How well do you know this 80s pop icon?
An incredible actor, dancer, and singer, Irene Cara—who died on November 25 at age 63—was the voice behind two of the most indelible movie theme songs of the 1980s. Think you know why her legacy is “gonna live forever”? Then take the quiz!
Irene Cara Escalera was born on March 18, 1959, in _______.
a. New York, NY
b. San Juan, Puerto Rico
c. Havana, Cuba
d. Topeka, Kansas
A performer since age 5, Irene finally hit it big in the 1980 film Fame, for which she both sang the hugely popular title song and played the starring role of _____.
a. Chi Chi Valenti
b. Boom Boom Mancini
c. Meow Meow Madden
d. Coco Hernandez
Irene won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for this film, becoming the first Black-Hispanic woman to win an Oscar in a non-acting category.
a. Fame
b. Flashdance
c. Sparkle
d. Killing ‘em Softly
In 1999, Irene formed an all-female band called _______.
a. Hot Chocolate
b. Hot Tamales
c. Hot Caramel
d. Hot 4 Teacher
Complete the following Irene quote: “I’m a woman with a mission. I’ve learned to believe in myself, my vision, and to do things the way I want them done. I don’t mean to sound immodest, but I never had any doubt that I’d be __________.
a. a feminist
b. successful
c. famous
d. happy
Give Irene Cara Her Flowers!
Answer Key:1.a, 2.d, 3.b, 4.c, 5.b
PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS; PUBLIC DOMAIN
