Actress Louise Fletcher, best known for her Oscar winning performance as the evil Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest opposite Jack Nicholson, passed away on Friday at her home in France. No cause of death was released. She was 88.
Fletcher appeared on TV in the late 1950's and early 1960's in TV shows like Playhouse 90, Bat Masterson, Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, The Untouchables, Wagon Train and Perry Mason before she took a 12-year hiatus to raise a family. Fletcher would attract some attention with her performance in the 1974 Robert Altman film Thieves Like Us which he co-produced with her husband Jerry Bick. She was due to appear in Altman's next film Nashville, but lost the role which went to Lily Tomlin when Altman had a falling out with Bick. Altman's loss was Milos Forman's gain. The Czech director would soon cast her as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
It has been years since I've seen One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Nurse Ratched is such a wretched creature for whom one feels nothing but contempt. In addition to winning an Oscar, Fletcher won the BAFTA and Golden Globe Best Actress awards for the same role. Of course, Fletcher in real life was nothing like Nurse Ratched. When Fletcher won the Best Actress Oscar, she would give one of the most memorable speeches in Academy Award history. After drawing laughter about how much she loved being hated, she concluded her remarks movingly by using sign language to honor and thank her parents both of whom were deaf.
Fletcher would never repeat the same level of big screen success. However, she did have a career which would span another 40 years playing supporting roles often cast as Ratched like villains most notably on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Winn Adami and would also earn Emmy nominations for guest appearances on Picket Fences and Joan of Arcadia.
I leave you with Fletcher in her finest hour during her Oscars acceptance speech. R.I.P.
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