Louise Fletcher

Louise Fletcher (born July 22, 1934) is an American actress best known for her role as Nurse Ratched in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress and as Kai Winn Adami in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She also guest starred on the science fiction television series Heroes. She also received Emmy nominations for her guest starring roles in Picket Fences and Joan of Arcadia.

Early life

Fletcher, the second of four children, was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the daughter of Estelle Caldwell and the Reverend Robert Capers Fletcher, who was an Episcopal priest from Arab, Alabama. Both of her parents were deaf and worked with the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Fletcher's father founded more than 40 churches for the deaf in Alabama. Fletcher and her siblings, Roberta, John and Georgianna, were all born without any hearing loss; she was taught to speak by a hearing aunt, who also introduced her to acting. After attending the University of North Carolina, she traveled to Los Angeles, California, where she found work as a secretary by day and took acting lessons by night.

Career

Fletcher began appearing in several television productions, including "Lawman" and the highest-rated episode of Maverick. In 1974, she returned to film in Thieves Like Us co-produced by her husband and Robert Altman, who also directed. When the two of them 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 her in Thieves and cast her as McMurphy's nemesis Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. When Fletcher accepted her Oscar, she used sign language to thank her parents, having spent two hours on the phone with her sister the previous night brushing up on her signing skills.

She also appeared in such films 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 as Sebastian's aunt in Cruel Intentions (1999). She played the character of Ruth Shorter, a supporting role, in the 2005 film Aurora Borealis alongside Joshua Jackson and Donald Sutherland, and appeared in the Fox Faith film The Last Sin Eater (2007).

Fletcher co-starred in such made-for-tv movies 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). She had a recurring role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–99) as the scheming Bajoran religious leader Kai Winn Adami. She also earned Emmy Award nominations for her guest roles on the television series Picket Fences (1996) and Joan of Arcadia (2004). In 2009, Fletcher appeared in the NBC series "Heroes" as the physician mother of character Emma Coolidge. In 2011 she appeared as 'Grammy' Gallagher, Frank Gallagher's foul mouthed and hard living mother serving a prison sentence for manslaughter related to a meth lab explosion, in the Showtime series "Shameless".

Personal life

Fletcher married literary agent and producer Jerry Bick in 1960, divorcing in 1977. The couple had two sons, John Dashiell Bick and Andrew Wilson Bick. Fletcher took an 11-year hiatus from acting to raise her sons.

Filmography

Year Film Role Other notes

1963 A Gathering of Eagles Mrs. Kemler uncredited

1974 Thieves Like Us Mattie

1975 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Nurse Mildred Ratched Academy Award for Best Actress

BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role

Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama

Russian Roulette Midge

1977 Exorcist II: The Heretic Dr. Gene Tuskin

1978 The Cheap Detective Marlene DuChard

1979 Natural Enemies Miriam Steward

The Magician of Lublin Emilia

The Lady in Red Anna Sage

1980 Mama Dracula Mama Dracula

The Lucky Star Loes Bakker

1981 Strange Behavior Barbara Moorehead

1983 Brainstorm Dr. Lillian Reynolds Saturn Award for Best Actress

Strange Invaders Mrs. Benjamin

Overnight Sensation Eve Peregrine – 'E. K. Hamilton'

1984 Firestarter Norma Manders

Talk to Me Richard's mother

1986 Nobody's Fool Pearl

The Boy Who Could Fly Psychiatrist

Invaders from Mars Mrs. McKeltch

1987 Flowers in the Attic Grandmother – Olivia Foxworth Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress

Predator: The Concert Park Supervisor

1988 Two Moon Junction Belle Delongpre

1989 Best of the Best Mrs. Grady

The Karen Carpenter Story Agnes Carpenter

1990 Blue Steel Shirley Turner

Shadowzone Dr. Erhardt

1993–1999 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Winn Adami

1994 Giorgino Innkeeper

Tryst Maggie

Tollbooth Lillian

1995 Return to Two Moon Junction Belle Delongpre

Virtuosity Elizabeth Deane

1996 The Stepford Husbands Miriam Benton

Edie & Pen Judge

Mulholland Falls Esther uncredited

Frankenstein and Me Mrs. Perdue

High School High Principal Evelyn Doyle

2 Days in the Valley Evelyn

1997 Breast Men Mrs. Saunders Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film

The Girl Gets Moe Gloria

Gone Fishin' Restaurant Owner uncredited

1998 Love Kills Alena Heiss

1999 A Map of the World Nellie Goodwin

Cruel Intentions Helen Rosemond

The Contract Grandma Collins

2000 More Dogs Than Bones Iva Doll

Very Mean Men Katherine Mulroney

Big Eden Grace Cornwell

Silver Man Val

2001 After Image Aunt Cora

Touched by a Killer Judge Erica Robertson

Dial 9 for Love Abbie

2002 Manna from Heaven Mother Superior

2003 Finding Home Esther

2004 Clipping Adam Grammy

2005 Aurora Borealis Ruth Shorter

Dancing in Twilight Evelyn

ER Roberta 'Birdie' Chadwick

2006 Fat Rose and Squeaky Bonnie

Me and Luke Grandmother Glennie

2007 The Last Sin Eater Miz Elda

2009 Heroes Doctor Coolidge

2010 Private Practice Pete Wilder's mother