Louise Fletcher: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Nurse Ratched dies aged 88

Image source, Silver Sc Collection reen

Louise Fletcher, who won an Oscar for her unforgettable role as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, has died in the age of 88.

The American actress died at her home in the south of France, her agent said.

While best known for her portrayal of Nurse Ratched, Fletcher's career spanned six decades, including television and in the cinema.

Former colleagues and fans have paid tribute to the actress, calling her "an absolute great."

Fletcher was an unknown when he was cast as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975. She began her career acting in the 1950s but took a break for more than a decade to raise her children.

The main actresses, including Angela Lansbury and Ellen Burstyn, had all turned down the role.

Set and filmed in a mental hospital in Oregon, United States, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was directed by Milos Forman and based on Ken Kesey's 1962 novel of the same name.

The film proved extremely popular, winning numerous awards and appearing in many lists of the greatest American films of all time.

At the center of the film's appeal was Fletcher's cruel and calculating Nurse Ratched, a fearsome symbol of institutional authority that opposes the 'Individualism by Jack Nicholson's Randle McMurphy.

The American Film Institute placed Nurse Ratched behind only The Wicked Witch of the West, Darth Vader, Norman Bates and Hannibal Lecter in his ranking of the greatest movie villains.

Fletcher won an Oscar in 1976 for his role as part of a cl...