The most iconic celebrity BFFs – see their staggering transformations in then and now photos

It's difficult to think of a more glamorous friendship than the one between Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek. Salma's been there for Penelope since the start, taking her in when she first arrived in Los Angeles. 

In 2006, they co-starred together in 19th-century set Western Bandidas and have been supporting each other ever since. They even have a special nickname for one another, calling each other "huevos" (eggs) as a playful tease that dates back to their lazier days between acting jobs.

Friends stars Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston are famously very close, well, friends. The pair met on set in 1994 and played roommates Monica Gellar and Rachel Green with such believable closeness that it's no surprise their chemistry carried on off screen.

They've since appeared in support of one another at red carpet events and personal milestones. Jennifer joined their co-star Lisa Kudrow in 2023 to mark Courteney's Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony and called her family.

Though they convinced viewers of their romantic potential in 1997 epic Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet have been clear about preserving their friendship above all else. 

The pair consistently show their pride in one another and Kate looked particularly emotional when Leonardo celebrated his Oscar win for The Revenant. The pair briefly locked eyes, proving that with 30 years of friendship, you don't need to say a word.

When it comes to acting royalty, it doesn't get more iconic than Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart. They first crossed paths at the Royal Shakespeare Company in the '70s but it was 30 years later their close bond would develop.

The famous BFFs lived in adjoining trailers during the filming of X-Men and their bond grew so close that Patrick chose Ian as the officiant for his wedding to Sunny Ozell in 2013. 

Celebrity BFF duos don't get more famous than Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The pair have been joined at the hip since their childhood days as neighbours in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

They've supported one another financially and personally throughout their dreams of acting. In their twenties, the two collaborated on the screenplay for Good Will Hunting which went on to earn them an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

It seems the set of X-Men is the perfect basis for an enduring presence: this time, it's Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman who built a bond in 2009 on the set of X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

The pair have built their own online lore, conducting a faux feud via social media and regularly pranking each other. They've even transitioned their friendship to the big screen, starring together in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Not many friendships last nearly half a century, but Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are the exception. The pair met almost 50 years ago in 1977 and starred together in 1980 feature 9 to 5. 

Their comedy chemistry proved just as enduring on Netflix series Grace & Frankie as a pair of unlikely friends whose husbands leave them for one another. Today, they're both involved in activism and have just as much love for one another as ever.

Movie legends Carrie Fisher and Meryl Streep drew closer than most when Meryl starred as Suzanne Vale in 1990's Postcards from the Edge, a film adaptation of Carrie's semi-autobiographical novel. Meryl was even selected as godmother to Carrie's only daughter, Billie Lourd.

Meryl honoured her friend in 2017, after Carrie had passed, while accepting a Golden Globe, reciting the Star Wars actress' famous phrase: "Take your broken heart, make it into art."