Louise Fletcher, 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' Actress, Dead at 88
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She died at home on Friday.
American actress Louise Fletcher, perhaps best known for her Oscar-winning role as the iconic villainous Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, has died. She was 88 years old.
Fletcher's son, Andrew Bick, reportedly confirmed her death to The Hollywood Reporter. She died of natural causes at her home in Montdurausse, France, on Friday, Sept. 23.
In the wake of her death, Fletcher's acceptance speech for Best Actress at the 1976 Academy Awards has spread across social media like wildfire. Fletcher was the daughter of deaf parents, and many remember it well for the moment when she tearfully thanked her parents, in American Sign Language, for teaching her to have a dream. "You are seeing my dream come true," she said at the time.
That dream came true almost two decades into her career (which had been on pause for half of that time to raise her children), which then went on for about another four. In addition to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest—a role she seemed fated to play after several more well-known actresses turned it down and which netted the 5th spot in the American Film Institute's list of 100 greatest villains—she had a brief but fan-favorite turn on Star Trek and can also be seen in Cruel Intentions, Flower in the Attic, Firestarter, and more.
Well wishes and condolences for the late actress have poured in from fans and colleagues on social media.
"RIP Louise Fletcher. No one else ever made the words "My child" sound so teeth gratingly condescending," one commended on Twitter.
"RIP Louise Fletcher, whose extraordinary iconic performance as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest will forever be remembered, as will her amazing and deeply moving Oscar speech which she ended by speaking to her deaf parents in ASL," wrote another.
"It was an honor and a pleasure to write for Louise Fletcher, one of the absolute greats. A blazing talent and a compete class act. May she rest with the Prophets," said author Robert Hewitt Wolfe.
Star Trek's official Twitter even wrote, "StarTrek.com is saddened to report the passing of Louise Fletcher. Her contributions to the Star Trek universe will never be forgotten. #StarTrek #StarTrekFamily"
"The key to a really, really great villain is that you LOVE to hate them with every fiber of your being, to the point of physically reacting to them when they appear. Louise Fletcher played two of the best villains ever committed to the screen. She was absolutely phenomenal. RIP," said someone else.
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