Louise Fletcher

Estelle Louise Fletcher (July 22, 1934 – September 23, 2022) was an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of the antagonist Nurse Ratched in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), which earned her numerous accolades, including the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.

Louise Fletcher
Fletcher at the 48th Academy Awards (1976)
Born	Estelle Louise Fletcher (1934-07-22)July 22, 1934 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Died	September 23, 2022(2022-09-23) (aged 88) Montdurausse, Tarn, France
Alma mater	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1955–2017
Known for	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Spouse	Jerry Bick ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1977)​
Children	2

Fletcher had a recurring role as the Bajoran religious leader Kai Winn Adami in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999). She was nominated for two Emmy Awards for her roles in the television series Picket Fences (1996) and Joan of Arcadia (2004). Her final role was as Rosie in the Netflix series Girlboss (2017).

Early life

Estelle Louise Fletcher was born on July 22, 1934, in Birmingham, Alabama,^[1] the second of four children of Estelle (née Caldwell)^[2] and the Reverend Robert Capers Fletcher, an Episcopal missionary from Arab, Alabama. Her parents were deaf and worked with the deaf/hard-of-hearing,^[3][4] but Fletcher and her siblings, Roberta, John,^[5] and Georgianna,^[6] were all hearing normally,^[7] so the children were sent in turns to live with Estelle's hearing sister in Texas for three months at a time to ensure they learned spoken English.^[3] Fletcher's father founded more than 40 churches for the deaf in Alabama.^[6] She received a bachelor's degree in drama from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1957.^[8]

Career

James Garner and Fletcher in Maverick (1959)

Fletcher began appearing in several television series including Lawman (1958) and Maverick (1959). (The Maverick episode "The Saga of Waco Williams" with James Garner was the series's highest-rated episode.)^[9] Also in 1959, she appeared in an episode of the original Untouchables TV series starring Robert Stack, "Ma Barker and Her Boys", as Elouise.^[10] Fletcher recalled having greater success being cast in Westerns due to her height:

I was 5 feet 10 inches [1.78 m] tall, and no television producer thought a tall woman could be sexually attractive to anybody. I was able to get jobs on westerns because the actors were even taller than I was.

— Louise Fletcher (November 1975)^[3]

In 1960, Fletcher made two guest appearances on Perry Mason, as defendant Gladys Doyle in "The Case of the Mythical Monkeys", and as Susan Connolly in "The Case of the Larcenous Lady". In the summer of 1960, she was cast as Roberta McConnell in the episode "The Bounty Hunter" of Tate, starring David McLean.^[11]

[When conceiving of a way to play Nurse Ratched] [s]he thought back to her childhood in Alabama, and the "paternalistic way that people treat other people there." Moving to California had opened her eyes to how warped things had been back home. "White people actually felt that the life they were creating was good for black people," she says—a dynamic she recognized in Nurse Ratched and her charges. "They're in this ward, she's looking out for them, and they have to act like they're happy to get this medication or listen to this music. And make her feel good about the way she is.

Michael Schulman profile of Louise Fletcher, Vanity Fair, July 10, 2018

In 1974, Fletcher returned to film in the crime drama Thieves Like Us, co-produced by her husband Jerry Bick and Robert Altman, who also directed. When the two had a falling out on Altman's next project (Nashville (1975), Altman decided to cast Lily Tomlin for the role of Linnea Reese, initially created for and by Fletcher. Meanwhile, director Miloš Forman saw Fletcher in Thieves and cast her as McMurphy's nemesis Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975).^[3] She based her performance of the character on the paternalistic way she saw white people treat black people in her native Alabama.^[12] Fletcher gained international recognition and fame for the role, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress, as well as a BAFTA Award and Golden Globe. She was only the third actress ever to win an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Golden Globe Award for a single performance, after Audrey Hepburn and Liza Minnelli. When Fletcher accepted her Oscar, she used sign language to thank her parents.^[13][2]

After Cuckoo's Nest, Fletcher had mixed success in film. She made several financially and critically successful films, while others were box-office failures. Fletcher's film roles were in such features as Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), The Cheap Detective (1978), The Lady in Red (1979), The Magician of Lublin (1979), Brainstorm (1983), Firestarter (1984), Invaders From Mars (1986), Flowers in the Attic (1987), Two Moon Junction (1988), Best of the Best (1989), Blue Steel (1990), Virtuosity (1995), High School High (1996), and Cruel Intentions (1999), as the aunt of Ryan Phillippe's Sebastian. Additionally, she played the character Ruth Shorter, a supporting role, in Aurora Borealis (2005), alongside Joshua Jackson and Donald Sutherland, and appeared in the Fox Faith film The Last Sin Eater (2007).^[14]

Fletcher co-starred in TV movies such as The Karen Carpenter Story (1989) (as Karen and Richard Carpenter's mother, Agnes), Nightmare on the 13th Floor (1990), The Haunting of Seacliff Inn (1994), and The Stepford Husbands (1996). From 1993 to 1999, she held a recurring role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the scheming Bajoran religious leader Kai Winn Adami.^[15] She also earned Emmy Award nominations for her guest roles on Picket Fences (1996), and later on Joan of Arcadia (2004).^[16] In 2009, Fletcher appeared in Heroes as the physician mother of character Emma Coolidge. In 2011 and 2012, she appeared on four episodes of Shameless as Grammy Gallagher, Frank Gallagher's foul-mouthed and hard-living mother, who is serving a prison sentence for manslaughter related to a meth lab explosion. She portrayed the recurring role of Rosie on the series Girlboss (2017).^[17]

Personal life

Fletcher in 2014

Fletcher married producer Jerry Bick, divorcing in 1977.^[13] The couple had two sons, John Dashiell Bick and Andrew Wilson Bick.^[18] Fletcher took an 11-year break from acting to raise them.^[13]

Fletcher received an honorary degree from Gallaudet University in 1982.^[19]

Fletcher died at her home in Montdurausse, France, on September 23, 2022, at the age of 88.^[17]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1963	A Gathering of Eagles	Mrs. Kemler		[20]
1974	Thieves Like Us	Mattie		[14]
1975	Russian Roulette	Midge		[14]
	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	Nurse Ratched		[14]
1977	Exorcist II: The Heretic	Dr. Gene Tuskin		[14]
1978	The Cheap Detective	Marlene DuChard		[14]
1979	The Lady in Red	Anna Sage		[14]
	The Magician of Lublin	Emilia		[21]
	Natural Enemies	Miriam Steward		[14]
1980	The Lucky Star	Loes Bakker		[14]
	Mama Dracula	Mama Dracula		[14]
1981	Strange Behavior	Barbara Moorehead		[21]
	Be Pretty and Shut Up	Herself	Documentary	[14]
1982	Talk to Me	Richard's Mother		[14]
1983	Strange Invaders	Mrs. Benjamin		[14]
	Brainstorm	Lilian Reynolds		[14]
1984	Firestarter	Norma Manders		[14]
	Once Upon a Time in America	Cemetery Directress	Extended cut only	[14]
	Overnight Sensation	Evie Peregrine aka "E.K. Hamilton"	Short	[14]
1986	Invaders from Mars	Mrs. McKeltch		[14]
	The Boy Who Could Fly	Dr. Grenader		[14]
	Nobody's Fool	Pearl		[14]
1987	Flowers in the Attic	Grandmother		[14]
1988	Two Moon Junction	Belle Delongpre		[14]
1989	Best of the Best	Mrs. Grady		[14]
1990	Shadowzone	Dr. Erhardt		[14]
	Blue Steel	Shirley Turner		[14]
1992	The Player	Louise Fletcher		[14]
	Blind Vision	Miss Taylor		[14]
1994
	Giorgino	Innkeeper		[14]
	Tryst	Maggie		[14]
	Tollbooth	Lillian		[14]
1995	Return to Two Moon Junction	Belle Delongpre		[14]
	Virtuosity	Elizabeth Deane		[14]
1996	Mulholland Falls	Esther	Uncredited	[20]
	Edie & Pen	Judge		[21]
	Frankenstein and Me	Mrs. Perdue		[14]
	2 Days in the Valley	Evelyn		[14]
	High School High	Principal Evelyn Doyle		[14]
1997	Gone Fishin'	Restaurant Owner	Uncredited	[22][23]
	The Girl Gets Moe	Gloria		[14]
1998	Johnny 316	Sally's Mother		[21]
	Love Kills	Alena Heiss		[14]
1999	Cruel Intentions	Helen Rosemond		[14]
	A Map of the World	Nellie Goodwin		[14]
	The Contract	Grandma Collins		[14]
2000	Big Eden	Grace Cornwell		[14]
	Very Mean Men	Katherine Mulroney		[14]
	More Dogs Than Bones	Iva Doll		[14]
2001	After Image	Aunt Cora		[14]
	Touched by a Killer	Judge Erica Robertson		[14]
2002	Manna from Heaven	Mother Superior		[14]
2003	Silver Man	Val		[21]
	Finding Home	Esther		[14]
2004	Clipping Adam	Grammy		[14]
2005	Aurora Borealis	Ruth Shorter		[14]
	Dancing in Twilight	Evelyn		[14]
2006	Fat Rose and Squeaky	Bonnie		[21]
2007	The Last Sin Eater	Miz Elda		[14]
	A Dennis the Menace Christmas	Mrs. Martha Wilson		[21]
2010	The Genesis Code	Ellen Taylor		[20]
2011	Cassadaga	Claire		[20]
2013	A Perfect Man	Abbie	filmed in 2000	[20]
2020	Grizzly II: Revenge	Eileene Draygon	filmed in 1983	[20]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1958	Flight	unknown role	"Red China Rescue"	[24]
	Playhouse 90	Pete's Girl	2 episodes	[25]
	Bat Masterson	Sarah Lou Conant	"Cheyenne Club"	[14]
	Yancy Derringer	Miss Nellie / Alithea	"Old Dixie"	[20]
1959	Lawman	Betty Horgan	"The Encounter"	[14]
	Maverick	Kathy Bent	"The Saga of Waco Williams"	[20]
	77 Sunset Strip	Julia Murphy	"A Bargain in Tombs"	[17]
	The Untouchables	Eloise	"Ma Barker and Her Boys"	[10][20]
	Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond	Jeannie	"The Open Window" (broadcast Nov. 3., US)	[20]
	Markham	Ellen Amery	"Strange Visitor"	[26]
1959–60	Wagon Train	Elizabeth / Martha English	2 episodes	[20]
1960	The Millionaire	Holly	"Millionaire Vance Ludlow"	[27]
	Sugarfoot	Julie Frazer	"Funeral at Forty Mile"	[17]
	Tate	Mrs. McConnell	"The Bounty Hunter"	[28]
	Perry Mason	Susan Connolly / Gladys Doyle	2 episodes	[20][17]
1961	The Best of the Post	unknown role	"Groper in the Dark"	[29]
	The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp	Aithra McLowery	"The Law Must Be Fair"	[17]
1973	Medical Center	unknown role	"Child of Violence"	[30]
1974	Can Ellen Be Saved?	Bea Lindsey	TV movie	[14]
1978	Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery	Sally Kimball	TV movie	[14]
1984	Islands	Maureen Davis	TV movie	[14]
1985	A Summer to Remember	Dr. Dolly McKeever	TV movie	[21]
1986	Last Waltz on a Tightrope	Cynthia Diamond	TV movie	[21][31]
	Second Serve	Dr. Sadie M. Bishop	TV movie	[21]
1987	J. Edgar Hoover	Annie M. Hoover	TV movie	[21]
1988	Worlds Beyond	Karen Earl	"Home"	[29]
	The Twilight Zone	Dr. Cline	"The Hunters"	[20]
1989	The Karen Carpenter Story	Agnes Carpenter	TV movie	[14]
	Final Notice	Mrs. Lord	TV movie	[21]
1990	In the Heat of the Night	Catherine Tyler	"December Days"	[20]
	Nightmare on the 13th Floor	Letti Gordon	TV movie	[14]
1991	The Hitchhiker	Mother Birch	"Offspring"	[32]
	Tales from the Crypt	Agent	"Top Billing"	[20]
	In a Child's Name	Jean Taylor	Miniseries (2 episodes)	[21]
1992	The Boys of Twilight	Genelva McPherson / Genelva	4 episodes	[14][25]
	The Ray Bradbury Theater	Miss Weldon	"The Dead Man"	[32]
	Civil Wars	Judge Francis Wyler	"The Triumph of DeVille"	[33]
1993	The Fire Next Time	Sarge	Miniseries	[14]
1993–99	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine	Kai Winn / Vedek Winn	recurring role (14 episodes)	[20]
1994	The Haunting of Seacliff Inn	Dorothy O'Hara	TV movie	[14]
	Someone Else's Child	Faye Maddox	TV movie	[14]
1995	Dream On	Joanna	"Try Not to Remember"	[34]
1995–97	VR.5	Mrs. Nora Bloom	recurring role (6 episodes)	[14]
1996	Picket Fences	Christine Bey	2 episodes	[20]
	The Stepford Husbands	Miriam Benton	TV movie	[14]
1997	Sins of the Mind	D. Anna Bingham	TV movie	[20]
	Married to a Stranger	Nana, Megan's Mother	TV movie	[14]
	Heartless	Aunt Lydia McGuffy	TV movie	[20]
	Breast Men	Mrs. Saunders	TV movie	[14]
1998	Profiler	Miriam Newquay, Jack's Mother	2 episodes	[20]
	The Practice	Judge N. Swanson	"Rhyme and Reason"	[20]
	Fantasy Island	Doris Leeman	"Dying to Dance"	[32]
	Brimstone	Evelyn McNabb	"Encore"	[32]
1999	The Devil's Arithmetic	Aunt Eva	TV movie	[14]
	Time Served	Warden Mildred Reinecke	TV movie	[14]
2003	A Time to Remember	Billy Calhoun	TV movie	[14]
2004	It's All Relative	ER Nurse	"Oscar Interrupts"	[20]
	Joan of Arcadia	Eva Garrison	"Do the Math"	[20]
	Wonderfalls	Vivian Caldwell	"Barrel Bear"	[20]
2005	7th Heaven	Mrs. Wagner	"Honor Thy Mother"	[20]
	ER	Roberta "Birdie" Chadwin	2 episodes	[20]
2006	A Dad for Christmas	Glennie	TV movie	[20]
2009	Heroes	Dr. Coolidge	2 episodes	[20]
2010–11	Private Practice	Frances Wilder	2 episodes	[20]
2011–12	Shameless	Peg Gallagher	(4 episodes)	[20]
2012	Of Two Minds	Aunt Will	TV movie	[20]
2017	Girlboss	Rosie	2 episodes	[17]

Accolades

Association	Year	Category	Nominated Work	Results	Ref.
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards	2007	Best Grownup Love Story (shared with Donald Sutherland)	Aurora Borealis	Nominated	[35]
Academy Awards	1975	Best Actress	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	Won	[36]
BAFTA Awards	1977	Best Actress in a Leading Role		Won	[37]
CinEuphoria Awards	2020	Career — Honorary Award	—	Won	[38]
Genie Awards	1981	Best Performance by a Foreign Actress	The Lucky Star	Nominated	[39]
Gold Derby Awards	2012	Drama Guest Actress	Shameless	Nominated	[40]
Golden Globes	1976	Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	Won	[41]
Golden Raspberry Awards	1987	Worst Supporting Actress	Invaders from Mars	Nominated	[21]
Online Film & Television Association	1997	Best Guest Actress in a Syndicated Series	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine	Won	[42]
		Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series		Won
	1998	Best Guest Actress in a Syndicated Series		Won	[43]
	1999	Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series		Nominated	[44]
		Best Guest Actress in a Syndicated Series		Won
	2012	Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series	Shameless	Won	[45]
Palm Beach International Film Festival	2005	Legend in Film Award	—	Won	[46]
Primetime Emmy Awards	1996	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (for episode "Bye Bye, Bey Bey")	Picket Fences	Nominated	[47]
	2004	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (for episode "Do the Math")	Joan of Arcadia	Nominated
Satellite Awards
	2016	Mary Pickford Award	—	Won	[48]
Saturn Awards	1984	Best Actress	Brainstorm	Won	[49]
	1988	Best Supporting Actress	Flowers in the Attic	Nominated	[50]