Actress Anne Dudek and her husband, painter Matthew Heller recently welcomed their first child. The baby was born on December 14 and weighed in at 7 lbs 7 oz. The couple named their new son Akiva. New dad Heller said by email to an online magazine, “He is happy and healthy. As for me, I now have a never ending smile!”

Dudek has been quite the busy actress, having had recurring roles in three hit series, House, Big Love and most recently Mad Men. Her fans may also remember her from guest appearances in How I Met Your Mother, Desperate Housewives, Charmed and Six Feet Under.

Like so many other performers, Dudek started out on the stage. In fact, while she was still in theater school she won the role of Iphigenia in The Iphigenia Cycle. She also won a Connecticut Critics Circle Award for her work in The Glass Menagerie.

It seems that Dudek may have given little Akiva a headstart in the business before he was even born. According to Internet reports, he made guest appearances courtesy of mom’s tummy of course, in House, Big Love and Mad Men.

In the hit series, House, Dudek played Amber Volakis, who was one of ten doctors vying for a position under Dr. House. Most recently she has been seen in the award winning Mad Men which chronicles the lives of people working at a successful ad agency.

Just in case you’re wondering about the name Akiva means, which is of Hebrew origin. It means “protect” or “shelter”. A particularly appropriate name if you’re thinking of more babies for him to protect don’t you think? It is also sometimes used for a girl’s name.

Congratulations to Anne Dudek and Matthew Heller on their newborn. We can see many more smiles in the new dad’s future.