Norma Zea Kuhling (born 1990) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Dr. Ava Bekker in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

medical drama series ''

Chicago Med ''Chicago Med'' is an American medical drama television series created by Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead, and is the third installment of Wolf Entertainment's ''Chicago'' franchise. The series premiered on NBC on November 17, 2015. ''Chicago Me ...

'' and as Jo Mitchel in the 2019 independent film '' Fourteen''.

Career

Kuhling's early roles include the 2009 comedy-drama film ''

The Joneses ''The Joneses'' is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Derrick Borte, in his directorial debut. It stars Demi Moore, David Duchovny, Amber Heard, and Ben Hollingsworth. It premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film F ...

'' and a 2011 production of

Michael Weller Michael Weller (born September 26, 1942) is a Brooklyn-based playwright and screen writer. His plays include '' Moonchildren'', ''Loose Ends'', ''Spoils of War'' and ''Fifty Words''. His screenplays include ''Ragtime'', for which he was nomina ...

's play ''

Moonchildren ''Moonchildren'' (originally titled ''Cancer'') is a play by Brooklyn-based playwright Michael Weller. The play chronicles a year in the life of the "moonchildren" referred to in the title: eight college students living communally together in an ...

'' at the Berkshire Theatre Festival. In 2016, she acted in the romantic fantasy film ''

Fallen Fallen may refer to: People * Carl Fredrik Fallén (1764–1830), Swedish botanist and entomologist * Gabriel Toledo (born 1991), known as FalleN, Brazilian ''Counter-Strike'' player Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Fallen ...

'' and made guest appearances in the first season of '' Falling Water''. Kuhling joined the

medical drama series ''

'' in 2017 as Dr. Ava Bekker, an ambitious

cardiothoracic surgery Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of organs inside the thoracic cavity — generally treatment of conditions of the heart (heart disease), lungs ( lung disease), and other pleural or mediastinal str ...

fellow. She first appeared in the season 2 finale, "Love Hurts", and was a series regular in seasons 3 and 4 until her departure from the series in 2019. She starred in the 2019 independent film '' Fourteen'' as Jo Mitchel, a troubled social worker who maintains a complicated friendship with her friend Mara (portrayed by Tallie Medel). Kuhling's and Medel's performances received critical praise;

Richard Brody Richard Brody (born 1958) is an American film critic who has written for ''The New Yorker'' since 1999. Education Brody grew up in Roslyn, New York, and attended Princeton University, receiving a B.A. in comparative literature in 1980. He firs ...

of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' described the performances as "poised and thoughtful", and Guy Lodge of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' applauded Kuhling's "rangy, room-consuming physicality" that complemented Medel's character. Barry Hertz, writing for ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', commented that Kuhling added "layers and history to what seems like a

Greta Gerwig Greta Celeste Gerwig (; born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and director. She first garnered attention after working on and appearing in several mumblecore films. Between 2006 and 2009, she appeared in a number of films ...

spin on the

Manic Pixie Dream Girl A Manic Pixie Dream Girl (MPDG) is a stock character type in films. Film critic Nathan Rabin, who coined the term after observing Kirsten Dunst's character in '' Elizabethtown'' (2005), said that the MPDG "exists solely in the fevered imaginatio ...

", and described the acting as "quietly powerful". After ''Fourteen'' was released theatrically, Jon Frosch of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'' counted Kuhling's and Medel's performances as among the best film performances of 2020. As of 2021, Kuhling plays Nora Fowler, a tactical medic, on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

action drama series ''

S.W.A.T. In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

Personal life

Kuhling was born and raised in New York, and she is the daughter of production designer

Kristi Zea Kristina Gwyn Zea (born October 24, 1948) is an American production designer, costume designer, art director, director and producer in film and television. Born and educated in New York City, she discovered she had a talent for design while workin ...

and Michael Kuhling. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kuhling, Norma 1990 births 21st-century American actresses Actresses from New York (state) Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Living people