Natalia Dontcheva, the actress known for playing Julie Derville in the French remake of Doc Martin, has died at the age of 56. She passed away on Saturday, August 1, following a long illness, her agent Laurent Savry confirmed.
In a statement to AFP, Savry said: "It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Natalia Dontcheva. A profoundly talented artist and woman of great sensitivity, Natalia Dontcheva touched audiences with the precision of her performances, her elegance and her dedication to her craft. Throughout her career, she earned the respect of her co-stars, directors, film crews and all who had the privilege of working alongside her."
Family tribute
Her stepson, Hugo Sélignac, whose father is Natalia's partner of 25 years, director Arnaud Selignac, also paid moving tribute in an Instagram post. Alongside an image of the star, he wrote: "I never liked the title 'stepmother' - because when we met, I was no longer a child, and I’d already had a stepmother before—but you have no idea what a truly *beautiful* person I found you to be, or how deeply I loved who you were."
He continued: "Thank you for the bond you fought so hard to nurture within our family. Thank you for the confidence you instilled in me by always looking at me with pride, ever since my teenage years; thank you for looking after Georgia; thank you for welcoming my children as your own; thank you for helping our father become a better dad; but above all, thank you for taking care of him for twenty-five years—for admiring, uplifting, supporting, forgiving, and, most of all, passionately loving him.
"We had our ups and downs, but we were a family—and on the Selignac side, you were our rock. The only promise I can make you today is that I will do everything to keep alive what you fought so hard to sustain. After a ten-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."
Co-star tributes
Friends and colleagues also remembered the actress. Christine Citti reflected on social media: "The very beautiful and talented @nataliadontcheva has left this afternoon. Such a beautiful, funny, strong, loving, worthy person... I'm lost for words. I respected her. Natalia knew how to do everything: sew, build, plant, share, play, love, and invent. I've been missing her lately, so now..."
Her Doc Martin co-star Tatiana Gousseff also shared her grief on Instagram. Posting a sultry image of the star, she recalled: "Natalia…. I took this photo on the port of Doëlan, in Brittany, where we were filming Doc Martin. I always had my Argentine Nikon handy, for four seasons, I shot...until I could no longer. Oh, how we laughed! Such wonderful memories! And how I loved discovering you in the theatre later in the beautiful role of Dorothy Parker....I am speechless."
Career highlights
The star played Julie Derville in the French remake of Doc Martin between 2011 and 2015, although she was already a huge star before landing the role, having made her stage debut almost two decades beforehand in 1992.
In 2004, she was directed by the acclaimed actor John Malkovich in the dark comedy play Hysteria, written by Terry Johnson, which focuses on the final days of Sigmund Freud in London.
Her last screen appearance was in the 2024 mini series Disturbing Disappearances, in which she played Béatrice Bonnot.
