Louise Fletcher, who received an Oscar for acting Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, has passed away at the age of 88.

Fletcher's career spanned six decades, involving both TV and cinema, and she was most recognised for her performance of Nurse Ratched.

Former coworkers and admirers paid the actress tribute, praising her as "absolutely fantastic."

She started acting in the 1950s but put it on hold to raise her children for more than ten years.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, directed by Milos Forman and based on Ken Kesey's 1962 novel in the United States.

The movie was a huge hit, gaining a ton of awards and making it onto several lists of the best American movies ever made.

For her part, Fletcher won an Oscar in 1976, part of a rare clean sweep that also honoured the film's best actor and best screenplay.

In the 1960s, she wed producer Jerry Bick; they later divorced in 1977. John and Andrew, her two sons, are her only heirs.

Fletcher's cruel and clever Nurse Ratched, a terrifying symbol of institutional authority, served as the film's main draw.