Irene Cara’s Net Worth:
$4 Million
Irene Cara
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Net worth: |
$4 Million |
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Date of birth: |
Mar 18, 1959 (63 Years Old) |
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Gender: |
Female |
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Height: |
5 ft 4in (1.63 m). |
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Profession: |
Actor, Singer-songwriter. Record producer. Pianist. Dancer. Musician. |
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Nationality: |
United States of America |
What is Irene Cara’s net worth?
American actress and singer Irene Cara has a net worth of $4 million. Irene Cara was awarded an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Grammy for co-writing and performing the song “Flashdance…What a Feeling,” which was featured in the 1983 film “Flashdance.” Irene played the role of Coco Hernandez in the 1980’s musical drama “Fame.” She also performed the title track, which reached #1 in many countries and earned Cara her first Grammy nomination.
Irene has released the studio albums, “Anyone Can See”, “What a Feelin'” (1983), and “Irene Cara Presents Hot Caramel (2011). She has also performed in Broadway productions of Maggie Flynn (1968), “The Me Nobody Knows”, (1970), and “Via Galactica” (1972). Cara appeared in “Sparkle”, “Killing’em Softly” (1982), and “D.C. Cab” (1983), as well as the TV movie “Sister, Sister” (1982), miniseries “Roots: The Next Generations” (1979), & the television series “Love of Life” (1970-1971). Irene portrayed Snow White in the animated musical “Happily Ever After” in 1990. She also contributed her voice to the films “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Magic Voyage”, and “The Jungle King,” (1994).
Early Life
Irene Cara was born Irene Cara Escalera in The Bronx (New York City), on March 18, 1959. Her father, a retired saxophonist Gaspar Escalera was a factory worker and her mother Louise worked as a movie usher. Irene is Puerto Rican and Cuban-American from her mother’s side. Cara is the youngest of four siblings and was a finalist at Little Miss America when she was 3. Irene was able to play the piano by their ear in her youth. She also studied dance, music, and acting. In Spanish-language television, she began her singing and dancing career. She was also a member and co-host of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in the early 1970s. She recorded an English-language Christmas album in Spanish and a Spanish-language album during her childhood.
Career
Irene has appeared in off-Broadway musicals such as “Ain’t Misbehavin'”, “The Wiz”, and “Jesus Christ Superstar”. In 1970, she was the first actress to appear on-screen as Daisy Allen in the CBS soap opera “Love of Life”. She starred in “Apple Pie” (1976) and “Aaron Loves Angela” (1975). In 1976, she was the lead role in “Sparkle,” a musical drama about the lives of the people. Cara was a guest star on “Kojak!” (1976) as well as “What’s Happening! (1977), she played Bertha Palmer in “What’s Happening! “, a miniseries about the Next Generations that won a Primetime Emmy. In “John Willis’ Screen World Vol. 28” and a “Right on!” According to a poll of magazine readers, she was the year’s best actress. Irene played the role of Coco Hernandez in 1980’s “Fame”. She also performed the songs “Fame”, “Out Here On My Own” and “Fame”. Both songs were nominated for Academy Awards as Best Original Song. “Fame”, however, won the award. “Fame” was Gold certified in Canada, France, and the U.K. It also topped the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, reaching #1 in five countries. “Out Here On My Own” reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Cara was named “Top New Single Artist” by Billboard and “Top Female Vocalist” by Cashbox Magazine.
Irene was a star in the 1980s TV series “Guyana Tragedy” (1980), and “For Us the Living” (1983). She also appeared in the films “Killing’em Softly”, “Sister, Sister,” (1982), and “City Heat” (1983) and “Certain Fury,” (1985), and “Busted Up” (86). In 1982, she released “Anyone Can See,” her debut album. It reached #76 on Billboard’s 200 charts and #39 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Irene’s biggest hit was “Flashdance…What a Feeling” in 1983. It was certified Platinum in Canada, Platinum, and Platinum in France, and Gold in the U.S. and Italy. It reached #1 in over a dozen countries, earning Cara an Academy Award and Grammy. “Flashdance…What a Feeling” was featured on “AFI’s 100 years… 100 Songs”(#55), “Songs of the Century” (#256), “The Billboard’s Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs (#26)
Irene’s third album, “Charismatic”, was released on Elektra Records in 1987. She also appeared in “Gabriel’s Fire (1991) and then “Hearts Are Wild (1992).” In 1995, she hosted the documentary “Beyond Awareness to Action – Ending Abuse of Women”. 2004 saw her appear in “Downtown” in a supporting role. The following year, she appeared on “Hit Me, Baby One More Time”, where she won the third round. She performed “Flashdance…What a Feeling” along with Hot Caramel, her all-female band. Her song “Forever My Love” was included on the compilation album “Gay Happening Vol. 12” and her fourth album, “Irene Cara Presents hot Caramel,” was released in 2011.
Royalty Fight
Irene’s 1983 album, “What a Feelin”, included “Flashdance…What a Feeling” and she received only $183 in royalties from her record company, Network Records, by mid-1984. The network paid Cara $60,000 over the next few months. But in 1985, Cara sued Network Records for $10 million in punitive damage. She claimed that Al Coury, a Network Records executive, had withheld $2,000,000 in deals that included Flashdance…What a Feeling.
Irene noticed a shift in her treatment in the entertainment industry after filing the lawsuit and suspected that Coury was waging a smear campaign. After concluding that Cara’s career had been compromised, a Los Angeles judge awarded Cara $1.5 Million.
Personal life
Irene was married to Conrad Palmisano, a film director/stuntman, on April 13, 1986, in Los Angeles. They divorced five years later. Cara was a star in Palmisano’s 1986 film “Busted Up” and Conrad directed the 1985 sci-fi Western, “Space Rage.”
Nominations and Awards
1984 saw Cara win an Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song, for Flashdance… What A Feeling. For the song, Cara won a Golden Globe and was nominated for Best Original Song – Motion Picture. In 1981, “Fame” received a Best Actress nomination in Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. She was also nominated for Grammys in 1984 for Best New Artist, and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for “Fame.” Irene was nominated for Album of the year for “Flashdance (Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)” as well as Record of the Year. The song won the National Music Publisher’s Association Award for Best Song in a Movie. It also received a nomination for Best Original Song by BAFTA. Cara was awarded the NAACP Image Award in 1982 for Best Actress in a TV Movie, Miniseries, or Drama Special for her role as “Sister, Sister”. She was inducted into the Ciboney Cafe Hall Of Fame in 2004 and was awarded the Prestige Awards Lifetime Achievement Award.
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