Here’s what you need to know about how Social Security and Medicare services cooperate.

Content starts here

Glenn Close, 79, Reveals Hip Replacement: ‘I’m Hobbling Around’

The eight-time Oscar nominee is using a cane but hopes to be back on the red carpet within days

2-minute read

Donna Freydkin,

AARP

Published October 22, 2026

Glenn Close, seen here earlier this month, recently revealed that she’s recovering from a hip replacement.

Manoli Figetakis/Getty Images

Key takeaways

Glenn Close says her left hip was in poor condition and she underwent a complete hip replacement.
The actor hopes to travel to London and New York to attend premieres this fall.
About 544,000 hip replacements are performed annually in the U.S., according to the American College of Rheumatology.

Glenn Close, 79, has undergone a complete hip replacement after discovering that her left hip was in “really bad shape.” She’s walking with a cane for now but says she’s feeling great and has no intention of letting her recovery derail a busy fall season.

In an Instagram video posted Oct. 20, Close explained her recent change in mobility.

More Ways to Benefit

View All

Related Benefit 1
Related Benefit 2
Related Benefit 3
Related Benefit 4
Related Benefit 5

“I have a cane because I had a complete hip replacement. Found out that my left hip was in really bad shape, and my whole thing right now is to keep myself in running order so that I can really leap into whatever challenges come my way,” she said.

The actor, whose long career includes Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons and The Wife, has received eight Academy Award nominations. She is scheduled to receive an honorary Oscar on Nov. 15.

First, however, she has two premieres she hopes to attend.

“I’m hobbling around on a cane for now, but I hope, come the 26th, I’ll be on a plane for London to be there for the opening of Hunger Games,” she said in the post. “And then back to New York for the opening of All’s Fair.”

Close, who appears in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping and the second season of the television series All’s Fair, is adjusting her expectations as she recovers.

“I hope to be fully present there and maybe not running around going up mountains, but at least my good old self,” she said.

What is a hip replacement?

According to the Mayo Clinic, hip replacement surgery involves removing damaged portions of the hip joint and replacing them with artificial components, typically made of metal, ceramic and hard plastic. The goal is to relieve pain and improve mobility.

The procedure, also called total hip arthroplasty, is often recommended when hip pain interferes with everyday activities and treatments such as medication or physical therapy have not provided enough relief. Arthritis is the most common reason people need surgery.

Close did not disclose what caused the damage to her hip or when she underwent the operation.

Hip replacements are increasingly common as the population ages. About 544,000 hip replacements are performed each year in the United States, according to the American College of Rheumatology.

More than 90 percent of hip replacements are performed on people 50 and older, according to AARP's guide to hip replacement surgery, which also explains what patients should consider before deciding to undergo the procedure.

For Close, the immediate goal is getting back to the work and activities she loves.

“I’m feeling great. I have my wonderful, wonderful family around me and look forward to all the adventures coming,” she said in the post.

Donna Freydkin has spent 10-plus years interviewing celebrities for major publications, and has written for a variety of outlets such as USA Today, Allure, Yahoo! and CNN covering topics such as films, family and favorite meals.