louise fletcher nurse ratched, Oscar-winning actress from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, died

Louise Fletcher: Oscar-winning actress from “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest,” died at age 88

by Peter Barnes

Louise Fletcher, an Oscar-winning actress best known for her role as Nurse Ratched in the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, passed away at the age of 88 on 23 September 2022


According to her agent, David Shaul, she reportedly passed away in her sleep at her house in Montdurausse, France, 23 September 2022, where she was accompanied by her family.

actress Louise Fletcher was a little-known before landing her role in Cuckoo’s Nest, since she had initially postponed her career in order to raise her children. However, filmmaker Milos Forman knew her and had loved some of her earlier works, such as Robert Altman’s Thieves Like Us. 

Louise Fletcher A.K.A. Nurse Ratched
Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched in the movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” | Pinterest

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Remembering Louise Fletcher Fletcher said in a 2004 interview, “I was the last person cast.” I didn’t understand the part had been offered to other women until we were halfway through filming because they didn’t want to seem so awful on screen.

After that, the movie made history by becoming the first since 1934’s It Happened One Night to win best picture, best director, best actor, best actress, and best screenplay awards. 

People hated me, says Louise Fletcher who played the tyrannical Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Twitter
People hated me, says Louise Fletcher who played the tyrannical Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest | BFI

Sadly, Fletcher’s age prevented her from landing significant Hollywood parts when she returned to the set of Cuckoo’s Nest in her 40s. Despite this, she worked for the majority of her life, making appearances in movies including The Boy Who Could Fly, Dead Kids, Mama Dracula, and

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She would go on to receive Emmy nominations for her work on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Kai Winn Adami and the louise fletcher tv shows on Joan of Arcadia and Picket Fences. In 1989’s The Karen Carpenter Story, she also portrayed the Carpenters’ mother and  flowers in the attic 1987 also became famous one.

Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher
Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher | GettyImages

Louise Fletcher and Jack Nicholson relationship also began with Cuckoo’s Nest. Fletcher’s performance in Cuckoo’s Nest set the gold standard for bad actors on screen. She went on to become one of the most famous and well-known actors in movie history.

Louise Fletcher nude scene, to befriend the ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ Cast

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which is based on Ken Kesey’s novel, follows patients at a mental institution. They had to deal with Louise Fletcher’s jaded, famed nurse, Mildred Ratched, in addition to their own individual travels. 

Fletcher felt the need to go to some extreme lengths to get the respect of her coworkers, despite the fact that she is an iconic component of the film and thus a part of one of the acknowledged greatest films of all time. In fact, she decided to get naked in front of everyone in a fairly theatrical manner. Why? She’s still working through that on her own. 

 Louise-Fletcher-stripped-naked-to-befriend-One-Flew-Over-the-Cuckoos-Nest
Louise Fletcher stripped naked to befriend ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ (1975) cast to separate herself from her cold on-screen persona Nurse Ratched | r/OldSchoolCool

Louise Fletcher wanted the impression of a simple friendship

All of the characters in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest had strong performances from actors including Jack Nicholson, Will Sampson, William Redfield, Brad Dourif, and others.

Actress Louise Fletcher couldn’t help but notice the intimate camaraderie that formed between these male players. Many of their characters would engage in conflict with one another and form alliances. Then they appeared to be getting along well behind the scenes. 

Fletcher wished she could share in their friendship. She therefore made an effort to distance herself from her on-screen alter ego, Nurse Ratched, according to Mental Floss. She pulled off her dress entirely and went inside one of the packed ward sets to accomplish this.

Looking back on things with a sense of humor while maintaining respect

Louise Fletcher pondered the precise justification for the theatrical move; “‘I’ll show them I’m a real woman under here, you know,’ she thought. That must have been my thought, I believe”. She was laughs as she recalls all of this. On a personal level, Fletcher’s performance as Ratched earned her the Best Actress Oscar. 

She also contributed to the role being a well-known and frequently used archetype of a steely nurse. Sometimes, through a figure that resembles Ratched, the media investigates the detrimental impacts of bureaucracy on the civil service.

Sarah Paulson is iconic villain Nurse Ratched in star-studded new Netflix drama | Mirror Online

From the pages of Kesey’s book to the 1975 movie, Ratched has gone a long way, but her journey is far from over. Because Sarah Paulson played the title nurse in Netflix’s prequel Ratched, Louise kept the role so memorable.

No matter what reasons Fletcher pulled in the background, it’s obvious that she created a persona that people would always remember and want to interact with.

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