Actress Louise Fletcher (b. 1934) wrote film history when she portrayed the character of an atrocious and strong-willed head nurse in a mental institution in the screen classic “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975). Her co-star Jack Nicholson was equally impressive as one of the inmates, who managed to make a rebellious stance against their very oppressive head nurse. Ms. Fletcher’s awards for her intense and powerful portrayal as nurse Ratched include an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA, all as Best Actress.

And now, so many decades and movies later, she will be the upcoming recipient of the Mary Pickford Award ‘for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the Entertainment Industry’ later this month; Jodie Foster, Susan Sarandon, Gena Rowlands, and last year’s recipient Ellen Burstyn are just a few of the other hugely talented actresses to have won this Satellite Award previously.

When “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” won the five most important Oscars there are to win (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay), it became the second film in the history of the Academy Awards to do so, after filmmaker Frank Capra won the very same top five Oscars with Columbia’s “It Happened One Night” (1934). Ms. Fletcher: “ When ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ was the next movie to win the top five, Frank Capra sent me a telegram, welcoming me to the five Oscar club. That was very nice.” Since then, “Silence of the Lambs” (1991) has been to the only picture to join the club.

Always best remembered for her role of nurse Ratched, a performance which is ranked by the American Film Institute as the fifth-greatest screen villain of all time, Ms. Fletcher resides in Los Angeles and has appeared in numerous films over the years, in a wide variety of screen roles and both in leading and supporting roles. A working actress from the late 1950s, she retired in the early 1960s; she took an eleven-year hiatus from acting to raise her two sons from her marriage to producer Jerry Bick until she returned to the screen in her husband’s production of “Thieves Like Us” (1974), directed by Robert Altman.

Ms. Fletcher, I suppose “Thieves Like Us” is the film that brought you back in business?

Well, I was reluctant, but that was definitely the kick-start I needed if I was going to come back and try to work again. I didn’t really want to do it because my husband was producing that movie. But he forced me by not casting the part until the day came, and I more or less had to do it to save his work and his movie. It turned out to be a very good thing to have done.

Did you catch the acting bug again right away?

Apparently [laughs]. It was sleeping in there, and it hadn’t been disturbed for quite some time. Occasionally if I went to the movies, or I saw a wonderful theatre play while living in England—that’s where we lived for quite a bit when I was not working—I did have jealousy pains when I saw a wonderful actress having the time of her life. But I was very happy doing what I was doing at the time, and it was completely my own choice to stop working in 1962. So I didn’t have any regrets at all; I just had some professional envy from time to time.

When you returned to the screen with “Thieves Like Us” and “Russian Roulette”, you were in your early 40s. Did that limit your prospects as an actress and a leading lady for the years to come?

Of course. I couldn’t be a leading woman; I couldn’t play romantic parts. I think from that time on, I was a character actress, and everybody knew that. But I didn’t have a problem with that. That’s just the way it was; I was forty-one when we finished “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” [1975].

Is it true that actresses like Jane Fonda, Ellen Burstyn, Anne Bancroft, and Angela Lansbury were also considered for the part of nurse Ratched?

Yes, that’s true. I think they turned it down for the same reason all the major studios turned it down: one of them was that they were familiar with the book but not with the director at that time. Also, you know nothing about this character of nurse Ratched; you don’t know why she ended up being the way she was, there’s no life to her, except for what you bring to it. So that’s kind of an actors’ problem to make a character like that acceptable, believable and authentic. Milos Forman’s reputation was for comedy pretty much, and I think these actresses were just afraid that he would turn them into monsters. But I didn’t give that a second thought because it was such an opportunity, and I didn’t know about these other actresses until we were about halfway shooting. It also took me a long time to get the part, but every time I would meet with Milos Forman, he would say, ‘Go home and forget about this because you’re not going to get it.’ And I would, I’d forget about it, but two or three months later, they would call, and I’d see him again. This happened four or five times over a period of a year. What I didn’t realize is that they were offering it to a lot of other women at the same time. And so, in the end, I think he liked me, and he asked me to audition for two producers. We went to a place, and we were supposed to put it on video, but the cameraman didn’t show up—Haskell Wexler who died recently—so Milos and I just acted out the scenes for the producers, with Milos playing all the other parts, and they said, ‘Yes!’ That’s how it happened. A week later, I went to Oregon to start shooting.

Were you able to make any demands about your salary or other things that might have been important to you?

I didn’t make any demands as I knew I would be treated just the same as all the other actors on the movie. We all knew what a long and difficult saga it had been to make the movie in the first place, and I think without exception we all felt blessed to be a part of it.

You and Jack Nicholson were no strangers to each other, right? Since you knew each other from Jeff Corey’s acting class many years earlier.

We were in his class, but we didn’t work together. Sometimes I was in a class that he wasn’t in, or he was in a class I wasn’t in. They were held in the evenings as I had a daytime job, working in a doctor’s office, making fifty dollars a week (laughs). I don’t know how I lived on that, but I did. And I also paid Jeff Corey to teach me. He was a wonderful actor, all about authenticity, natural behavior, and improvisation. My first improvisation in his class was with Robert Blake. When I graduated from University and came across cross-country with my two roommates, that Summer of 1957, we arrived in Los Angeles, and I only had eleven dollars left after this big, long trip we took, three months crossing the United States. We visited people and relatives, we saw the sights, went to all the National Parks. Actually, I was on my way to New York to be a theater actress; I didn’t really have a lot of respect for movies. I thought it was mostly make-up, mirrors, lights, and beauty, and that’s why my passion was the theatre. But when I arrived in Los Angeles, I had to stay there and get a job. I planned to go to New York when I had saved enough money, although I don’t know how I was gonna go by making fifty dollars a week but one thing led to another and so I stayed here; I fell in love and got married. That’s the way life is.

What was the main thing Jeff Corey taught you and your fellow students?

In film, you have close-ups, and theatrics are very soon revealed. So belief is the main thing; believe in what you’re doing, believe who you are in your character, so you can feel it authentically and find something in yourself that can put yourself in those shoes: that’s been my experience really. Sometimes it’s much more difficult than other times to make that happen; it really depends on the language you and your director and the other actors are speaking. But Milos Forman had a big emphasis on natural behavior. You know, he wasn’t that secure in the English language, so he would keep asking, ‘Is that natural? Does it sound natural? Is it the way people actually speak to one another?’ So that was right up my alley.

As far as the film was concerned, was he secure about himself?

Oh yes, he had a big plan. He knew what he wanted, and he got it. He was superb. He explained to me once after the movie was over, while we were spending some time on a plane or traveling, that for him, the movie was in four parts. Each part was as important as the other parts: the writing—and I know he spent months and months writing and rewriting with his writers—then the casting, which took him a year. He had actors coming together, he had several groups of five to six actors, and then he would take one group who would do the scenes, and then he took one actor from one group and moved him, like playing chess, really. And then you also had the shooting and the editing. He was a hundred percent involved in all of that, every step of the way. So I have great respect for him.

When you are shooting a film, any film, do you need to see the rushes?

No, I don’t like to see the rushes. And even when the film is all ready, edited and all that, I sometimes have a problem [laughs]. I’m not crazy about watching myself at all, and there are some movies like “Cuckoo’s Nest” that I can’t watch anymore because it’s too painful. I just find it so painful to watch—as a movie, you know. It’s wonderfully made, but it’s like I can’t watch “The Killing Fields” [1984]—movies that are violent with people that are inhumane to each other. The older I get, the less tolerance I have for that, even though I know it’s worthwhile, but I’m too tender-hearted nowadays. I saw “The Revenant,” although it was difficult. But I like doing it, that’s what I really like: the actual shooting of a film, doing scenes, but I’m not too crazy watching it. I’m happy to do so when they say, ‘You need to see this so you can change something or other,’ but just to watch myself? I’m not good at that. I’m not objective. Some actors, like Warren Beatty, can watch themselves and be quite objective, but I’m not [laughs].

Are you nervous when a film of yours is shown for the first time to an audience?

I guess so, as much as anybody. I saw “Cuckoo’s Nest” for the first time with an audience in Chicago, and when McMurphy strangled nurse Ratched, they all stood up and cheered (laughs), it was pretty impressive. I was thrilled by that reaction because it meant that it had everybody believing that it all seemed real, you know. They were all into the movie; they were believing it.

Do you remember your very heartwarming and very gracious speech when accepting your Academy Award as Best Actress for your performance in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”? Did you expect to win?

No, I didn’t expect it at all. My husband said, ‘Have you written a speech?’ I said, ‘I am not going to win, so why would I write a speech?’ He said, “Well, you don’t want to be caught without anything to say when you do win, so you’d better think of something. The one line that he gave me, which I thought was the best line, was that being in a mental institution was like being in a mental institution. I thought that was great; my husband was very funny, he had a wonderful sense of humor. And then I knew that my whole raison d’être is from my parents, so I decided that if I had the opportunity, I would make that clear, and that’s what I did.

One of the most inspiring and uplifting moments in the history of the Academy Awards: Ms. Fletcher’s acceptance speech after Jill Ireland (1936-1990) and her husband Charles Bronson (1921-2003) had opened the envelope and announced her as the Academy’s Best Actress of 1975 with the words ‘…and the winner is Louise Fletcher.’

By winning an Oscar, you were instantly recognized as a leading lady. Was it difficult to hold on to that position?

No, not too many people remember. You know, it’s a wonderful thing to have, but it’s just for that, you know what I mean.

What about “Brainstorm” [1983], which turned out to be a very unfortunate film, despite your ‘superb performance,’ as The New York Times described it.

It could have been a much better movie than it was, but just had a bad fate. Director Douglas Trumbull was a pioneer in many ways, with his technical expertise and inventions. But Natalie Wood passed away during filming, and I don’t think MGM cared a lot if the movie came out or not; I think they just wanted to put it on the shelves. Freddie Fields was the head of MGM at the time, and he and Natalie were very close friends. I just think they didn’t want this to be her last movie, you know. I don’t really know why; I think MGM just wanted to recover their money, but Lloyd’s of London found out that the movie was practically finished, so they gave them enough money to finish it with the special effects. But they didn’t spend enough money on the special effects, so it was kind of doomed. It was a very sad and terrible thing that happened, but the film was ahead of its time, no doubt.

One of the films you made shortly after “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, was “The Cheap Detective” [1978], written by Neil Simon. A terrific movie, wasn’t it? You had a wonderful Ingrid Bergman role in it [“Casablanca”].

I had to make her whiny.  I saw the movie about a hundred times, and I thought she whined a lot. What I can say about “The Cheap Detective” is I loved doing it. I loved being in a comedy and I loved the dressing up and looking good. And I laughed all day long.

What would you consider the highlights of your career—besides “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”?

I have no idea; it’s not something I think about. But I can say what I enjoyed. I loved working on the TV series “Star Trek” [1993-1999] because they are so incredibly professional. The hours were terribly long, but the crew was so good at what they did. I love that. That’s a very important thing: in the theater, you’re on the stage, and once the curtain goes up, you do your part, and you go home. In a movie, you can’t make a step without someone else. There’s the make-up, your costume, the camera; there are so many people who help you to do what you have to do. I have great respect for those people, I feel very strongly about that. How those people made it possible for me to do what I do—whatever I have done in my career—that’s been a great pleasure. I won’t say it is missing now, but it has greatly changed. It is more a business now.

Is there a lot of competition to get a good role?

There’s always competition; even the biggest stars in the world compete with each other for these very few roles. So rejection is just something you eat every day, like it’s your breakfast. It’s just a part of it. You can’t take it too personally, that’s what I tell young people who ask my advice. I say, ‘Only do it if you really have to because you’re going to eat rejection every day, and you have to learn not to take it in a personal way. It’s not your dream; it’s whoever is making the movie or the play. It’s their idea. You’re just part of a team, and you might not be part of that team, you know. When I was very young, and I was told, ‘No, you are not going to get that part,’ it would hurt so bad, I took it too hard, and I suffered, while all that is unnecessary really. Today it just goes right out of my head; I never think of it again if I don’t get a part that I’d like. It’s a skill set; you have to learn that.

Los Angeles, California
February 5, 2016

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975, trailer)

FILMS

A GATHERING OF EAGLES (1963) DIR Delbert Mann PROD Sy Bartlett SCR Robert Pirosh (story by Sy Bartlett) CAM Russell Harlan MUS Jerry Goldsmith ED Russell F. Schoengarth CAST Rock Hudson, Rod Taylor, Mary Peach, Barry Sullivan, Kevin McCarthy, Henry Silva, Robert Lansing, Richard Anderson, Louise Fletcher (Mrs. Kemler), Leif Erickson, Brandon De Wilde

THIEVES LIKE US (1974) DIR Robert Altman PROD Jerry Bick SCR Robert Altman, Calder Willingham, Joan Tewkesbury (novel ‘Thieves Like Us’ by Edward Andersen) CAM Jean Boffety ED Lou Lombardo CAST Keith Carradine, Shelley Duvall, John Schuck, Bert Remsen, Louise Fletcher (Mattie), Ann Latham, Tom Skerritt

RUSSIAN ROULETTE (1975) DIR Lou Lombardo PROD Jerry Bick SCR Tom Ardies, Stanley Mann, Arnold Margolin, Jack Trolley (novel ‘Kosygin Is Coming’ by Tom Ardies) CAM Brian West MUS Michael J. Lewis ED Richard Marden CAST George Segal, Cristina Raines, Bo Brundin, Denholm Elliott, Gordon Jackson, Louise Fletcher (Midge), Val Avery

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975) DIR Milos Forman PROD Michael Douglas SCR Bo Goldman, Lawrence Hauben (play ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ by Dale Wasserman; novel by Ken Kesey) CAM Haskell Wexler MUS Jack Nitsche ED Sheldon Kahn, Lynzee Klingman CAST Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher (Nurse Ratched), Brad Dourif, William Redfield, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco, Will Sampson, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Anjelica Huston, Audrey Landers, Saul Zaentz

THE EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC (1977) DIR John Boorman PROD John Boorman, Richard Lederer SCR William Goodhart CAM William A. Fraker MUS Ennio Morricone ED Tom Priestley CAST Richard Burton, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher (Dr. Tuskin), Max von Sydow, Kitty Wynn, Paul Henreid, James Earl Jones, Ned Beatty, Belinda Beatty

THE CHEAP DETECTIVE (1978) DIR Robert Moore PROD Ray Stark SCR Neil Simon CAM John A. Alonzo MUS Patrick Williams ED Sidney Levin, Michael A. Stevenson CAST Peter Falk, Ann-Margret, Eileen Brennan, Sid Caesar, Stockard Channing, James Coco, Dom DeLuise, Louise Fletcher (Marlene DuChard), John Houseman, Madeline Kahn, Fernando Lamas, Marsha Mason, Paul Williams, Scatman Crothers

THE LADY IN RED (1979) DIR Lewis Teague PROD Julie Corman SCR John Sayles CAM Daniel Lacambre MUS James Horner ED Lewis Teague, Larry Bock, Ron Medico CAST Pamela Sue Martin, Robert Conrad, Louise Fletcher (Anna Sage), Robert Hogan, Laurie Heineman, Glenn Withrow, Christopher Lloyd, Dick Miller, Robert Forster

THE MAGICIAN OF LUBLIN (1979) DIR Menahem Golan PROD Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus SCR Menahem Golan, Irving S. White (novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer) CAM David Garfinkel MUS Maurice Jarre, Dov Seltzer ED Dov Hoenig CAST Alan Arkin, Louise Fletcher (Emilia), Valerie Perrine, Shelley Winters, Lou Jacobi, Warren Berlinger, Saike Ophir, Lisa Whelchel

NATURAL ENEMIES (1979) DIR – ED Jeff Kanew PROD John E. Quill SCR Jeff Kanew (novel by Julius Horwitz) CAM Richard E. Brooks MUS Don Ellis CAST Hal Holbrook, Louise Fletcher (Miriam Steward), Peter Armstrong, Elizabeth Berridge, Steve Austin, Jim Pappas, José Ferrer, Viveca Lindfors

THE LUCKY STAR (1980) DIR Max Fischer PROD Claude Léger SCR Max Fischer, Jack Rosenthal CAM Frank Tidy MUS Art Phillips ED Yves Langlois CAST Rod Steiger, Louise Fletcher (Loes Bakker), Lou Jacobi, Brett Marx, Yvon Dufour, Helen Hughes, Isabelle Mejias, Rijk de Gooyer, Derek de Lint, Johnny Kraaykamp Jr.

MAMA DRACULA (1980) DIR – PROD Boris Szulzinger SCR Boris Szulzinger, Marc-Henri Wajnberg, Tony Hendra, Pierre Sterckx CAM Rufus Bohez, Willy Kurant MUS Roy Budd ED Claude Cohen CAST Louise Fletcher (Mama Dracula), Maria Schneider, Marc-Henri Wajnberg, Alexander Wajnberg, Jimmy Shuman, Jess Hahn, Michel Israel

STRANGE BEHAVIOUR (1981) DIR Michael Laughlin PROD John Barnett, Antony I. Ginnane SCR Michael Laughlin, Bill Condon CAM Louis Horvath MUS Tangerine Dream ED Petra von Oelffen CAST Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher (Barbara Moorehead), Dan Shor, Fiona Lewis, Arthur Dignam, Dey Young, Marc McClure, Bill Condon

BRAINSTORM (1983) DIR – PROD Douglas Trumbull SCR Robert Stitzel, Philip Frank Messina (story by Bruce Joel Rubin) CAM Richard Yuricich MUS James Horner ED Edward Warschilka, Freeman Davies CAST Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Louise Fletcher (Lillian Reynolds), Cliff Robertson, Jordan Christopher, Donald Hotton, Alan Fudge

TALK TO ME (1984) DIR – CAM Julius Potocsny EXEC PROD Ross Millhiser SCR Nelson E. Breen ED Moe Howard CAST Austin Pendleton, Michael Murphy, Barbara Eden-Young, Louise Fletcher (Richard’s Mother), Dan Shor, Michael Tolan, Clifton James

FIRESTARTER (1984) DIR Mark L. Lester PROD Frank Capra, Jr. SCR Stanley Mann (novel by Stephen King) CAM Giuseppe Ruzzolini MUS Tangerine Dream ED Ronald Sanders, David Rawlins CAST Drew Barrymore, George C. Scott, Martin Sheen, Heather Locklear, Art Carney, Louise Fletcher (Norma Manders), Moses Gunn

INVADERS FROM MARS (1986) DIR Tobe Hooper PROD Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus SCR Dan O’Bannon, Don Jakoby (screenplay INVADERS FROM MARS [1953] by Richard Blake) CAM Daniel Pearl MUS Christopher Young ED Alain Jakubowicz CAST Karen Black, Hunter Carson, Timothy Bottoms, Laraine Newman, James Karen, Bud Cort, Louise Fletcher (Mrs. McKeltch), Eric Pierpoint

THE BOY WHO COULD FLY (1986) DIR – SCR Nick Castle PROD Gary Adelson CAM Steven Poster, Adam Holender MUS Bruce Broughton ED Patrick Kennedy CAST Lucy Deakins, Jay Underwood, Bonnie Bedelia, Fred Savage, Colleen Dewhurst, Fred Gwynne, Louise Fletcher (Doctor Granada), Jason Priestle

NOBODY’S FOOL (1986) DIR Evelyn Purcell PROD James C. Katz, Jon S. Denny SCR Beth Henley CAM Mikhail Suslov MUS James Newton Howard ED Dennis Virkler CAST Rosanna Arquette, Eric Roberts, Mare Winningham, Jim Youngs, Louise Fletcher (Pearl), Gwen Welles, Stephen Tobolowsky, Charlie Barnett, Lewis Arquette

FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC (1987) DIR Jeffrey Bloom PROD Sy Levin SCR Jeffrey Bloom (novel by Virginia C. Andrews) CAM Gil Hubbs, Frank Byers MUS Christopher Young ED Tom Fries, Gregory F. Plotts CAST Louise Fletcher (Grandmother), Victoria Tennant, Kristy Swanson, Jeb Stuart Adams, Ben Ganger, Lindsay Parker, Marshall Colt

GRIZZLY II: THE CONCERT (1987) DIR André Sötz PROD David Sheldon, Ross Massbaum, Joseph Ford Proctor SCR Joan McCall, David Sheldon CAM László Kovács ED [Paris Éclair Lab] CAST Steve Inwood, Deborah Raffin, John Rhys-Davies, Louise Fletcher (Eileen Draygon), Deborah Foreman, Dick Anthony Williams, Jack Starrett, Laura Dern, George Clooney, Charlie Sheen

TWO MOON JUNCTION (1988) DIR Zalman King PROD Donald P. Borchers SCR Zalman King (story by Zalman King, Macgregor Douglas) CAM Mark Plummer MUS Jonathan Elias ED Marc Grossman CAST Sherilyn Fenn, Richard Tyson, Louise Fletcher (Belle), Burl Ives, Kristy McNichol, Martin Hewitt, Juanita Moore, Don Galloway, Millie Perkins, Milla Jovovich, Hervé Villechaize

BLUE STEEL (1989) DIR Kathryn Bigelow PROD Oliver Stone, Edward R. Pressman SCR Kathryn Bigelow, Eric Red CAM Amir Mokri MUS Brad Fiedel ED Lee Percy CAST Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver, Louise Fletcher (Shirley Turner), Clancy Brown, Elizabeth Peña, Philip Bosco, Richard Jenkins

BEST OF THE BEST (1989) DIR Bob Radler PROD Phillip Rhee, Peter E. Strauss SCR Paul Levine (story by Paul Levine, Phillip Rhee) CAM Doug Ryan MUS Paul Gilman ED William Hoy CAST Eric Roberts, James Earl Jones, Sally Kirkland, Christopher Penn, Louise Fletcher (Mrs. Grady), Phillip Rhee, John Dye

SHADOWZONE (1990) DIR – SCR J.S. Cardone PROD Carol Kottenbrook CAM Karen Grossman MUS Richard Band ED Thomas Meshelski CAST Louise Fletcher (Dr. Erhardt), David Beecroft, James Hong, Frederick Flynn, Shawn Weatherly, Miguel A. Núñez Jr., Lu Leonard, Maureen Flaherty

BLIND VISION (1992) DIR Shuki Levy PROD Jonathan Braun SCR Shuki Levy, Winston Richard CAM Frank Byers MUS Shuki Levy, Hiram Titus ED Shuki Levy, Jon Braun CAST Joe Banks, Ned Beatty, Louise Fletcher (Miss Taylor), Lenny von Dohlen, Tom Sean Foley, Julia Howard, Deborah Shelton

ON DEADLY GROUND (1994) DIR Steven Seagal PROD Steven Seagal, A. Kitman Ho SCR Ed Horowitz, Robin U. Russin CAM Ric Waite MUS Basil Poledouris ED Don Brochu, Robert A. Ferretti CAST Steven Seagal, Michael Caine, Joan Chen, Billy Bob Thornton, Irvin Kershner, Louise Fletcher (Bartender [uncredited])

GIORGINO (1994) DIR – PROD – MUS Laurent Boutonnat SCR Laurent Boutonnat, Gilles Laurent CAM Jean-Pierre Sauvaire ED Laurent Boutonnat, Agnès Mouchel CAST Jeff Dahlgren, Mylène Farmer, Joss Ackland, Louise Fletcher (Innkeeper), Frances Barber, Jean-Pierre Aumont, John Abineri

TOLLBOOTH (1994) DIR – SCR Salomé Breziner PROD Steven J. Wolfe CAM Henri Vargas MUS Adam Gorgoni ED Peter Teschner CAST Fairuza Balk, Lenny von Dohlen, Will Patton, Louise Fletcher (Lillian), Seymour Cassel, James Wilder, William Katt, Kathryn Klvana

TRYST (1994) DIR – SCR Peter Foldy PROD Lawrence Applebaum CAM Kurt Brabbée MUS Tom Howard ED Ron Rosen CAST Barbara Carrera, David Warner, Louise Fletcher (Maggie), Johnny La Spada, Jamie Luner, Mick Murray

RETURN TO TWO MOON JUNCTION (1995) DIR Fahred Mann PROD Zalman King, Don Levin, Mel Pearl SCR Dyanne Asimow (characters created by Zalman King, MacGregor Douglas) CAM Frank Byers MUS Joseph Colan ED Dianne Ryder-Rennolds CAST Melinda Clarke, John Clayton Schafer, Louise Fletcher (Belle Delongpre), Wendy Davis, Yorgo Constantine, Molly Shannon, Montrose Hagins

VIRTUOSITY (1995) DIR Brett Leonard PROD Gary Lucchesi SCR Eric Bernt CAM Gale Tattersall MUS Christopher Young ED Rob Kobrin, B.J. Sears CAST Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Kelly Lynch, Louise Fletcher (Elizabeth Deane), Stephen Spinella, William Forsythe, William Fitchner, Traci Lords

MULHOLLAND FALLS (1996) DIR Lee Tamahori PROD Richard D. Zanuck, Lili Fini Zanuck SCR Peter Dexter (story by Peter Dexter, Floyd Mutrux) CAM Haskell Wexler MUS Dave Grusin ED Sally Menke CAST Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith, Chaz Palminteri, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, John Malkovich, Jennifer Connelly, Treat Williams, Andrew McCarthy, Louise Fletcher (Esther [uncredited]), Bruce Dern, Rob Lowe

EDIE & PEN (1996) DIR Matthew Irmas PROD Victoria Tennant, Matthew Irmas SCR Victoria Tennant CAM Alicia Weber MUS Chris Anderson ED Michael Riscio CAST Stockard Channing, Jennifer Tilly, Scott Glenn, Beverly D’Angelo, Louise Fletcher (Judge), Joanna Gleason, Michael McKean, Michael O’Keefe, Chris Sarandon, Stuart Wilson, Victoria Tennant

FRANKENSTEIN AND ME (1996) DIR Robert Tinnell PROD Robert Tinnell, Richard Goudreau SCR Richard Goudreau, David Sherman (story by Robert Tinnell) CAM Roxanne di Santo MUS Normand Corbeil ED Gaétan Huot CAST Burt Reynolds, Ryan Gosling, Louise Fletcher (Mrs. Perdue), Polly Shannon, Myriam Cyr, Rebecca Henderson

2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY (1996) DIR – SCR John Herzfeld PROD Jeff Wald, Herb Nanas CAM Oliver Wood MUS Anthony Marinelli ED Jim Miller, Wayne Wahrman CAST Teri Hatcher, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello, Louise Fletcher (Evelyn), Marsha Mason, Charlize Theron, Paul Mazursky, Keith Carradine, James Spader, Eric Stoltz, Austin Pendleton, Lawrence Tierney

HIGH SCHOOL HIGH (1996) DIR Hart Bochner PROD David Zucker, Gil Netter SCR David Zucker, Robert N. LoCash, Pat Proft CAM Vernon Layton MUS Ira Newborn ED James R. Symons CAST Jon Lovitz, Tia Carrere, Louise Fletcher (Principal Evelyn Doyle), Makhi Phifer, Malinda Williams, Guillermo Diaz, Natasha Gregson Wagner

GONE FISHIN’ (1997) DIR Christopher Cain PROD Roger Birnbaum, Julie Bergman Sender SCR Jill Mazursky Cody, Jeffrey Abrams CAM Dean Selmer MUS Randy Edelman ED Jack Hofstra CAST Joe Pesci, Danny Glover, Rosanna Arquette, Lynn Whitfield, Willie Nelson, Carol Kane, Louise Fletcher (Restaurant Owner [uncredited])

THE GIRL GETS MOE (1997) DIR James Bruce PROD Bill Barnett, Harel Goldstein SCR Monica Clemens, Rustam Branaman CAM Keith L. Smith MUS Barry Coffing, Barris Jahn ED Gary Meyers CAST Tony Danza, Elizabeth Barondes, Michael Madsen, Louise Fletcher (Gloria), Rustam Branaman, Daniel Meyer, James Russo, Moon Unit Zappa

HOLLYWOOD SALOME (1998) DIR Erick Ifergan CAST Vincent Gallo, Nina Brosh, Seymour Cassel, Louise Fletcher, Gregory Wood, Eyal Doron, Francis Milton

LOVE KILLS (1998) DIR – SCR Mario Van Peebles PROD Mario Van Peebles, Mark Buntzman MUS Nick Wood ED Edward R. Abroms CAST Mario Van Peebles, Lesley Ann Warren, Daniel Baldwin, Donovan Leitch Jr., Louise Fletcher (Alena Heiss), Loretta Devine, Robert La Sardo, Lucy Liu, Melvin Van Peebles

CRUEL INTENTIONS (1999) DIR Roger Kumble PROD Neal H. Moritz SCR Roger Kumble (novel by Chodelros de Laclos) CAM Theo van de Sande MUS Edward Shearmur ED Jeff Freeman CAST Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Philippe, Reese Witherspoon, Louise Fletcher (Helen Rosemond), Selma Nlair, Joshua Jackson, Eric Mabius, Sean Patrick Thomas

A MAP OF THE WORLD (1999) DIR Scot Elliott PROD Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall SCR Peter Hedges, Polly Platt (novel by Jane Hamilton) CAM Seamus McGarvey MUS Pat Metheny ED Naomi Geraghty, Craig McKay CAST Sigourney Weaver, Julianna Moore, Dara Perlmutter, Louise Fletcher (Nellie Goodwin), David Strathairn, Chloë Sevigny

BIG EDEN (2000) DIR – SCR Thomas Bezucha PROD Jennifer Chaiken CAM Rob Sweeney MUS Joseph Conlan ED Andrew London CAST Arye Gross, Eric Schweig, Tim DeKay, Louise Fletcher (Grace Cornwell), George Coe, Nan Martin, O’Neal Compton

VERY MEAN MEN (2000) DIR Tony Vitale PROD Steven Baio, David Dadon, Neil P. White SCR Paul T. Murray CAM Alex Vendler MUS Ennio Di Berardo ED Gregory Hobson CAST Matthew Modine, Martin Landau, Ben Gazzara, Scott Baio, Burt Young, Charles Durning, Louise Fletcher (Katherine Mulroney), Jack McGee

MORE DOGS THAN BONES (2000) DIR – SCR Michael Browning PROD Brittany Taylor, Miriam Leffert, Ehud Bleiberg, Yitzhak Ginsberg CAM Steven Bernstein MUS Stewart Copeland ED Abraham Lim CAST Joe Mantegna, Peter Coyote, Mercedes Ruehl, Debi Mazar, Louise Fletcher (Iva Doll), Whoopi Goldberg, Pat Healy

AFTER IMAGE (2001) DIR Robert Manganelli PROD Chris Nakis, John Cocca SCR Robert Manganelli, Tony Schillaci CAM Kurt Brabbee MUS Richard Tuttobene ED Cameron Spencer CAST John Mellencamp, Terrylene, Louise Fletcher (Aunt Cora), Michael Zelniker, Billy Burke, Michael Twaine, Kristen Royal

TOUCHED BY A KILLER (2001) DIR Gilbert M. Shilton PROD Vicki Sotheran, Kevin Goetz SCR David Baltimore, Diane Solomon, Rudy Marinelli (play ‘The Rage of the Blue Moon’ by Richard Vetere) CAM Brian Whittred MUS Ross Vannelli ED Dona Noga CAST Isabella Hofmann, James Wilder, Erin Gray, Jerry Wasserman, Donnelly Rhodes, Louise Fletcher (Judge Erica Robertson), George Gordon

THE CONTRACT (2002) DIR Steven R. Monroe PROD Lee Friedlander, Robert Lavetta SCR Jon Coppola, Jason Coppola, Mario Pittore CAM Giles Duning MUS Dean Andre ED Mark Stepp, F. Paul Benz CAST Camilla Overbye Ross, Jeff Faney, Andrew Keegan, Amy Weber, Michael Worth, Robert Gant, Steve Lawrence, Louise Fletcher (Grandma Collins), Patrick Renna, Stephen J. Cannell

MANNA FROM HEAVEN (2002) DIR Gabrielle C. Burton, Maria Burton PROD Charity Burton, Maria Burton, Ursula Burton, Gabrielle Burton, Jennifer Burton SCR Gabrielle B. Burton CAM Edward Slattery MUS Timothy Jones, James T. Sale ED Robert Tate, Andy Peterson, Mattie Valentine CAST Shirley Jones, Cloris Leachman, Louise Fletcher (Mother Superior), Seymour Cassel, Frank Gorshin, Wendie Malick, Jill Eikenberry, Austin Pendleton, Shelley Duvall, Jerry Orbach

SILVER MAN (2003) DIR Peter Foldy PROD John Gillespie SCR Gerald Sanford CAM Dylan MacLeod MUS Claudio Vena ED Krysia Szyszlo CAST Paul Popowich, Audrey Lupke, Daniel Baldwin, Eugene Levy, Louise Fletcher (Val), Leslie Carlson

FINDING HOME (2003) DIR Lawrence David Foldes PROD Victoria Paige Meyerink SCR Lawrence David Foldes, Grafton S. Harper, Carol Hay (story by Lawrence David Foldes, Grafton S. Harper, Carol Hay, Steven F. Zambo) CAM Jeffrey Seckendorf MUS Joseph Conlan ED Todd C. Ramsay CAST Geneviève Bujold, Lisa Brenner, Louise Fletcher (Esther), Johnny Messner, Misha Collins, Jeanetta Arnette, Justin Henry

CLIPPING ADAM (2004) DIR – SCR Michael Picchiottino PROD Michael Picchiottino, Mike Gabrawy CAM Jim Orr MUS Dean Harada ED Patrick Gallagher, Basem Wasef CAST Chris Eigeman, Louise Fletcher (Grammy), Robert Pine, Bryan Burke, Kevin Sorbo, Evan Peters

AURORA BOREALIS (2005) DIR James Burke PROD Rick Bieber, Jayne Amelia Larson SCR Brent Boyd CAM Alar Kivilo MUS Mychael Danna ED Richard Nord CAST Joshua Jackson, Donald Sutherland, Juliette Lewis, Louise Fletcher (Ruth Shorter), Zack Ward, Tyler Labine

DANCING IN TWILIGHT (2005) DIR Bob Roe PROD Howard Griffith SCR Rishi Vij CAM Robert Steadman MUS Scott Szabo ED Scot J. Kelly CAST Erick Avari, Kal Penn, Sheetal Sheth, Louise Fletcher (Evelyn), Mimi Rogers, John S. Davies

FAT ROSE AND SQUEAKY (2006) DIR Sam Irvin PROD Kenneth Beckman, Gary Proefke SCR Virland Harris CAM Mickey Freeman MUS Scott Sorkin ED Todd Gardiner CAST Louise Fletcher (Bonnie), Cicely Tyson, Julie Brown, Lea DeLaria, Jo Anderson

THE LAST SIN EATER (2007) DIR – ED Michael Landon Jr. PROD Michael Landon Jr., Brian Bird, Robert Gros SCR Michael Landon Jr., Brian Bird (novel by Francine Rivers) CAM Robert Seaman MUS Mark McKenzie CAST Henry Thomas, Louise Fletcher (Miz Elda), Liana Liberato, Soren Fulton, A.J. Buckley, Stewart Finlay-McLennan

THE GENISIS CODE (2010) DIR C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Read Johnson PROD Michael W. Leighton, Michael Shane Leighton SCR Michael W. Leighton CAM Kees Van Oostrum MUS Bill Wandel ED Edward R. Abroms CAST Logan Bartholomew, Kelsey Sanders, C.R. Lewis, Ernest Borgnine, Louise Fletcher (Ellen Taylor), Fred Dalton Thompson, Lance Henriksen, Rance Howard, Ben Murphy, Catherine Hicks, Susan Blakely

CASSADAGA (2011) DIR Anthony DiBlasi PROD Bruce Wood, Scott Poiley SCR Bruce Wood, Scott Poiley (story by Bruce Wood) CAM Jose Zambrano Cassella MUS Dani Donadi ED Kristian Otero CAST Kelen Coleman, Kevin Alejandro, Louise Fletcher (Claire), Rus Blackwell, Lucas Beck, Lucius Baston, Amy LoCicero

A PERFECT MAN (2013) DIR – PROD Kees Van Oostrum SCR Larry Brand, Peter Elkoff CAM Joost Van Gelder MUS Jeff Cardoni ED Michiel Reichwein CAST Jeanne Tripplehorn, Liev Schreiber, Joelle Carter, Louise Fletcher (Abbie), Renée Soutendijk, Huub Stapel, Katie Carr, Michael Pas, Marc Van Eeghem

THE HOME (2016) DIR Kristoffer Aaron Morgan PROD Elijah Wood SCR Eric Vespe (story by Kristoffer Aaron Morgan) CAST Brian Cox, Louise Fletcher, Edward Asner, Fionula Flanagan Louis Gossett Jr., Cherami Leigh, Maurice Ripke, Elena Pavli

TV MOVIES

CAN ELLEN BE SAVED? (1974) DIR Harvey Hart CAST Leslie Nielsen, Katherine Cannon, Michael Parks, John Saxon, Louise Fletcher (Bea Lindsay), Rutanya Alda, William Katt, Kathleen Quinlan

THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY (1978) DIR Delbert Mann CAST Louise Fletcher (Sally Kimball), Wayne Rogers, Bert Convy, Robert Reed, Hal Williams, Shannon Wilcox, Donald Petrie

A SUMMER TO REMEMBER (1985) DIR Robert Lewis CAST Tess Harper, James Farentino, Burt Young, Louise Fletcher (Dr. Dolly McKeever), Sean Gerlis, Bridgette Andersen, Dennis Haysbert

LAST WALTZ ON A TIGHTROPE (1986) DIR John Alaimo CAST Louise Fletcher (Cynthia Damond), Tony Musante

SECOND SERVE (1986) DIR Anthony Page CAST Vanessa Redgrave, Martin Balsam, William Russ, Louise Fletcher (Dr. Sadie M. Bishop), Jeff Corey, Alice Krige, Kerrie Keane, Nina Van Pallandt

EDGAR HOOVER (1987) DIR Robert L. Collins CAST Treat Williams, Charles Hallahan, Walter Edminston, Louise Fletcher (Annie M. Hoover), Andrew Duggan, Art Hindle, Rip Torn, David Ogden Stiers

THE KAREN CARPENTER STORY (1989) DIR Joseph Sargent, Richard Carpenter [uncredited] CAST Cynthia Gibb, Mitchell Anderson, Peter Michael Goetz, Louise Fletcher (Agnes Carpenter), Kip Gilman

FINAL NOTICE (1989) DIR Steven H. Stern CAST Gil Gerard, Melody Anderson, Jackie Burroughs, Louise Fletcher (Mrs. Lord), David Ogden Stiers, Steve Landesberg, Malcolm Stewart

NIGHTMARE ON THE 13TH FLOOR (1990) DIR Walter Grauman CAST Michele Greene, John Karlen, Louise Fletcher (Letti Gordon), Alan Fudge, James Brolin, Terri Treas, Alan Haufrect, Juli Donald

IN A CHILD’S NAME (1991) DIR Tom McLoughlin CAST Valerie Bertinelli, Michael Ontkean, Timothy Carhart, Louise Fletcher (Jean Taylor), David Huddleston, Christopher Meloni, Andy Hirsch

THE FIRE NEXT TIME (1993) DIR Tom McLoughlin CAST Richard Farnsworth, Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia, Jürgen Prochnow, Louise Fletcher (Sarge), Paul Rudd

THE HAUNTING OF SEACLIFF INN (1994) DIR Walter Klenhard CAST Ally Sheedy, William R. Moses, Lucinda Weist, Louise Fletcher (Dorothy O’Hara), Tom McLeister, Maxine Stuart, Shannon Cochran

SOMEONE’S CHILD (1994) DIR John Power CAST Lisa Hartman, Bruce Davison, Whip Hubley, Louise Fletcher (Faye Maddox), Glynn Turman, Scott McNeil, Don S. Davis

THE STEPFORD HUSBANDS (1996) DIR Fred Walton CAST Donna Mills, Michael Ontkean, Cindy Williams, Sarah Douglas, Caitlin Clarke, Louise Fletcher (Miriam Benton), Jeffrey Pillars

SINS OF THE MIND (1997) DIR James Frawley CAST Jill Clayburgh, Mike Farrell, Missy Crider, Louise Fletcher (Dr. Anna Bingham), Robert Pine, Grayson McCouch, Chris Conrad, Kenny Johnson

MARRIED TO A STRANGER (1997) DIR Sidney J. Furie CAST Jaclyn Smith, Robert Clohessy, Kim Coates, Ed Lauter, Louise Fletcher (Nana), Katharine Isabelle, Merrilyn Gann

HEARTLESS (1997) DIR Judith Vogelsang CAST Bo Svenson, Mädchen Amick, Louise Fletcher (Lydia McGuffy), Tom Schanley, Pamela Bellwood, Monique Parent, Bo Svenson, Rusty Schwimmer

BREAST MEN (1997) DIR Lawrence O’Neil CAST David Schwimmer, Chris Cooper, Emily Procter, Louise Fletcher (Mrs. Saunders), Kathleen Wilhoite, Lisa Marie, Michael Cavanaugh, Michael Chieffo

THE DEVIL’S ARITHMETIC (1999) DIR Donna Deitch CAST Kirsten Dunst, Brittany Murphy, Paul Freeman, Louise Fletcher (Aunt Eva), Mimi Rogers, Shelly Skandrani, Daniel Brocklebank

TIME SERVED (1999) DIR Glen Pitre CAST Catherine Oxenberg, Jeff Fahey, Louise Fletcher (Warden Mildred Reinecke), Bo Hopkins, James Handy, Larry Manetti, Lourdes Colon, Scott Schumacher

A TIME TO REMEMBER (2003) DIR John Putch CAST Doris Roberts, Dana Delaney, Megan Gallagher, Louise Fletcher (Billy Calhoun), Amy Steel, Robert Bauer, Erich Anderson, Rosemary Forsyth

ME AND LUKE (2006) DIR Eleanore Lindo CAST Louise Fletcher (Glennie), Kristopher Turner, Jack Shepherd, Lindsay Ames, Emma Taylor-Isherwood, Catherine Disher, Daniel Kash, Lachlan Murdoch