Louise Fletcher

Louise Fletcher (1934–2022) was an American actress best known for playing Nurse Ratched in the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (film): Milos Forman’s 1975 film adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel about patients in an Oregon psychiatric hospital. Fletcher’s performance as Nurse Ratched made this film her signature work.
Milos Forman: A Czech-born American film director whose works include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Amadeus. Forman directed Fletcher’s defining performance as Nurse Ratched.
Birmingham, Alabama: The largest city in Alabama, located in the south-central United States. Fletcher was born in Birmingham in 1934.
Best Actress in a Leading Role (Academy Awards): The Academy Award category recognizing a leading performance by an actress in a film. Fletcher’s 1976 win placed her among the award’s recipients.
Nurse Ratched: The authoritarian head nurse in Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and its adaptations. Fletcher’s portrayal gave this character her best-known screen interpretation.
Ken Kesey: An American novelist whose 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest inspired the film. Kesey created the story and Nurse Ratched, the role Fletcher made famous on screen.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: A public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Fletcher studied drama there before beginning her acting career.
Oscar acceptance speech: A speech delivered by a recipient while accepting an Academy Award. Fletcher used sign language during her acceptance speech to thank her deaf parents.
Academy Award for Best Actress: The Academy Award presented annually for the leading female performance in a film. Fletcher won the award for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Jack Nicholson: An American actor known for films including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Chinatown. Nicholson’s portrayal of Randle McMurphy countered Fletcher’s Nurse Ratched in the film.