Louise Fletcher, 88, from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest dies.
Louise Fletcher, an Oscar winner, passed away at the age of 88.
Although they did not provide a cause of death, the actress’ family did confirm to Deadline that she passed away quietly at her home in Montdurausse, France.
She is most known for her role as Nurse Ratched in the 1975 Milo Forman film One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, which also starred Jack Nicholson and is widely regarded as one of the best movies ever filmed.
She won the Best Actress Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA Award for her performance as Nurse Ratched at the 48th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles in March 1976.
The Reverend Robert Capers Fletcher and his wife Estelle, who were both deaf and worked with the deaf and hard-of-hearing, had four children in total, with Fletcher being the second.
The Birmingham, Alabama native went on to demonstrate an interest in acting as a young child after being taught how to speak by a hearing aunt.
She finally made her professional debut in 1958, landing four distinct television guest appearances in the shows Yancy Derringer, Flight, Playhouse 90, and Bat Masterson.
In 1963’s A Gathering of Eagles, which also starred Rock Hudson, Rod Taylor, Mary Peach, and Barry Sullivan, Fletcher made her acting debut.
Her next film part wouldn’t come for another 11 years, though; it was in the criminal drama Thieves Like Us, alongside Keith Carradine, Shelley Duvall, John Schuck, Bert Remsen, and Tom Skerritt.
Louise’s Thieves Like Us performance caught Milo Forman’s attention, and as a result, she was given the role of Nurse Ratched in One Who Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.
The psychological comedic drama won the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Leading Actor, Best Leading Actress, and Best Screenplay out of nine nominations. Louise achieved both commercial and critical success.
One of the most enduring memories in Academy Awards history is Louise Fletcher’s use of gestures during her victory speech for Best Actress.
Fletcher continued to work steadily in both film and television over the years.
Louise’s recurrent role as the Bajoran religious figure Kai Winn Adami in the popular series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is actually when most fans first became familiar with her (1993-1999).
Jerry Bick, a movie producer, and Fletcher were wed from 1959 until their separation in 1977.
Sons John and Andrew Bick, granddaughter Emilee Kaya Bick, sisters Roberta Ray, and Edward Ray, as well as 10 nieces and nephews, are her surviving family members.