Louise Fletcher

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, to Episcopal minister Robert Fletcher and his wife Estelle, both of whom were deaf, Louise Fletcher was introduced to performing at a young age by the aunt who taught her to speak. After graduating from the University of North Carolina, she took a trip out west with her roommates, finding herself in Los Angeles without enough money to return home. She took a temporary job as a receptionist and signed up for acting classes at night. Soon she was working regularly in television and film, but after marrying producer Jerry Bick and having two sons, the actress took a long hiatus to raise her children.Returning to work in 1974 in Robert Altman's Złodzieje jak my (1974), Fletcher came to the attention of director Milos Forman, who was casting the difficult role of the nurse in Lot nad kukułczym gniazdem (1975). She won the role -- and then the Academy Award -- portraying deadly, inflexible Nurse Ratched, who has since become a cultural icon. Numerous film roles followed, including co-starring turns with Peter Falk in Tani detektyw (1978) and with Richard Burton in Egzorcysta II: Heretyk (1977). Fletcher has appeared in a number of science fiction and horror classics such as Podpalaczka (1984), Burza mózgów (1983), and Kwiaty na poddaszu (1987).Though she earned an Emmy Award nomination for her recurring role on Gdzie diabeł mówi dobranoc (1992), Fletcher is perhaps best known to recent television audiences as Kai Winn from Star Trek: Stacja kosmiczna (1993) and as Nora Bloom from the cult classic Komputerowy świat (1995).