Cruise has quite the A-list crew.
Tom Cruise is celebrating his birthday with fans!
The Mission Impossible actor rang in the big 6-1 at the Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One premiere in Sydney, Australia, with some of the film's stars and a bevy of excited Australian fans by his side.
"It was great to spend my birthday with fans today. Thanks for coming out to the premiere!" Cruise captioned the tweet on Monday, which featured photos from the red carpet, a fireworks show and pics of the actor signing autographs for fans.
While it's no secret that Cruise has a mega fanbase, ET is helping celebrate his 61st birthday by looking at the action star's inner circle, which includes the likes of other A-list actors such as Will Smith, Val Kimer and more.
Will Smith
Cruise and Smith's friendship dates back to the early aughts, with Cruise even surprising Smith at this hand and footprint ceremony at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theater in 2007.
"He's truly an exceptional, exceptional human being," Cruise told ET of the King Richard actor.
"Wherever Will Smith is, that's where the party is," he added. "Everybody knows that. When I was doing Born on the Fourth of July, his music got me through that picture."
The pair has even engaged in some friendly competition over the years, with Smith noting in Mark Manson's book, Boom, "I started quietly monitoring all of Tom's global promotional activities, and I vowed to do two hours more than whatever he did in every country."
They've worked together as well, with Cruise doing some uncredited work on the Smith-led I am Legend that same year.
"He's read five drafts of the script, sent me notes. We are committed to helping each other be able to be the best that we can be," Smith told ET at the time.
Jerry Bruckheimer
In addition to working together on Top Gun, Cruise has a close relationship with the famed producer. First collaborating on the original film in 1986, the pair teamed up again 36 years later for the Oscar-winning sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.
"Great actor. Great partner. If you're in a foxhole, you want Tom Cruise next to," Bruckheimer told ET 2016.
The award-winning producer said of Cruise's character, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, "It's an iconic character that he helped create."
As for what took the film so long? Both Bruckheimer and Cruise said that it had to be "perfect" before bringing back the beloved story to fans.
"He's the hardest working actor I've ever worked with," Bruckheimer added in 2021.
Val Kilmer
Cruise and Kilmer developed their friendship on the Top Gun set, with Kilmer starring as Tom Kazansky, a top naval aviator and Mitchell's rival turned friend in the film. Their friendship stood the test of time, with Cruise including Kilmer in the sequel amid ongoing issues with his voice following a battle with throat cancer. The reunion was an emotional one, with the producers using AI to help bring Kilmer's voice back for the short cameo.
"You see that scene, it's very special," Cruise told ET during the film's premiere in 2022. "The first one, I really rallied hard for him. I was like, 'Val, you gotta make this movie. You're gonna be amazing.'"
As for Kilmer, he told ET back in 2020 that his memories with Cruise were "filled with laughter," adding that while filming the original, the pair "laughed all day long."
Dakota Fanning
Cruise remained close with his War of the Worlds daughter after he and Dakota Fanning starred in the film together in 2005.
"He has sent me a birthday gift every year since I was 11 years old. It's usually shoes," Fanning said on a Watch What Happens Live appearance.
He also has kept a relationship with the film's director, Steven Spielberg, who had some kind words for the actor during the Oscars luncheon in February.
"You saved Hollywood, and you might have saved theatrical distribution," the Academy Award-winning director said of Cruise getting fans back to movie theaters following the COVID-19 pandemic.
And More
Other members of Cruise's circle include Tom Hanks, Kirsten Dunst, Jimmy Fallon and Rosie O'Donnell, who have all been recipients of the actor's famed white chocolate-covered coconut Bundt cake.
His Mission Impossible co-stars have gotten a taste of it too, with Henry Cavill telling ET, "It was the most decadent, the most amazing cake."
Angela Bassett added, "I literally ate the entire cake except for one slice."
As for Simon Pegg, he said the cake was so good he couldn't wait for a fork, eating it with his fist instead.
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