Celebrity
Louise Fletcher, famous for playing Oscar-Winning ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest', dies at 88
Louise Fletcher, Hollywood's most famous villain, dies: check out the report on her life and death
Louis Fletcher, famous for playing the infamous role of the fiendish Nurse Ratched in 1975's One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, has died at the age of 88.
David Shaul, Louis Fletcher's agent, confirmed the news, given by Fletcher's family, that she died on September 23 at her home in Montdurausse, France at the age of 88.
According to Deadline, Fletcher's demise has an unspecified cause. Shaul revealed that she passed away in her sleep at the home she had built from a 300-year-old farmhouse, surrounded by family.
Shaul also revealed that before her death she talked to her family about her beloved home, "I can’t believe I created something so meaningful to my well-being."
Fletcher had an acting career spanning over 60 years. She is most famous for playing one of the greatest all-time villains in Hollywood, her character as nurse Ratched was indestructible that it was remembered more than 45 years later in the shape of Ryan Murphy's series, Ratched, played by Sarah Paulson in 2020.
Her other famous roles include a recurring role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sugarfoot, Perry Mason and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.
Fletcher also guest-starred in Picket Fences and Joan of Arcadia which got her nominated for the Emmys in 1994 and 2004 respectively.
Born on July 22, 1934, in Birmingham, AL, to deaf parents, Fletcher used sign language in her Academy Award acceptance speech for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which made it one of the most memorable moments of the Oscars.
Speaking in an interview with The New York Times, Fletcher, then 60, recalled her Oscar win and said, "I got the Oscar when I was 41, If I was 23, it would have been hard to deal with. Hell, at my age it was hard to deal with. It was like being thrown an explosive."
Fletcher is survived by sons John and Andrew Bick, granddaughter Emilee Kaya Bick, sister Roberta Ray, and brother-in-law Edward Ray, and 10 nieces and nephews.
