What Was Louise Fletcher's Net Worth?
Louise Fletcher was an American actress who had a net worth of $1 million at the time of her death in 2022. Louise Fletcher was best known for her portrayal of the antagonist Nurse Ratched in the 1975 film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" opposite Jack Nicholson. The role won her the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her co-star Nicholson won Best Actor. Louise later appeared in series and films like "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Picket Fences," "Joan of Arcadia," and "Girlboss," among others.
Early Life
Louise Fletcher was born on July 22, 1934, in Birmingham, Alabama. She was the daughter of Estelle and the Reverend Robert Capers Fletcher. Her father was an Episcopalian missionary from Arab, Alabama. Both of her parents were deaf and worked with other deaf people. However, Fletcher and her three siblings all had full hearing ability. Her father founded more than 40 churches for the deaf community in Alabama. After completing high school, Louise enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in drama in 1957.
Career
Soon after finishing her studies, Fletcher began booking work as an actress in television shows. In 1957, she appeared in episodes of "Flight," "Playhouse 90," "Bat Masterson," and "Yancy Derringer." The following year, in 1959, she appeared in "Lawman," "Maverick," "77 Sunset Strip," "The Untouchables," "Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond," "Wagon Train," and "Markham."
In the early 1960s, Louise continued working in television. She had roles in "The Millionaire," "Sugarfoot," "Tate," "Perry Mason," "The Best of the Post," and "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp." She also had her first film role in "A Gathering of Eagles" as Mrs. Kemler. She then did not book any more roles until the 1970s as she focused on raising her sons.
In 1974, Fletcher returned to film in the crime drama "Thieves Like Us." The film was co-produced by her husband, Jerry Bick, along with Robert Altman, who was also the director. After Bick and Altman had a falling out, Altman decided to cast Lily Tomlin for his next film, "Nashville," in a role that had been initially created for Fletcher.
Meanwhile, director Milos Forman saw Fletcher's performance in "Thieves Like Us" and decided to cast her as the character Nurse Ratched in the film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" in 1975. Louise based her performance of the character on the paternalistic way she had seen white Americans treat black Americans in her native state of Alabama. For her work in the film, Fletcher gained international recognition and fame. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in addition to a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe. Louise became only the third actress ever to win all three major awards for a single performance after Audrey Hebburn and Liza Minnelli. When giving her acceptance speech at the Oscars, Fletcher used sign language to thank her parents.
(Photo by Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
After her success on "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Fletcher had mixed success with other films. She did make several very successful films, both critically and financially, but also appeared in a number of box-office failures. Throughout the rest of the 1970s, she appeared in the films "Exorcist II: The Heretic," "The Cheap Detective," "The Lady in Red," and "The Magician of Lublin." She also appeared in the television movies "Can Ellen Be Saved?" and "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery."
In the 1980s, Fletcher remained busy with film roles. She appeared in films like "Strange Behavior," "Strange Invaders," "Brainstorm," "Firestarter," "Once Upon a Time in America," "Invaders from Mars," "The Boy Who Could Fly," "Nobody's Fool," "Flowers in the Attic," "Two Moon Junction," and "Best of the Best." In terms of television, she primarily appeared in TV movies like "A Summer to Remember," "Second Serve," "J. Edgar Hoover," "Worlds Beyond," "The Twilight Zone," and "The Karen Carpenter Story."
Fletcher continued booking film roles in the 1990s. She had roles in "Shadowzone," "Blue Steel," "Giorgino," "Return to Two Moon Junction," "Mulholland Falls," "Edie & Pen," "Johnny 316," "Love Kills," "Cruel Intentions," and "A Map of the World." She also experienced more success in television. In 1993, she appeared in the miniseries "The Fire Next Time." The same year, Louise also booked a recurring role in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," in which she played the characters of Kai and Vedek Winn. For her work on the show, she won a number of Online Film & Television Association Awards in the Best Guest Actress category.
Over the next few years, she also had roles in shows like "VR.5," "Picket Fences," "Profiler," "Brimstone," and "The Practice," among others. Her career slowed down to some extent in the 2000s as she semi-retired. However, she still made regular appearances onscreen. She appeared in episodes of "Joan of Arcadia," "Wonderfalls," "7th Heaven," "ER," "Heroes," "Private Practice," "Shameless," "Of Two Minds," and "Girlboss." Some of her later film roles include "Aurora Borealis," "Dancing in Twilight," "The Last Sin Eater," "The Genesis Code," and "Cassadaga."
Getty Images
Personal Life and Death
Fletcher married producer Jerry Bick in 1960. They had two children together, sons John and Andrew. Louise took an 11-year break from her acting career to focus on raising her sons. Fletcher and Bick divorced in 1977. In 1982, Louise received an honorary degree from Gallaudet University, a private university in Washington D.C., for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing.
In her later years, Fletcher relocated to live in Montdurausse, France. She died at her home there on September 23, 2022, at the age of 88.
