<P> The role in the film version of the novel was turned down by Anne Bancroft , Angela Lansbury , Geraldine Page , Colleen Dewhurst , and Ellen Burstyn before Louise Fletcher received it . Fletcher had only acted once in the 13 years before appearing in One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest . She was thought of for the role after Shelley Duvall was suggested for an alternative role and Miloš Forman saw Fletcher appear with her in Robert Altman 's Thieves Like Us . </P>
<P> The role in the film version of the novel was turned down by Anne Bancroft , Angela Lansbury , Geraldine Page , Colleen Dewhurst , and Ellen Burstyn before Louise Fletcher received it . Fletcher had only acted once in the 13 years before appearing in One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest . She was thought of for the role after Shelley Duvall was suggested for an alternative role and Miloš Forman saw Fletcher appear with her in Robert Altman 's Thieves Like Us . </P>
who played the nurse in one flew over cuckoo 's nest
who played the nurse in one flew over cuckoo 's nest
Louise Fletcher
Louise Fletcher