32 of the Most Iconic Hollywood Friendships

Hollywood can be an intense, competitive industry. So when actors become friends—publicly supporting each other, going to events together, doing fun celebrity things like hanging out on a yacht—it warms our collective hearts. This is especially true when these two celebrities might have dated, did date, or were rumored to have dated (while most of the friends on this list did not, we have a couple on here that might have started out as romantic partners!) but then went on to become platonic soulmates. I have no doubt that there are actors who support each other behind the scenes, which is also admirable, but I can't help it: When celebs profess public support for each other, it gets a big "Awwww!" from me. Luckily, we've had quite a few famous pals over the years—including several odd ones you might not have known about.

Below, 32 of the most iconic Hollywood friendships of all time.

Harry Styles and Stevie Nicks

These two musical icons met in 2015 when Styles went to see Nicks perform; The two have shown lots of public support and have even performed together. In an interview with Zane Lowe, Nicks said, "He that kind of friend. He’s a brother, and a son, and maybe we’re best, best friends in another life or something."

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

Granted, this one might not have been two BFFs working together; There were rumors of on and off fights between this iconic dancing couple. But Rogers in her memoir wrote, “Take it from me, no matter what you hear, Fred and I were always friends and professionally compatible,” and Astaire added, "Ginger was certainly the most effective partner I had.”

Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore

After they met on the set of Charlie's Angels, Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz became inseparable (Diaz has even appeared on Barrymore's show!). Speaking to the L.A. Times, Diaz said, "I have absolute faith in her. You can’t even comprehend how hard it was to be her as a child, and then she shot out the other end with the ability to save herself.”

Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts

It's hard to be an up-and-coming actress in Hollywood, and luckily for Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman, they had each other. Watts has even admitted that it's tough for actors to be friends (given the competitive nature of the business), but that the two Aussies have a "sisterhood": "We've gone through a lot together over a significant amount of time."

Mary J. Blige and Taraji P. Henson

After connecting on the set of 2009's I Can Do Bad All By Myself, these two have vacationed together, supported each other, and been candid together. Blige spoke about Henson when the latter received a Hollywood walk of fame star: "We meet people in the industry and they're not nice. I've never had a friend that I can call while I'm on set and say, 'How do I do this as an actress' and you helped me when I needed help. And in my mind, that's rare, because people don't share and you're a sharer. So thank you for being a giver and a sharer."

Steve Martin and Martin Short

If you're only familiar with Martin Short and Steve Martin from their work on Only Murders in the Building, their friendship dates all the way back to 1986 in Three Amigos!. Short has said of Martin, "Steve's best quality is who he is as a man...He's very moral, he's very loyal, very, very ethical. And this is beyond all that talent."

Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Frank Sinatra

Foundational members of the Rat Pack, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Frank Sinatra were colleagues and friends for a long time. The three even staged a reunion tour in 1987 called Together Again. Martin had to withdraw not far into the tour and was replaced by Liza Minnelli, and Davis would be diagnosed with cancer in 1989, so this would be the last time the three would perform.

Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen

Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen had mutual friends who tried to set them up in the 1990s, but the two actually connected and became friends years later. The two have collaborated professionally (and have fabulous banter) and supported each other as both have become parents.

Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift 

Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift starred together in A Place in the Sun. She was interested in him romantically, but their relationship turned into a strong platonic one after he came out to her. Their relationship was called one between soul mates, and Taylor even came to his aid after he crashed his car outside her house.

Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak

Granted—these two dated while on the set of The Office in the 2000s (2004-2007). But the two went on to be platonic besties; The two have since collaborated together, and Novak has called them "inseparable best friends." He's even godfather to Kaling's daughter!

Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stallone

This one always makes me chuckle: Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stallone met on the set of the '80s comedy Rhinestone and became apparently the best of friends. Seriously, the two have raved over each other, with Stallone insisting, "The most fun I ever had on a movie was with Dolly Parton on Rhinestone.”

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

Imagine being so close with your friend (and, you know, being rich enough) that you buy a soccer team together? Well, that's just what Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney did with Wrexham. McElhenney has called Reynolds an inspiration, telling People, "I consider him one of my closest friends, and I didn't even know him three years ago." 

Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier

According to New York Times story in 2017, Belafonte said Poitier was "his first real friend in life." The two men, who broke boundaries in Hollywood, bonded while they were trying to become actors and throughout their lives, including as participants in the civil rights movement. All told, they were friends for 70 years.

Busy Philipps and Michelle Williams

Since starring together all the way back in Dawson's Creek, Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps began supporting each other through thick and thin. Williams told People in 2016, "I'm so in love with her. She's proof that the love of your life does not have to be a man! That's the love of my life right there."

Janelle Monae and Tessa Thompson

Okay, so, there have been rumors that these two dated. Lol! No matter what you call it, though, they have deep love for each other. Thompson has explained, “We’re so close, we vibrate on the same frequency. If people want to speculate about what we are, that’s okay. It doesn’t bother me.”

Betty White and Lucille Ball

These two comic legends, who were also contemporaries, met all the way back in 1957 (and their moms, DeDe Ball and Tess White, were besties too!). In a Reddit AMA, White said of her friend, "Lucy was one of my dearest friends...She was dynamite. Everything you saw was what you got."

Taylor Swift and Blake Lively

Technically, Taylor Swift is friends with Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds (isn't it nice when your bestie likes your husband too?) and they have been spotted at events together. Per People, Lively's daughter James has a cameo on Swift's song "Gorgeous," and all three daughters, James, Inez and Betty, are named-dropped in her album Folklore. 

Taylor Swift and Sophie Turner

If you keep up with celebrity news, you'll be familiar with this photo (where Taylor Swift showed public support for Sophie Turner, in the midst of a public divorce, by taking her out in New York), but the two met officially in 2019 and professed support for each other before the events of 2023.

Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez

These two met because they were both dating a Jonas Brother at the time (lol) and the two struck up an indelible, public friendship—from going out on the town in New York to appearing onstage together (and Gomez making a cameo in Swift's "Bad Blood" video!).

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler

The comedy duo we always love to see—Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, naturally—actually met while doing improv in Chicago in 1993. What followed included several professional collaborations (SNL, Wine Country, Baby Mama, Sisters) as well as costarring in the best movie: Mean Girls.

Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner

When Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams played sisters on the set of the intense HBO show Game of Thrones, they became like sisters. “We got the role at the same time and we grew up on the show together and it was so amazing to have another person who was going through it at the same time because I think I just would have, it would have been too much otherwise,” Williams said on the “Table Manners” podcast.

Meghan Markle and Serena Williams

Even after becoming a royal, Meghan Markle stayed in touch with her celebrity friends (most notably the cast from Suits); This seemingly random pairing is my favorite, as Serena Williams and Markle met at the Super Bowl in 2010, reunited at the 2014 Super Bowl, and the two hit it off—becoming instantly supportive of each other.

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin

From 9 to 5 to Grace and Frankie, these two actors weren't just friends—they were collaborators. They met in 1977 backstage at Tomlin's show. "We've been friends ever since," Tomlin told the Washington Post in 2017. "We're friends because I just love her. I know Jane has my back whenever she can."

Jennifer Lopez and Leah Remini

The two actors met in 2004. “It was one of those instant chemistry things, where you just feel like, ‘I love this person. I love being around this person. This person makes me laugh,'” recounted Lopez. The two have even starred together, but became more private about their connection in the 2020s.

Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence

The two a-list stars got fans excited when they started going on friend dates together, including a Billy Joel concert, and in 2016 spoke about co-writing a script where they'd play sisters. Lawrence gave us a few hints, saying it was “funny,” “dirty” and “real.” Lawrence was a guest at Schumer's wedding!

Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence

These two were apparently introduced by mutual friend Woody Harrelson (naturally!). Lawrence said they particularly bonding over their shared Hollywood experiences: Per Lawrence, "We both had the same stalker. His name was John the Orchestra Guy. He would ‘accidentally’ text us.'" She said they'd been friends ever since.

Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor

Let's just say this one's probably the most surprising BFF coupling on this list. Debbie Reynolds was married to Eddie Fisher, and then he left her for her close friend Elizabeth Taylor. Then! The two friends would reconcile and Reynolds would say her friendship “was perhaps worth more" than her marriage.

Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston

It's one of those "awww" relationships: Two actors, forged in an iconic, high-intensity environment (in this case, Courteney Cox as Monica and Jennifer Aniston as Rachel on Friends) who continued to be close even after the series ended (they also continued to be friends with Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe).

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon

Friends since they were literally children growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon cemented their Hollywood friendship when they won Oscars for their co-writing collaboration, Good Will Hunting. They continued to work together several times, including in The Last Duel and Air.

Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King

Oh, to have a best friendship that lasts decades! In 2022, speaking on their 46(!) years of friendship, Winfrey explained that the root of their bond is that it was the kind of loving relationship she'd never had: “[It’s] having somebody who not only stands in the gap for you, but is happy for your happiness."

Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart

The most hilarious odd-couple pairing of perhaps all time? Who knew that when Martha Stewart would invite Snoop Dogg onto her show to make mashed potatoes in 2008, it was spark a years-long friendship, including professional collaborations like co-hosting, roasting, and—of course—more cooking.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet

Even though the two never dated, this falls into the category of "celebs that fans 'ship...hard." The two had impeccable chemistry in Titanic and have been in each other's lives ever since (including a fun thing where they trade Titanic quotes!), with Winslet saying to The Guardian, "We’re bonded for life.”