Louise Fletcher Birthday: July 22, 1934 Birth Place: Birmingham, Alabama, USA Height: 5' 9"
Below
is a complete filmography (list of movies he's appeared in)
for Louise Fletcher.
If you have any corrections or additions, please email
us.
We'd also be interested in any trivia or other information you have.
Biography
Louise Fletcher's acting career can be divided into two stages. She started out appearing on television shows such as Wagon Train and The Untouchables during the late '50s, but left acting in 1964, two years after marrying movie producer Jerry Bick, to raise a family. She did not return to her craft until appearing in Robert Altman's well-regarded feature film Thieves Like Us in 1974. Fletcher then appeared in the spy thriller Russian Roulette (1975) before Milos Forman cast her in what was to become her signature role, that of the iron-willed, sadistic Nurse Ratched who tormented Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Her believable portrayal won her a Best Actress Oscar and a Golden Globe. Perhaps the highest honor is that her Ratched has become a movie icon, one that has been frequently emulated and parodied in numerous subsequent films. Fletcher was born in Birmingham, AL, to a deaf Episcopalian minister and a deaf mother. She started acting in summer stock following her graduation from the University of North Carolina. Fletcher next moved to Los Angeles and found work as a receptionist before breaking into television. Standing 5'10", the strikingly beautiful Fletcher was often taller than her leading men, something that hindered her first bid at stardom. Since her success with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Fletcher has found steady employment as a supporting and character actress on television — where she received a 1996 Emmy nomination for a guest-star appearance on the highly acclaimed CBS series Picket Fences — and in feature films. She also has a busy stage career.
Learned sign language at a very young age, as both of her parents were deaf.
Ronee Blakley's role in Robert Altman's Nashville (1975) was originally written for, and in part by, Fletcher, whose then-husband had been Altman's producer. When the two men had a falling-out, Altman chose to cast Blakley in the role.
Was a leading choice to play the mother in Terms of Endearment (1983).
After her divorce from producer Jerry Bick in the late 1970s she caused a stir when she, then in her 40s, began dating 21-year-old Morgan Mason, the son of actor James Mason.
Her role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) had been turned down by Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn, Colleen Dewhurst and Jane Fonda. Bancroft and Dewhurst turned down the role because they found it anti-feminist and downright misogynistic.
Was cited for reckless driving in 2000 when she slammed into a police car near her Virginia home.
Her Oscar-winning role as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) was ranked #5 in the American Film Institute's Villains list in their 100 years of The Greatest Screen Heroes and Villains.
One of the other Best Actress nominees in 1976 was Ann-Margret, who was nominated for her role Tommy (1975). Ironically, both films featured Jack Nicholson.