Louisa Moritz, an actress featured in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, has died. According to Deadline, Moritz was 72. The actress, known for Love, American Style and Match Game, died from a long-standing heart ailment.
In 2014, Moritz was one of many women who came forward with sexual-assault allegations against Bill Cosby. Moritz alleged that Cosby forced her to perform oral sex in the dressing room of The Tonight Show in 1971. Moritz was 1 of 35 women who spoke to New York about her alleged assault. “Louisa Moritz was a brave woman who stood up against a powerful Hollywood icon, Bill Cosby, in an effort to restore her good name and reputation, after he publicly branded her a liar when she made public her allegations of sexual abuse and assault by Mr. Cosby. Ms. Moritz was one of seven women who sued Bill Cosby for defamation,†her attorney said in a statement. “Despite her death, her claim against Mr. Cosby will continue in a Federal court in Massachusetts. We look forward to a resolution of the case that will establish that Louisa was a ‘truth teller,’ so that her legacy will live forever untarnished.â€
In the 1970s, Moritz brought humor to otherwise stereotypical “dumb blonde†roles. After her acting career, she went to law school and became a lawyer. She was born September 25, 1946 in Havana, Cuba. According to her publicist, she was working on two books at the time of her death: one about Cuban cooking, and another about “how to get out of traffic tickets.â€