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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest star Louise Fletcher dies aged 88

The Oscar winning star of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Louise Fletcher, has died at the age of 88

Louise Fletcher as Kai Winn on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

The Oscar-winning actor Louise Fletcher has died aged 88. Fletcher was best known for her stunning performance in drama movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest, as the tyrannical, cold-hearted Nurse Ratched. She starred in the movie opposite Jack Nicholson, who also won a coveted Oscar for his own performance.

In addition to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which is considered to be one of the best movies of all time, Fletcher also notably starred in the romance movie Cruel Intentions, the horror movie Flowers in the Attic, and the crime movie Thieves Like Us. Away from the big screen, the actor also appeared on many TV series.

Out of these, the actor received the most recognition for her role as the villainous Kai Winn, who served as one of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s most memorable supporting antagonists.

The sci-fi series‘ showrunner and executive producer, Ira Steven Behr, paid tribute to Fletcher and her performance in the show with a statement to social media in which he said “Every fan of #StarTrekDS9 should be in mourning tonight. Louise was key player for us. A stone cold pro who committed totally to her character.” He continued “She was so damn good being so damn bad.”

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Since Fletcher’s portrayal of the Nurse Ratched, the character has been played by different actors in variety of adaptions. Most notably, perhaps, Sarah Paulson took on the role in the TV series Ratched – a prequel to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – which can be found on the streaming service Netflix.

Fletcher’s huge legacy on cinema and television continue to be reflected on, as those who worked with her and admired her work remember her after the news of her death.