Louise Fletcher, the actress best known for her role as Nurse Mildred Ratched in Miloš Forman's film adaptation of Ken Kesey's 1962 novel, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," has died at the age of 88.
In a statement made by her family, Fletcher died while staying in the home she had custom built from a 300-year-old farmhouse in Southern France. No exact cause of death has been given at this time.
Fletcher had only a handful of film credits to her name when she was cast in the role of Nurse Ratched in her early 40s. When "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was released in 1975, the cranking wheel of the Hollywood film industry did not overly favor young actresses for roles in the harsh way it does today but, still, rising to stardom at her age was considered a much earned rarity.
Starring alongside Jack Nicholson in the film that centered on a group of patients in a mental institution, Fletcher's scene-stealing role as Nurse Ratched went on to gain her an Academy Award and Golden Globe in 1976, both for Best Actress.
Following the success of her breakout role, Fletcher went on to star in a string of films that further highlighted her intense acting style such as "Exorcist II: The Heretic," "Firestarter," and "Flowers in the Attic."
In the mid to late 1990s, Fletcher popped up in "Cruel Intentions" as Helen Rosemond, aunt to Ryan Phillippe's character Sebastian Valmont, and had a recurring role on television as Kai Winn in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Her last listed film credit is for "Grizzly II: Revenge," a Hungarian horror film originally shot in 1983.
Fletcher's most famous character was given an origin story in 2020 with the release of Ryan Murphy's Netflix series, "Ratched," starring Sarah Paulson as Nurse Ratched and Cynthia Nixon as love interest Gwendolyn Briggs.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Paulson said she initially had reservations over taking on such an iconic role.
"I felt worried that there'd be self-inflicted pressure to recreate, emulate something that was so very special," Paulson said. "I felt that she [the character] was so alive and yet revealed so little that not only was it a lesson in stillness and the performance, and how doing all that can be so powerful, especially when it's infused with so much internal life
In another interview with The Washington Post, Paulson talks about taking on Ratched saying, "No one could deny the multifaceted, multidimensional aspects of this role, and that there are not a ton of them just hanging off trees that are for women my age, that are this complicated and this nuanced and this rich."
"I mean, there is no way to improve upon perfection," Paulson says. "Louise Fletcher's performance is so extraordinary that I thought, 'Oh, this might be really scary.' When I was younger, I found her terrifying. Of course, on second viewing . . . I had to find a way that I could get inside it."
After news of Fletcher's passing broke on Saturday morning; fans, friends and co-stars shared memories of the actress on Twitter.
"Sad to read of the passing of Louise Fletcher," writes actress Marlee Matlin. "Brilliant actress & Academy Award winner, I remember her as the daughter of Deaf parents (CODA) who was the FIRST to sign her acceptance speech at the Oscars. And she was so lovely as my mother on "Picket Fences." RIP dear Louise."
Sad to read of the passing of Louise Fletcher. Brilliant actress & Academy Award winner, I remember her as the daughter of Deaf parents (CODA) who was the FIRST to sign her acceptance speech at the Oscars. And she was so lovely as my mother on “Picket Fences.” RIP dear Louise. pic.twitter.com/e9om1R4DtW
— Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) September 24, 2022
"Louise Fletcher's Oscar acceptance speech for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is one of my faves," says BuzzFeed Deputy Editorial Director, Spencer Althouse. "RIP to a legend. [signing to her deaf parents] 'For my mother and my father, I want to say thank you for teaching me to have a dream. You are seeing my dream come true.'"
Louise Fletcher's Oscar acceptance speech for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is one of my faves. RIP to a legend.
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) September 24, 2022
[signing to her deaf parents] "For my mother and my father, I want to say thank you for teaching me to have a dream. You are seeing my dream come true." pic.twitter.com/jwAf8jqb4h
"Louise Fletcher played some great love-to-hate them characters," writes a fan. "DS9 wouldn't have been the same without the wickedness of Kai Winn. May you walk with the prophets, Louise. RIP."
Louise Fletcher played some great love-to-hate them characters. DS9 wouldn’t have been the same without the wickedness of Kai Winn. May you walk with the prophets, Louise. RIP pic.twitter.com/CCiF2UaqSP
— John Redden (@reddenjm) September 24, 2022
Sarah Paulson memorialized the actress whose shoes she slipped into by sharing a photo to her Instagram stories of Fletcher holding her Academy Award for Best Actress.
