In 1954, Hegerová played the title role in the film "Frona" under the name Hana Čelková. 1957 saw her first appearance as a singer in "Tatra Revue" in Bratislava. After she came to Prague, the foremost Czech actor Jan Werich offered her an engagement in the ABC Theatre, however, she refused. From 1958 to 1961, she performed at the Rokoko Theatre in Prague, and from 1961 to 1966 at the Semafor Theater where she appeared in the jazz opera "Dobře placená procházka" by Jiří Suchý (libretto) and Jiří Šlitr (music), and film "Kdyby tisíc klarinetů" ("If a Thousand Clarinets"). Hegerová's repertoire included many chansons by Czech and Slovak authors, and also Czech versions of songs from the repertoire of Édith Piaf ("Mylord"), Jacques Brel ("Ne me quitte pas"), and songs by Kurt Weill ("Surabaya Johnny", "The Barbara Song") and many others. In 1967, Hana Hegerová appeared at the Paris Olympia with the songs of Jacques Brel and Charles Aznavour. She also performed at the World's Fair in Montreal. From 1977 to 1981, during the Czechoslovak normalization, Hegerová was forced to stop her activities abroad, and her concert activities were also restricted in Czechoslovakia. Following the Velvet Revolution she began to perform more often in public. During this time she received many music awards, for example, the "Platinum Disc" in 1992 and the Czech "Gramy" in 1996. In 2002, Hana Heregová received a Medal of Merit from Czech President Václav Havel.