Louise Fletcher, 88, Dies; Oscar Winner for 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'

[Omaha Steve]

Source: NY Times

By Anita Gates

Louise Fletcher, the imposing, steely-eyed actress who won an Academy Award for her role as the tyrannical Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” died on Friday at her home in Montdurausse, France. She was 88.

The death was confirmed by her agent, David Shaul. He did not cite the cause.

Ms. Fletcher was 40 and largely unknown to the public when she was cast as the head administrative nurse at an Oregon mental institution in the 1975 film version of “Cuckoo’s Nest.” The film, directed by Milos Forman and based on a Ken Kesey novel, won a best actress trophy for Ms. Fletcher and four other Oscars, including for best picture, for Mr. Forman as best director and for Jack Nicholson as best actor.

Ms. Fletcher’s acceptance speech stood out that night, not only because she teasingly thanked voters for hating her but also because she used American Sign Language in thanking her parents for “teaching me to have a dream.”



Louise Fletcher in 1976, when she won the Academy Award for best actress.Credit...Associated Press

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/obituaries/louise-fletcher-one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-oscar-dies.html

[twodogsbarking]

1. She was beyond outstanding in "The Nest". RIP pretty lady.

[FarPoint]

2. Absolutely a fantastic actress...

I loved her on Deep Space Nine too!

[BumRushDaShow]

3. I heard this early this morning

What a loss. The CBS report that I heard did mention her role on DS9 (which I know was as the Bajoran "Kai Winn" ).

And I did finally see her in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" a few years ago (what a cast)!

R.I.P. and thank you for your fantastic performances.

[Deep State Witch]

4. Trekkies Know Her

As Kai Winn Adami on DS9 - playing a Bajoran spiritual leader who is a Fundamentalist. She's one with the Prophets now.

https://ds9.trekcore.com/castcrew/pages/kaiwinn.html

[NullTuples]

15. Her episodes made me uncomfortable, she nailed the cruel zealotry of a religious extremist perfectly

I love her academy award acceptance speech (for One Who Flew). Her voice was breaking & she started signing to her parents to thank them.

[Marthe48]

5. Not speaking ill of the dead

But Nurse Ratchett.

R.I.P. to one who still causes me anxiety. Superbly played

[Stuart G]

9. Nurse Ratchett causes me anxiety too. (when I think about it, as I am doing now)

Outstanding played by a great actress.


and that film was in the 70s..is that correct?....I re-read the story .....1975....

AND YES, I WATCHED ALL OF IT, NOT PART OF IT.

Two other movies scared the s**t out of me..I never saw them entirely..I walked out
...House of Wax ...1953.... Psycho 1960...

[Marthe48]

10. I think so

My gang back then all read the book and saw the movie. Many years ago

[Marthe48]

6. Ken Kesey wrote Sometimes a Great Notion

as well as One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. It was made into a movie called Never Give an Inch. Both novels were something.

[JohnnyRingo]

12. I read "The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test"

....about Ken Kesey. That was by Tom Wolfe, but Kesey's chemical laden adventures with The Merry Pranksters fascinated a teen age me. I was shocked when I learned he wrote Cuckoo's Nest.

[Marthe48]

13. Both books are gripping

I didn't read Electric Kool Aid Acid Test.

[mobeau69]

18. GREAT book. "He's in his own movie." LOL

[dalton99a]

7. R.I.P. to a truly great actress

[JohnnyRingo]

8. 88!?

Where do the years go?
Great movie and a great performance. Nurse Ratched (often mispronounced as Cratchett) was so iconic she lives on in her absence.

RIP.

[TeamProg]

14. In the '90's she played an evil, conniving and manipulating religious leader 'Kai Winn' in

Star Trek Deep Space Nine.

((( Spoiler))) She burns up from evil in the last episode.

She does evil people really well, apparently.

I can't remember seeing her in anything else!

[iluvtennis]

16. Fantastic actress. May Louise Fletcher Rest in Peace and May her Memory be a Blessing. n/t

[trof]

17. I met her once.

Lovely lady.

[LudwigPastorius]

19. I didn't know until today that both of her parents were deaf, and that...

Last edited Sat Sep 24, 2022, 11:19 PM - Edit history (1)

she didn't learn how to speak until she was 8 years old. Remarkable.

She was a great actress who, unfortunately, suffered in her later career a bit because she played Nurse Ratched so perfectly.

[Farmer-Rick]

20. I loved her acting

She was always believable.

May she be at peace among the universe.

[Mysterian]

21. She made whatever she was in ... better

I didn't realize she was in her upper 80s. She was in a bunch of low budget movies and always made them infinitely better than they would have been without her.

RIP