Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Natalia Dontcheva, Star of French Doc Martin Remake, Dies at 56

Family Instagram posts say she had a decade-long illness, with colleagues paying tribute to her long career on screen and stage.

Overview

  • Her death was announced in public posts on social media by family and colleagues, who shared tributes and photographs of the actress.
  • Stepson Hugo Sélignac posted that Dontcheva had fought a ten-year battle and wrote that she was "finally going to rest," while thanking her for her role in the family.
  • Co-star Tatiana Gousseff shared memories and on-set photos from the TF1 series, praising Dontcheva’s performances across four seasons of the French Doc Martin adaptation.
  • Dontcheva was best known for playing Julie Derville in the TF1 remake, appearing in 26 episodes, and she also had film credits including Premonition, Lady J (Mademoiselle de Joncquières) and Sashinka.
  • A Bulgarian native who moved to France to study acting, Dontcheva had a long relationship with director Arnaud Sélignac and received recognition for stage work and film roles; no formal medical cause of death has been published.