Katie Holmes shares very rare family photo as she marks special celebration

Katie Holmes has a lot to celebrate this week, on both the professional and personal front. To mark the latter, the actress took to her social media with a new post.

Katie, 45, shared a photograph of her mother Kathleen Holmes, who is celebrating her birthday today, and marked the occasion with a sweet black and white snap of hers.

"Happy Birthday Mom! I love you so very much!" she wrote atop the image, and added in her caption: "A very happy birthday to my incredible mom. I am so very lucky to be loved by this selfless, strong, smart, sweet and generous woman."

Friend Selma Blair commented: "Happy birthday dear Katie's mom," while Kathleen also replied in the comments section, sweetly saying: "Many thanks to each of you for kind wishes. I am so grateful."

The loving family celebration comes just days after a photo call was held for the new Broadway production of Thornton Wilder's American classic Our Town , which Katie stars in.

The actress joins an ensemble cast led by Jim Parsons and also including Zoey Deutch, Ephraim Sykes, Billy Eugene Jones, and more. Previews begin on September 17 at the Barrymore Theatre in NYC for a limited engagement.

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Katie wore a tan knit blazer with a buttoned-up vest that showed a little bit of skin, paired with boot cut jeans and a pointed toe black heel. Her hair was styled sleek and straight and she opted for a light touch of make-up and a nose ring.

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On Instagram, she shared a snap of the look and shouted out her glam team. "Thank u @briesarawelch for this beautiful look. Thank u @genevieveherr and @djquintero for getting me ready. I appreciate you all so much."

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The production is Katie's first major career move since becoming an empty nester, after her daughter Suri, 18, left home to begin her freshman year of college at Carnegie Mellon University .

MORE: Katie Holmes shares heartbreaking words after tragic loss of Dawson's Creek co-star

Kenny Leon directs the revival of Our Town , and showered Katie with praise during a recent conversation with Town & Country . "People don't realize her breadth and wealth of talent," he said.

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"This is basically an ensemble piece, so I really need actors who can understand subtext — what's really going on beneath these words. She can play danger. She can play love, envy. I just want the presence that is Katie Holmes on stage."

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Katie, who is also an accomplished producer, director, and writer, spoke of the work that actually is available to her to take on. "Do I have 20 scripts at my door, all with the green light? No. Would that make life easier? Yes. Is that unrealistic? Yes."

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"Everybody has to find their interesting story, try to put it together, and make poetry out of things. There's a lot of thought that goes into the projects I work on, but at the end of the day you still want to create something that people will respond to. You're always at the whim of someone."