One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) - Actor Network Map

A structured map of famous actors from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and their career connections.

Core Film

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

• Director: Miloš Forman
• Awards: Won 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture
• Cast: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Brad Dourif, Will Sampson, Scatman Crothers

Actors & Their Notable Works

Jack Nicholson

Role in OFOTCN: R.P. McMurphy (Lead) Status: One of the greatest actors of his generation

Notable Films

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) - Won Academy Award for Best Actor
• Chinatown (1974)
• The Shining (1980) [CONNECTION: with Scatman Crothers]
• Terms of Endearment (1983) - Won Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor [CONNECTION: with Danny DeVito]
• Batman (1989) - as The Joker
• A Few Good Men (1992)
• As Good as It Gets (1997) - Won Academy Award for Best Actor
• Easy Rider (1969) - Breakthrough role
• The King of Marvin Gardens (1972) [CONNECTION: with Scatman Crothers]
• The Fortune (1975) [CONNECTION: with Scatman Crothers]
• Goin’ South (1978) - Director and Lead [CONNECTION: with Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd]

Career Highlights

• 12 Academy Award nominations (most nominated male actor in history)
• 3 Academy Award wins (2 Best Actor, 1 Best Supporting Actor)

Danny DeVito

Role in OFOTCN: Martini Status: Character actor who became leading man and director

Notable Films & TV

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) - Film debut (reprised role from 1971 off-Broadway production)
• Taxi (TV series 1978-1983) - Won Golden Globe and Emmy [CONNECTION: with Christopher Lloyd]
• Goin’ South (1978) [CONNECTION: with Jack Nicholson, Christopher Lloyd]
• Terms of Endearment (1983) [CONNECTION: with Jack Nicholson]
• Romancing the Stone (1984)
• The Jewel of the Nile (1985)
• Ruthless People (1986)
• Throw Momma from the Train (1987) - also directed
• Twins (1988) - with Arnold Schwarzenegger
• The War of the Roses (1989)
• Batman Returns (1992) - as The Penguin
• Matilda (1996) - Director, producer, and actor
• L.A. Confidential (1997)
• Big Fish (2003)
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2006-present)

Career Highlights

• Golden Globe and Emmy winner for Taxi
• Acclaimed director and producer

Christopher Lloyd

Role in OFOTCN: Max Taber (Feature film debut) Status: Character actor known for eccentric roles

Notable Films & TV

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) - Feature film debut
• Goin’ South (1978) [CONNECTION: with Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito]
• Taxi (TV series 1978-1983) - Won 2 Emmy Awards as Jim Ignatowski [CONNECTION: with Danny DeVito]
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - as Commander Kruge
• Back to the Future (1985) - as Doc Brown
• Back to the Future Part II (1989)
• Back to the Future Part III (1990)
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) - as Judge Doom
• The Addams Family (1991) - as Uncle Fester
• Addams Family Values (1993)

Career Highlights

• 2 Primetime Emmy Awards for Taxi
• Iconic as Doc Brown in Back to the Future trilogy

Brad Dourif

Role in OFOTCN: Billy Bibbit (Feature film debut) Status: Character actor specializing in intense/eccentric roles

Notable Films & TV

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) - Film debut, nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
• Wise Blood (1979)
• Ragtime (1981)
• Dune (1984)
• Blue Velvet (1986)
• Child’s Play (1988) - Voice of Chucky (continued in entire franchise through 2024)
• Mississippi Burning (1988)
• The Exorcist III (1990)
• Alien Resurrection (1997)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - as Gríma Wormtongue
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - Extended Edition
• Deadwood (TV series 2004-2006, 2019) - Emmy nominated as Doc Cochran
• Halloween (2007)
• Chucky (TV series 2021-2024)

Career Highlights

• Academy Award nomination for debut role
• Voice of Chucky for 36 years (1988-2024)
• Emmy nominated for Deadwood
• Announced retirement except for Chucky-related projects (2024)

Louise Fletcher

Role in OFOTCN: Nurse Ratched (Lead antagonist) Status: Academy Award winner, iconic villain portrayal

Notable Films & TV

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) - Won Academy Award for Best Actress, BAFTA, and Golden Globe
• Brainstorm (1983)
• Firestarter (1984)
• Flowers in the Attic (1987)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV series 1993-1999) - Recurring as Kai Winn Adami (14 episodes)
• Picket Fences (1996) - Emmy nominated
• Joan of Arcadia (2004) - Emmy nominated

Career Highlights

• Third actress ever to win Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe for single performance
• Created one of cinema’s most memorable villains (Nurse Ratched)
• Died September 2022 at age 88

Will Sampson

Role in OFOTCN: Chief Bromden Status: Native American actor, noted for imposing presence (6’5”)

Notable Films & TV

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) - Film debut as Chief Bromden
• The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
• The White Buffalo (1977) - with Charles Bronson
• Orca (1977)
• Fish Hawk (1979)
• Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) - as Taylor the Medicine Man
• Vega$ (TV series) - Recurring as Harlon Twoleaf

Career Highlights

• Discovered at an art show and cast in debut role
• Native American (Muscogee Creek) activist and artist
• Died 1987 at age 53

Scatman Crothers

Role in OFOTCN: Turkel Status: Veteran character actor and musician

Notable Films & TV

• The King of Marvin Gardens (1972) [CONNECTION: with Jack Nicholson]
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) [CONNECTION: with Jack Nicholson]
• The Fortune (1975) [CONNECTION: with Jack Nicholson]
• Chico and the Man (TV series 1974-1978) - as Louie the Garbage Man
• The Shining (1980) - as Dick Hallorann, Won Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor [CONNECTION: with Jack Nicholson]
• Hong Kong Phooey (animated series) - Voice of title character
• The Transformers (animated series) - Voice of Jazz

Career Highlights

• Appeared in 4 films with Jack Nicholson
• Saturn Award winner for The Shining
• Prolific voice actor
• Close friend of Jack Nicholson
• Died 1986 at age 76

Connection Network Map

Strong Connections (Multiple Collaborations)

Jack Nicholson ↔ Scatman Crothers (4 films together)

1. The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)
2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
3. The Fortune (1975)
4. The Shining (1980)

Relationship: Close friends who worked together frequently

Danny DeVito ↔ Christopher Lloyd (3 collaborations)

1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) - Film debuts
2. Goin’ South (1978)
3. Taxi (TV series 1978-1983) - 5 seasons together

Relationship: Long-time friends and collaborators

Jack Nicholson ↔ Danny DeVito (3 films together)

1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
2. Goin’ South (1978)
3. Terms of Endearment (1983)

Jack Nicholson ↔ Christopher Lloyd (2 films together)

1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
2. Goin’ South (1978)

All OFOTCN Cast Connections

Three-way Connection: Nicholson-DeVito-Lloyd

• Goin’ South (1978): Jack Nicholson (director/lead), Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd all appeared together

Convergence Point: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

All seven actors worked together in this single film:

• Jack Nicholson
• Louise Fletcher
• Danny DeVito
• Christopher Lloyd
• Brad Dourif
• Will Sampson
• Scatman Crothers

Diagram Structure Data

Actor IDs for Graphing

actors:
  - id: nicholson
    name: Jack Nicholson
    role: McMurphy

  - id: fletcher
    name: Louise Fletcher
    role: Nurse Ratched

  - id: devito
    name: Danny DeVito
    role: Martini

  - id: lloyd
    name: Christopher Lloyd
    role: Max Taber

  - id: dourif
    name: Brad Dourif
    role: Billy Bibbit

  - id: sampson
    name: Will Sampson
    role: Chief Bromden

  - id: crothers
    name: Scatman Crothers
    role: Turkel

connections:
  - from: nicholson
    to: crothers
    weight: 4
    films: ["The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)", "OFOTCN (1975)", "The Fortune (1975)", "The Shining (1980)"]

  - from: devito
    to: lloyd
    weight: 3
    works: ["OFOTCN (1975)", "Goin' South (1978)", "Taxi TV (1978-1983)"]

  - from: nicholson
    to: devito
    weight: 3
    films: ["OFOTCN (1975)", "Goin' South (1978)", "Terms of Endearment (1983)"]

  - from: nicholson
    to: lloyd
    weight: 2
    films: ["OFOTCN (1975)", "Goin' South (1978)"]

  - from: nicholson
    to: fletcher
    weight: 1
    films: ["OFOTCN (1975)"]

  - from: nicholson
    to: dourif
    weight: 1
    films: ["OFOTCN (1975)"]

  - from: nicholson
    to: sampson
    weight: 1
    films: ["OFOTCN (1975)"]

Notable Patterns

Career Launch Pad

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest launched multiple careers:

• Christopher Lloyd: Feature film debut (went on to Back to the Future fame)
• Brad Dourif: Feature film debut with Oscar nomination (launched 40+ year career)
• Danny DeVito: Film debut (became A-list actor/director)

Sustained Collaborations

• Nicholson & Crothers: 4 films spanning 8 years (1972-1980)
• DeVito & Lloyd: Collaborated across film and TV (1975-1983)

Batman Connection

Two OFOTCN actors became Batman villains:

• Jack Nicholson: The Joker in Batman (1989)
• Danny DeVito: The Penguin in Batman Returns (1992)

Genre Specialists

• Brad Dourif: Horror specialist (Child’s Play series, The Exorcist III)
• Christopher Lloyd: Sci-fi specialist (Back to the Future, Star Trek III)

Six Degrees Observations

• Every actor connects to Jack Nicholson through OFOTCN
• Nicholson is the hub with most external connections
• DeVito and Lloyd form a secondary cluster through Taxi
• Three actors (Nicholson, DeVito, Lloyd) all appeared in Goin’ South