'Hacks' Star Jean Smart Receives Love After Recovering From Heart Procedure

Since February every year is American Heart Month when the country focuses on cardiovascular health, veteran actress Jean Smart used the opportunity to share cogent news with fans.

The "Hack" star revealed that she recently underwent heart surgery. As Smart recovers from the procedure, she wants fans to know how she is faring and credits her loved ones for standing by her through the tough time.

The 71-year-old performer is marking American Heart Month with good news after a smooth heart procedure which she is currently recovering from. On Instagram, she penned a touching message of gratitude to her supporters and medical professionals who have a helping hand in her recovery.

"February is American Heart Month," Smart began in the attached picture. "A time when the nation spotlights heart health, so it feels important to share with all of you that I am recovering from a recent, successful heart procedure."

She went on with words of appreciation for being "fortunate to have excellent professional care and support from family and friends" while she progressed with her recuperation. In conclusion, the Tony nominee advised her numerous fans to "listen to your body and talk to your doctor" before expressing gladness for following her own advice and signing off with her name.

Although the post was captionless, the image was well-detailed, and many fans headed to the comments to send prayers and encourage her amid her recovery journey.  "Heal well and quickly," a fan wrote, "you national treasure, you." A second commenter conveyed relief to know Smart was well and sent "love and thanks for this urging."

Another fan from Austria remarked, "Jean – Thanks so much for sharing this message – I am so very glad to hear you are recovering. I'm sending you a lot of positive energy." A fourth admirer who was delighted the actress cared for herself urged her to heal herself and return to healing her fans with her "wonderful work."

A fifth commenter expressed, "glad to hear that everything went well on your procedure. hope you have a smooth recovery and get well soon." As Smart makes progress with her health, production on the third season of the HBO Max and Universal TV show has been put on hold but is expected to resume mid-March.

According to Deadline, filming began a little after Thanksgiving and carried on as soon as the holiday break in January was over. The Emmy winner plays the Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance in the successful series produced by UTV and created by Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Stasky.

Meanwhile, not much information is known about her heart condition, and she did not specify in her post the kind of procedure she went through. However, HBO Max and Universal sent their best wishes in a joint statement: "We are so happy that our beloved Jean Smart's heart was successful and she's on the mend. HBO Max and UTV send their well wishes."

Smart's stellar acting in "Hacks" earned her an Emmy Award in 2021 for the Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She proudly dedicated the accolade to her late husband, Richard Gilliland, who also starred in the show but passed in March 2021 amid production. 

The mother-of-two gave a moving speech, honoring the deceased for getting her to where she was, as without him, she would not have reached that stage. In her words, "I have to acknowledge my late husband, Richard Gilliland – I would not be here – without him putting his career on the back burner so that I could take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities that I've had."

Per reports, Smart gained interest in acting during her years at Ballard High School in Seattle from where she graduated in 1969. She later enrolled in the University of Washington Professional Actors Training Program and graduated with a BFA.

The Washington native's acting career goes as far back as the seventies, when she was credited for several stage performances. She appeared on Broadway in 1981, playing the role of Marlene Dietrich in "Piaf" before starring as Charlene Frazier Stillfield in "Designing Women" from 1986 to 1991.

Not only is Smart a remarkable performer, but she is also a doting mother of two children. Additionally, she has type 1 diabetes since the age of 13.