Actress Louise Fletcher died on September 23 at the age of 88 at her home in Montdurausse, France. On behalf of Fletcher’s family, agent David Shaul informed Deadline of her death. The cause of death, however, was not disclosed, however, David reported that she died in the home she created from a 300-year-old farmhouse, surrounded by her family. Fletcher told her family about her home the next day, saying she couldn’t believe she had constructed something so essential for her well-being.
RIP Louise Fletcher 💔 pic.twitter.com/JecyVs9SKh
— Jen Euston (@jeneuston) September 24, 2022
Louise Fletcher earned an Academy Award for her performance in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
In the 1975 film version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Louise Fletcher played Nurse Ratched, also known as Mildred Ratched. Her portrayal earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress, as well as a BAFTA and a Golden Globe Award. Nurse Ratched is the top administrative nurse at Salem State Hospital. Salem State Hospital is a psychiatric facility where she has influence over inmates’ access to drugs, privileges, and basic necessities such as food and restrooms. When someone offends her, she revokes these rights.
Her bosses overlook her because she uses antipsychotic and anticonvulsant medicines and her psychotherapy brand, which involves shaming patients into doing her bidding, to keep order and prevent patients from acting out. The character is regarded as one of the best female villains in film history. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, directed by Milos Forman, won five Academy Awards and earned favorable reviews from critics.
All About Louise Fletcher
Louise Fletcher was born on July 22, 1934, to deaf parents, and her father founded more than 40 deaf churches in Alabama. Roberta, John, and Georgianna were her three siblings, and she learned to talk through her aunt. Louise made her television debut in series such as Lawman, Maverick, Untouchables, and others. She rose to prominence after being cast in Westerns due to her height. Louise said that since she was 5 feet 10 inches tall, no television producer felt a tall lady could be s**ually appealing to anybody. She continued,
“I got gigs on westerns because the players were even taller than me.”
Louise Fletcher appeared twice as a guest on the CBS courtroom drama Perry Mason. In 1960, she portrayed Roberta McConnell in an episode of the Western television series Tate. She also acted in the 1974 crime picture Thieves Like Us, which her husband, Jerry Bick, co-produced.
Louise rose to prominence after appearing in the 1975 psychological comedy-drama film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. She continued to feature in pictures, some of which did well at the box office and others did not. The Cheap Detective, Brainstorm, Invaders from Mars, Blue Steel, Cruel Intentions, Exorcist II: The Heretic, and more films are on the list.
In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, she played Bajoran religious leader Kai Winn Adami, and she later appeared in Picket Fences and Joan of Arcadia. John Dashiell Bick and Andrew Wilson Bick are Louise Fletcher’s sons. From 1960 until 1977, she was married to literary agent and producer Jerry Bick.
