20 Famous Friendships That Have Stood the Test of Time

Grammy-winning Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine and Oscar-nominated actor and producer Jonah Hill are more than celebrity friends — they're lifelong buddies who met thanks to their dads! In 2014, Jonah shared how their fathers first met in middle school (in the principal's office no less) and became fast friends. As adults, they remained close and their sons grew up as playmates. Jonah even shared that he thinks of Adam as "family."

Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Golden Globe-nominated actor Tobey Maguire have shared a close friendship since first meeting at an audition in 1987. At just 12, both rising stars shared unique similarities, including being raised by single moms, trying to break into show business and living in Los Angeles. Since then, the pair have remained loyal friends, seeing each other through the rises and falls in their careers.

The friendship between actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck is the stuff bromances are made of. First meeting in 1981 when Matt was 10 and Ben was just 8, the boys from Cambridge, Massachusetts, went on to work together in Hollywood, earning their first Oscars together as screenwriters for their hit 1997 film "Good Will Hunting." Even throughout the many changes in their careers and personal lives, these two have remained loyal friends.

For more than two decades, Australian actresses Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts have been the best of friends. Although they already knew each other by the time they landed roles on the 1991 Australian romantic drama "Flirting," it was while working together on the film that their friendship truly blossomed. Through marriages, divorces and career highs and lows, the two women have remained a constant source of support, love and admiration for one another.

While the world will probably always wonder if BJ Novak and Mindy Kaling are more than friends, the official response from both camps is that they're nothing more than super close pals, although at one point, they did briefly date. The duo first met in 2004 while working as writers on the comedy series "The Office" and have remained besties over the years, offering encouragement, support and hilarious social media banter for us to enjoy.

Hip-hop star turned actress and producer Queen Latifah first met Jada Pinkett Smith more than 30 years ago, when both women were still teens. Long before they starred together in films like "Set It Off!" and "Girls Trip," the ladies had a chance encounter at a Baltimore night club, where Queen Latifah was performing. Today, the ladies are still the best of friends and laugh about their first meeting, admitting that neither one was actually old enough to be in a nightclub at the time.

Twenty-five years ago, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler met in Chicago at the ImprovOlympic, thanks to their mutual friend, theater co-founder Charna Halpern. The pair instantly clicked and quickly became the best of friends, later working together on the hit sketch comedy series "Saturday Night Live." Over the years, as both women have explored other professional ventures, including producing and writing, they've continued to support one another, often appearing in each other's projects.

Legendary performers, authors and civil rights activists Harry Belafonte (left) and Sidney Poitier (right) met in 1947 when they were just 20 years old. Working at the American Negro Theater, the men, who happened to be born just nine days apart, found they shared incredible similarities (both had parents from the West Indies and both dreamed of becoming stars), which helped cement their lifelong friendship and brotherhood that has lasted more than 70 years.

Before Debi Mazar and Madonna were stars, the two were fast friends after connecting in a night club elevator in the early 1980s. Debi would later become Madge's makeup and hair stylist, and would even appear in several of her early music videos, including "Papa Don't Preach" and "True Blue." Although Madonna's epic rise to fame has made hanging out together difficult, Debi says the two are still close and make sure to schedule time together when they can.

Meeting in 1985 at a party, DJ Jazzy Jeff and up-and-coming rapper Will Smith developed a fast friendship that led to the formation of their hip-hop group, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The friends released their debut album, "Rock the House," in '87 and would go on to release four more albums before Will's acting career took off. Although Will doesn't make much music these days, Jeff has worked on all of his solo music projects as well. The two remain close friends to this day.

Lifelong besties Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King first met while working together in their early 20s in Baltimore. The two women hardly knew one another, but when a brutal snowstorm hit the city, Oprah kindly offered Gayle a place to stay, cementing what would become more than 40 years of friendship. Today, both women are as close as ever, reportedly talking as much as four times a day on the telephone.

Actresses Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston first met in 1994 on the set of their sitcom, "Friends." The women became instant friends and remained connected long after their series came to an end in 2004. Over the years, they've supported each other through marriages, divorces, kids (Courteney's), and career highs and lows, with Jennifer telling People magazine, "There's no judgment in Court … She's extremely fair, ridiculously loyal and fiercely loving."

Actresses and BFFs Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz first clicked while filming their 2000 action-adventure movie "Charlie's Angels" and have remained tightly connected ever since. In 2018, Drew, who currently stars on the Netflix original series "Santa Clarita Diet," told ET Online that her relationship with Cameron was "more than best friends," saying they were more like sisters who "push each other" and are "very honest with one another."

Not only were they each other's date to the 2018 Met Gala, but Sarah Jessica Parker and Andy Cohen have been besties since the '90s, when Andy was introduced to her through a mutual friend. Before she was Carrie on "Sex and the City" and he was the face of Bravo, the two were close friends, spending their free time together. Nearly 30 years later, they still adore each other and (thankfully) don't mind sharing photographic evidence on Instagram.

Emmy-winning comedic actresses Lucille Ball and Betty White first met in 1956 while Betty was filming "A Date With Angels" at Lucy's Desilu Studios. The two performers felt an instant, mutual affection for one another and quickly became inseparable friends until Lucy's death in 1989. In 2017, Betty, now in her 90s, shared how their 33-year-friendship even led to the friendship of both of their mothers, DeDe Ball and Tess White.

The unlikely 20-year friendship of actress and entrepreneur Elizabeth Taylor and the King of Pop Michael Jackson actually made a lot of sense. Both performers were child stars who endured abusive, domineering parents that guided the early years of their careers. First meeting in 1984, after Liz's husband Richard Burton passed away, the two icons would remain the closest of friends and confidantes until Michael's death in 2009.

Legendary stars Henry Fonda (left) and James "Jimmy" Stewart (right) were friends for 50 years, remaining close until Henry's death in 1982. What made their bromance even more amazing is that Jimmy was a deeply religious Republican and Henry a liberal-leaning, agnostic Democrat. How did they make their friendship so successful? By not talking about divisive subjects, choosing instead to spend time together building kites and model airplanes, or, their favorite: playing practical jokes.

Elizabeth Taylor had an even more unlikely friendship with the woman whose husband she stole in 1958, actress Debbie Reynolds. In one of the most scandalous Hollywood love triangles, Debbie's husband, Eddie Fisher, had an affair that led to him to divorce Debbie and marry Liz. Although the women didn't speak for years after, they were later able to reconcile, with Liz even leaving Debbie her famous sapphire jewels after her death in 2011.

Three of the members of The Rat Pack: Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra, were also close friends throughout their lives. Along with fellow members Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford, the trio performed in sold-out Las Vegas shows and on the big screen in films like "Ocean's 11" and "Robin and the 7 Hoods." During the civil rights movement, Frank even went so far as to skip performances where African-Americans were banned.

George Burns (left) and Jack Benny (right) were more than vaudeville partners. The two men, who rose to fame through their radio and television acts, including "The George Burns Show" and "The Jack Benny Program," were also best friends for more than 50 years. Their connection lasted until Jack's death in 1974. In a sweet gesture, before Jack passed, he convinced producers to hire his friend for the comedy "The Sunshine Boys," which won George an Oscar.