Irene Cara Escalera was an award winning American singer and actress best known for being the voice behind two of the biggest movie themes in the 1980s Fame and Flashdance. The role of Coco Hernadez in the musical Fame was her breakout role that cemented her stardom as well as the single she recorded for the musical which reached number 1 in several countries.
Escalera was born in the Bronx in New York, the youngest of five children born to Gaspar and Louise Escalera. She was encouraged to purs... moreIrene Cara Escalera was an award winning American singer and actress best known for being the voice behind two of the biggest movie themes in the 1980s Fame and Flashdance. The role of Coco Hernadez in the musical Fame was her breakout role that cemented her stardom as well as the single she recorded for the musical which reached number 1 in several countries.
Escalera was born in the Bronx in New York, the youngest of five children born to Gaspar and Louise Escalera. She was encouraged to pursue a career in the entertainment industry from an early age participating in beauty pageants, taking piano and dance lessons. She was a child star performing on television, appearing in tv shows like The Electric Company and appearing on and off broadway until her big role on Fame. Escalera went on to have a successful career releasing three studio albums and appearing in numerous television shows and movies. She earned two Grammys and an Academy Award for her work as an actress, dancer and musicians. She was the first Hispanic-black woman to win an Oscar in a category other than an acting category.
