Franco-Bulgarian actor Natalia Dontcheva, known for Doc Martin and Mademoiselle de Joncquières, dies at 56

Natalia Dontcheva, the Franco-Bulgarian actor whose career spanned more than thirty years across French television, cinema, and theatre, died on Saturday 1 August. She was 56. Her agent, Laurent Savry, confirmed the news to Le Figaro.

A decade-long illness

Dontcheva's stepson, film producer Hugo Sélignac, disclosed on Instagram that she had been fighting an illness for ten years. He did not name the condition.

“After a 10-year battle, you are finally going to rest. Enjoy it to the fullest; it's been so long since you've had that chance. I will miss you, my beautiful Natalia.”

Sélignac, the producer behind films such as BAC Nord and Novembre, wrote at length about the bond Dontcheva forged within the family. He thanked her for the confidence she gave him since his teenage years and for caring for his father, director Arnaud Sélignac, her partner of 25 years.

“Thank you for the bond you fought so hard to nurture within our family.”

A familiar face on French screens

Born in Sofia in 1969, Dontcheva was the daughter of Bulgarian actor Plamen Donchev. She moved to France in the late 1980s to study acting and built a career defined by regular, often supporting, roles in popular television series and auteur cinema.

Her most prominent television role was Julie Derville in the TF1 adaptation of Doc Martin, where she appeared in 26 episodes alongside Thierry Lhermitte from 2011 to 2015. She also featured in Joséphine, ange gardien, Les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie, Les rivières pourpres, and Les disparus de la forêt noire, among many others.

In cinema, Dontcheva appeared in Le Pressentiment (2006), L'Apparition (2018), and Emmanuel Mouret's Mademoiselle de Joncquières (2018), where she acted alongside Cécile de France and Édouard Baer.

Tributes from colleagues

Tatiana Gousseff, her co-star on Doc Martin, shared a photograph taken during filming in Brittany. She recalled the laughter on set and praised Dontcheva's later stage work.

“How we laughed! What wonderful memories! And how I loved seeing you on stage later in the magnificent role of Dorothy Parker. I hear you're gone. I am speechless.”

Actor Christine Citti described Dontcheva as a beautiful, funny, strong, and dignified person. Her agent, Laurent Savry, called her a "profoundly talented artist and a woman of great sensitivity" who earned the respect of everyone she worked with.

Stage work

Beyond the screen, Dontcheva performed in theatre. In 2019, she appeared alongside Daniel Auteuil in a production of Molière's Le Malade imaginaire.