"Katie filed for divorce yesterday. Tom is very saddened by that, and right now he is concentrating on the kids," Los Angeles-based attorney Bert Fields told Reuters.

Fields, who said he was not representing Cruise in the divorce, but was speaking as a friend, would not give a reason for the filing, saying only that "Tom wants to be very private."

A representative for Holmes could not immediately be reached for comment, but earlier on Friday, People magazine cited Holmes's lawyer, Jonathan Wolfe, as confirming the divorce.

"This is a personal and private matter for Katie and her family," Wolfe told People. "Katie's primary concern remains, as it always has been, her daughter's best interest."

The pair married in an elaborate ceremony in Italy in 2006, and they have one daughter together, 6-year-old Suri. Because of their status as top Hollywood stars, their relationship has been closely followed in the celebrity and tabloid press.

Cruise, 49, has been among the world's highest-paid actors, with films ranging from 1983's "Risky Business" to the hugely successful "Mission: Impossible" series and currently playing musical "Rock of Ages."

He was previously married to actress Mimi Rogers and actress Nicole Kidman, with whom he has two children.

Holmes, 33, rose to fame on the U.S. television series "Dawson's Creek" and has worked in big-budget movies such as "Batman Begins." Her marriage to Cruise is her first.

(Reporting by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

• A Permanent Economic Emergency