and the power ballad title track among others. Includes the hit, "Anyone...

in 1982, What A Feelin'

What a Feelin'

- 1997 CD reissue bonus tracks :- Chart positions :-Personnel:*Irene Cara - Vocals*Giorgio Moroder - Composer, Arranger, Keyboards, Producer*Pete Bellotte - Lyrics, Co-Producer*Beth Anderson - Background vocals*David Lasley - Background vocals...

in 1983, and Carasmatic

Carasmatic

Carasmatic is Irene Cara's third album released in 1987. It was her only album for Elektra Records. The album was mostly produced by George Duke. Many popular musicians also contributed to this album such as Luther Vandross, James Ingram, Patrice Rushen, Bonnie Raitt, Carole King, and Michael Bolton...

in 1987, the most successful of these being What A Feelin. In 1985 she collaborated with the Hispanic megagroup Hermanos in the song Cantaré, cantarás

Cantaré, cantarás

Cantaré, cantarás is an album by various Latin American icons called circunstancially "Hermanos".It was released in 1985....

in which she sings a solo segment with the Spanish opera singer Plácido Domingo. She also released a compilation of Eurodance

Eurodance

Eurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...

singles in the mid to late 1990s entitled Precarious 90's. Cara recently contributed a dance single, titled "Forever My Love", to the compilation album titled Gay Happening Vol. 12, in 2006.

Cara has also worked as a backup vocalist for Vicki Sue Robinson

Vicki Sue Robinson

Vicki Sue Robinson was an American theatre and film actress and singer, closely associated with the disco era of late 1970s pop music; she is most famous for her 1976 hit, "Turn the Beat Around."-Early life and career:...

, Lou Reed

Lou Reed

Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...

, George Duke

George Duke

George Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...

, Oleta Adams

Oleta Adams

Oleta Adams is an American soul, jazz, and gospel singer and pianist.-Biography:Adams was born the daughter of a preacher and was raised with gospel music. In her youth her family moved to Yakima, Washington, which is sometimes shown as her place of birth.Before gaining her opportunity to perform,...

, and Evelyn "Champagne" King.
Cara toured Europe and Asia throughout the 1990s, scoring several modest dance hits on European charts, but no US chart hits. Cara received two prestigious honors for her career in March 2004, with her induction into the Ciboney Cafe's Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Award presented at the sixth annual Prestige Awards.

In June 2005, Cara won the third round of the NBC television series Hit Me Baby One More Time

Hit Me Baby One More Time

Hit Me, Baby, One More Time was a 2005 reality show first aired by ITV on British television and later, as a new version, by NBC in the United States; both were presented by Vernon Kay. During each programme, five former pop stars sing their biggest hit along with a cover version of a contemporary...

, performing "Flashdance (What a Feeling)" and covered Anastacia

Anastacia

Anastacia is an American singer-songwriter. Anastacia has been highly successful in Europe, Asia, South Africa and South America, but has had only minor success in her native United States...

's song "I'm Outta Love" with her current all-female band, Hot Caramel. At the 2006 AFL Grand Final

2006 AFL Grand Final

The 2006 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 2006. It was the 110th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League, staged to...

in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Cara performed "Flashdance (What a Feeling)" as an opener to the pre-match entertainment.

Cara lives in Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

and works with her band Hot Caramel. Their album called Irene Cara Presents Hot Caramel was released on April 4, 2011. Cara appeared in season 2 of CMT's reality show Gone Country, but left the show realizing she "was not cut out for reality television."

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#cccccc"
! style="width:3em;" rowspan="2" | Year
! style="width:22em;" rowspan="2" | Title
! colspan="8" | Chart position
! rowspan=2|Certifications

Music recording sales certification

Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...

(sales thresholds)
|- bgcolor="#dddddd"
! width="35"| US

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

! width="35"| AUS

Kent Music Report

The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...

! width="35"| CAN

RPM (magazine)

RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...

! width="35"| AUT

Ö3 Austria Top 40

Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...

! width="35"| GER

Media Control Charts

The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...

! width="35"| SWI

Swiss Music Charts

The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...

! width="35"| UK

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

! width="35"| JP

Oricon

, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

|-
| 1982
| Anyone Can See

Anyone Can See

Released: 1982
Formats: CD, Cassette
Label: Universal Music

| align="center" | 76
| align="center" | NA
| align="center" | NA
| align="center" | —
| align="center" | —
| align="center" | —
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | —
|
|-
| 1983
| What a Feelin'

What a Feelin'

Released: 1983
Formats: CD, Cassette
Label: Universal Music

| align="center" | 77
| align="center" | NA
| align="center" | NA
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | 29
| align="center" | 8
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | NA
|
|-
| 1987
| Carasmatic

Carasmatic

Released: 1987
Formats: CD, Cassette
Label: Elektra Records

| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
|
|-
| 2011
| Irene Cara presents: Hot Caramel

Released: 2011
Formats: Digital
Label: Independent

| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
|
|-

Soundtrack albums

{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Album
|-
|1980
|Fame Soundtrack

Fame (soundtrack)

Fame is the original soundtrack of the 1980 Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning film Fame starring Irene Cara, Lee Curreri, Paul McCrane and Laura Dean. The original score was composed by Michael Gore....

|-
|1983
|Flashdance Soundtrack

Flashdance (soundtrack)

-Chart positions:AlbumSingles-References:...

|-
|1984
|D.C. Cab Soundtrack

D.C. Cab (soundtrack)

D.C. Cab is the original motion picture soundtrack to the film D.C. Cab, and was released in 1983.-Track listing:# "The Dream " - Irene Cara...

|-
|1985
|City Heat Soundtrack

City Heat

|-
|1989
|All Dogs Go to Heaven Soundtrack

All Dogs Go to Heaven

All Dogs Go to Heaven is a 1989 Irish-English animated film directed and produced by Don Bluth and released by United Artists. The film tells the story of two dogs, Charlie B. Barkin and his loyal best friend Itchy Itchiford...

|-
|1991
|China Cry Soundtrack

China Cry

China Cry is a biographical film set during rise of the communist state in China, based on the book by Nora Lam. It is set in the 1950s based on the true story of Sung Neng Yee. Born into a wealthy Chinese family, she is first eager to become part of Mao Tse Tung's "new society". But the Maoist...

|-
|2007
|Downtown: A Street Tale Soundtrack

Downtown: A Street Tale

Downtown: A Street Tale is a 2004 American drama film.Its focus is on a group of teenagers and twentysomethings living in the basement of an abandoned factory on 10th Avenue in Manhattan...

|-
|}

Singles

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Single
! colspan="9"| Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="35"| US

Billboard Hot 100

! width="35"| US Dance
! width="35"| US AC

Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks

The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...

! width="35"| UK

UK Singles Chart

! width="35"| AUT

Ö3 Austria Top 40

! width="35"| GER

Media Control Charts

The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...

! width="35"| NED

MegaCharts

MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top...

! width="35"| NOR

VG-lista

VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...

! width="35"| SWI

Swiss Music Charts

Fame (Irene Cara song)

"
| 4
| 1
| —
| 1
| —
| —
| 1
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="2"| Fame

Fame (soundtrack)

(soundtrack)
|-
| align="left"| "Out Here on My Own"
| 19
| —
| 20
| 58
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"|1981
| align="left"| "Anyone Can See"
| 42
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="2"| Anyone Can See

Anyone Can See

|-
| align="left"| "My Baby (He's Something Else)"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1983
| align="left"| "Flashdance... What a Feeling

Flashdance... What a Feeling

"
| 1
| 1
| 4
| 2
| 4
| 3
| 17
| 1
| 1
| align="left" rowspan="5"| What a Feelin'

What a Feelin'

|-
| align="left"| "Why Me"
| 13
| 7
| —
| —
| —
| 17
| —
| 5
| 4
|-
| align="left"| "The Dream (Hold on to Your Dream)"
| 37
| 26
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1984
| align="left"| "Breakdance"
| 8
| 13
| —
| —
| —
| n/a
| —
| —
| 20
|-
| align="left"| "You Were Made for Me"
| 78
| —
| 10
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 1987
| align="left"| "Girlfriends"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"| Carasmatic

Carasmatic

|-
| 1988
| align="left"| "I Can Fly"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"| Non-album song
|-
| 1995
| align="left"| "Rhythm of My Life"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="3"| Precarious 90's
|-
| 1996
| align="left"| "You Need Me"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 1997
| align="left"| "All My Heart"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 2001
| align="left"| "What a Feeling" (with DJ BoBo

DJ Bobo

)
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 11
| 3
| —
| —
| 2
| align="left"| Non-album song
|-
| 2006
| align="left"| "Forever My Love"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"| Gay Happening Vol. 12
|-
| 2007
| align="left"| "Downtown"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"| Downtown: A Street Tale

Downtown: A Street Tale

Downtown: A Street Tale is a 2004 American drama film.Its focus is on a group of teenagers and twentysomethings living in the basement of an abandoned factory on 10th Avenue in Manhattan...

(soundtrack)
|-
| colspan="12" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart
|-
|}

Vocal appearances

The Me Nobody Knows
The Me Nobody Knows
The Me Nobody Knows is a musical with music by Gary William Friedman and lyrics by Will Holt. It debuted off-Broadway in 1970 and then transferred to Broadway. It received the Obie Award and a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical...

- Original Cast Soundtrack (1971)
The Electric Company
The Electric Company
The Electric Company is an educational American children's television series that was produced by the Children's Television Workshop for PBS in the United States. PBS broadcast 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from October 25, 1971 to April 15, 1977...

-Television Cast Soundtrack (1985)
John Blaire - We Belong Together (1986) Vocals
The Brecker Brothers - Détente (1986) Vocals
Bill Chinnock
Bill Chinnock
Bill Chinnock , also referred to as Billy Chinnock, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, he was a prominent member of the Jersey Shore music scene during the late 1960s, leading bands that included future members of the E Street Band...

- Badlands (1986) Vocals
Gordon Grody - Exclusively Yours Vocals
Jimmy Maelen
Jimmy Maelen
Jimmy Maelen was a percussionist in the 1960s-1980s, who worked with many artists including Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry, Peter Gabriel, James Taylor, Dire Straits, Barry Manilow, Alice Cooper and John Lennon...

- Beats Workin' (1987) Vocals
Millington
Millington
- Places :In the United Kingdom:* Millington, East Riding of Yorkshire* Millington, CheshireIn the United States:* Millington, Connecticut* Millington, Illinois* Millington, Maryland* Millington, Michigan* Millington Township, Michigan...

- Ladies on the Stage (1989) Vocals, Vocals
T. Life - That's Life (1989) Vocals
Original Soundtrack - Fame [Polydor Soundtrack] (1990) Vocals, Vocals
Various Artists - Billboard Top Hits: 1990 (1990)
Various Artists - Billboard Top Dance Hits: 1990(1990) Vocals
Stanley Turrentine
Stanley Turrentine
Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.-Biography:Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family...

-Home Again (1992)
Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...

- Superstar (1993)
Various Artists - Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume IV
DJ Bobo
DJ Bobo
Peter René Cipiriano Baumann , better known as DJ BoBo, is a Swiss singer, songwriter, dancer and music producer. He has sold 14 million records worldwide and has released 10 studio albums as well as a few compilation albums which have included his previous hits in a reworked format...

- Planet Colors (2001) Vocal Arrangement, Vocal Recording
DJ Bobo - Celebration (2002) Engineer, Vocal Arrangement
DJ Bobo - Celebration [Limited Edition] (2002) Engineer, Vocal Arrangement
Disco Brothers Forever My Love (2002)
Various Artists - Cover Morning Musume Hello! Project! (2002)
Various Artists - Gay Happening Vol. 12 (2006) Vocals
Downtown: A Street Tale
Downtown: A Street Tale
Downtown: A Street Tale is a 2004 American drama film.Its focus is on a group of teenagers and twentysomethings living in the basement of an abandoned factory on 10th Avenue in Manhattan...

- Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [AJM Records] (2007)

Cara's songs appear on

Richard Clayderman – Cinema Passion, Vol. 1 / Remembering the Movies
DJ Bobo – Planet Colors
Anna Fegi – Every Step of the Way
Ilona Irvine – Sweet Memory
Starsound Orchestra – Best TV, Movie & Broadway Themes
Tokahits – Tokahits
Original Soundtrack – Flashdance [Original Soundtrack] / Full Monty [Original Soundtrack]
scarface: the world is yours

Filmography

Aaron Loves Angela
Aaron Loves Angela
Aaron Loves Angela is a 1975 Soul Cinema Classic film written by Gerald Sanford and directed by Gordon Parks, Jr. This film stars Moses Gunn, Kevin Hooks and Irene Cara.-Plot:...

(1975)
Apple Pie (1976)
Sparkle
Sparkle (1976 film)
Sparkle is a 1976 American film directed by Sam O'Steen and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Inspired by The Supremes, Sparkle is a period film set in Harlem, New York during the late 1950s and early 1960s which follows the rough lives and careers of singer Sparkle Williams and her family and...

(1976)
Fame (1980)
Killing 'em Softly (1982)
D.C. Cab
D.C. Cab
D.C. Cab is a 1983 comedy film, starring Mr. T, Max Gail, Adam Baldwin, Gary Busey and a special appearance by singer Irene Cara. The film was co-written and directed by Joel Schumacher. The R-rated comedy was controversial upon release due to Mr...

(1983)
City Heat
City Heat
City Heat is a 1984 American action-comedy film starring Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds. The film was released in North America in December 1984. The pairing of Eastwood and Reynolds in a Prohibition-era action-comedy seemed to give the film the potential to be a hit...

(1984)
Certain Fury
Certain Fury
Certain Fury is a 1985 American action/drama film directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal and starring Tatum O'Neal and Irene Cara....

(1985)
Busted Up (1986)
Caged in Paradiso
Caged In Paradiso
Caged In Paradiso is a 1990 American action film starring Irene Cara, Peter Kowanko, Paula Bond and directed by Mike Snyder. It was filmed on St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands.-Sources:**...

(1990)
China Cry
China Cry
China Cry is a biographical film set during rise of the communist state in China, based on the book by Nora Lam. It is set in the 1950s based on the true story of Sung Neng Yee. Born into a wealthy Chinese family, she is first eager to become part of Mao Tse Tung's "new society". But the Maoist...

(1991) (Song only)
The Magic Voyage
The Magic Voyage
The Magic Voyage is a German animated film, released theatrically in Germany as Die Abenteuer von Pico und Columbus by Bavaria Film in 1992. It was released on VHS in Germany by Warner Home Video. The film was later dubbed in English and released direct-to-video in the United States and Canada...

(1992) (voice)
Happily Ever After (1993) (voice)
Downtown: A Street Tale
Downtown: A Street Tale
Downtown: A Street Tale is a 2004 American drama film.Its focus is on a group of teenagers and twentysomethings living in the basement of an abandoned factory on 10th Avenue in Manhattan...

(2007)

Television work

Love of Life
Love of Life
Love of Life is an American soap opera which aired on CBS Daytime from September 24, 1951 to February 1, 1980. It was created by Roy Winsor, whose previous creation Search for Tomorrow had premiered three weeks before Love of Life, and who would go on to create The Secret Storm two and a half years...
The Electric Company
What's Happening!!
What's Happening!!
What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly...

sea.2, ep.1 "Rerun Gets Married"
Roots: The Next Generations
Roots: The Next Generations
Roots: The Next Generations is a 1979 television miniseries that continues the story of the family of Alex Haley from the 1880s, and their life in Henning, Tennessee, to the 1960s, with Haley researching his family history and his travels to Africa to learn of his ancestor, Kunta Kinte...
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones, also called The Mad Messiah, is a 1980 television miniseries about the Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones, and their 1978 mass suicide at Jonestown. Based on the book by Charles A...
Sister, Sister
For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story
For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story
For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story is a made-for-television biopic that aired on PBS on March 22, 1983. The film was based on the book, For Us, the Living, by Myrlie Evers-Williams and William Peters.-Synopsis:...
Bustin' Loose
Bustin' Loose (TV series)
Bustin' Loose is an American sitcom that was loosely based on the 1981 film of the same name starring Richard Pryor. The series premiered in first-run syndication in 1987 and lasted for only one season.-Synopsis:...
Gabriel's Fire
Gabriel's Fire
Gabriel's Fire is an American television series that ran on ABC in the USA in 1990–1991. A revamped version of the series, entitled Pros and Cons, aired briefly the following season.-Overview:...
Gone Country Season 2

Kojak

External links

Irene Cara Official Website

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Early life

Career

Fame and International Acclaim

Post-Fame Career

Studio albums

Soundtrack albums

Singles

Vocal appearances

Cara's songs appear on

Filmography

Television work

See also

External links