Tom Cruise: Barbara Walters Is a "Leading Force for Women"

The actor said in a taped clip broadcast Wednesday: "Do you realize that on October 4,1976, when you became the first woman ever to anchor the evening news... that that moment in time would forever empower other women to reach for their goals in any field that they chose?"

He also called Walters a "leading force for women not only in the newsroom but the world at large" (Watch above).

Walters responded with a giggle, "Oh, Tommy baby! How nice!"

Walters just published her memoir, Audition, in which she writes about her affair with a married senator and why Star Jones left The View.

Check out Cruise on Oprah here.