Louise Fletcher, who won an Oscar for her role in the 1975 film One Flet Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, has died at the age of 88.
Fletcher died in her sleep surrounded by her family at her home in Montdurausse, France, her agent David Shaul told the Associated Press.
Her son Andrew Bick told the Hollywood Reporter she died of natural causes on Friday. She had survived two bouts of breast cancer.
The actress won the 1976 Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the ruthless nurse Mildred Ratched in Miloš Forman’s adaptation of Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel of the same name. The film also won awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Adapted Script.
Fletcher as Nurse Ratched in One flew over the cuckoo’s nest. Photo: United Artists/Fantasy Films/Kobal/Rex/ShutterstockIn her acceptance speech that evening, she thanked her deaf parents in American Sign Language and thanked the audience for hating them.
Her portrayal of the character in the film was so memorable that in 2020 Netflix made a series called Ratched, which tells the origin story of the nurse-turned-villain.
She was born Estelle Louise Fletcher on July 22, 1934, the second of four children.
She married producer Jerry Bick in the early 1960s and had two sons, John and Andrew. Fletcher divorced Bick in 1977 and is survived by her sons, according to the Associated Press.