Dylan Thomas SprouseandCole Mitchell Sprouse(born August 4, 1992) are Americanactors. They aretwinsand are collectively referred to asDylan and Cole Sprouseor theSprouse Bros.Their first prominent major theatrical film role was inBig Daddy, where they starred alongsideAdam Sandler. They later appeared in several television sitcoms and starred in the straight-to-DVD family films,I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa ClausandJust for Kicks.
In 2005, they became international household names by starring in theDisney ChannelsitcomThe Suite Life of Zack & Cody. As a result of series' success, they have become "heartthrobs"and "overwhelming draws"amongpreteenandteenaudiences. In 2006, the brothers launched a franchise known as the "Sprouse Bros" brand, which included a clothing line, book series and magazine. The majority of the Sprouse's franchise ended in 2008, except for their clothing line. They have been subsequently described as "arguably the two best-known child stars in recent years" by the media and were one of the wealthiest children alive in 2007.
In late 2008, they starred in aSuite Lifespin-off,The Suite Life on Deckwhich went on to become the most-watched tween/children's television show in 2008 and 2009.In April 2009, they appeared on the cover ofPeople Magazine, in a sixty-page special edition issue devoted to theSuite Life on Deck. In 2010, the Sprouse brothers were the highest paid teenage Disney television actors, earning $40,000 per episode combined.They began cultivating an adult image by starring in the independent theatrical suspense film,The Kings of Appletownin 2009. The brothers became the faces ofNintendo DSin August 2010.MSNreported by the end of the 2000s, the twin brothers became the richest teenage twins in the world.
EARLY LIVES
The Sprouses were born inArezzo, Italy, to American parents Matthew Sprouse and Melanie Wright, who at the time were teaching at an English language school inTuscany. Dylan, named after poetDylan Thomas,is 15minutes older than Cole,who is named for jazz singer and pianistNat King Cole.[The boys moved back to the United States, four months after their birth. They grew up in their parents' nativeLong Beach, California. Their parents divorced in 1997.
ACTING
After a suggestion by their grandmother, Jonine Booth Wright, who was adramateacherand actress, the Sprouses began acting at the age of six months. The twosome first appeared in acommercialfortoilet paperswitching on-screen time every few seconds. As with many twin actors, the two have often played the same role, allowing more time for the character to be filmed. At eight months old, the two appeared on theABC-TVseriesGrace Under Firefrom 1993 to 1998, playing one character, Patrick Kelly.
In 1999, the boys appeared in their first major feature film,Big Daddy, in which they shared the role of a five-year old boy named 'Julian' who is adopted byAdam Sandler's character 'Sonny Koufax'. That year, the boys collaborated with Sandler on the second and third versions ofThe Chanukah Song(Dylan and The Drei-Dels in Part 3 and Cole in Part 2), and the boys also had a minor role in the thrillerThe Astronaut's Wife. The Sprouses have noted that afterBig Daddy's release, the two entered into a slow period in their careers and were not cast in any major roles for a time.During the early 2000s, the twins appeared in episodes ofThe Nightmare RoomandThat '70s Show, as well as inMADtv: Season Four (1998-1999)(episode #425) and the feature filmsThe Master of Disguiseand a voice-over role inAdam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights. In 2001, Cole began appearing in episodes of the television showFriends, asRoss Geller's son Ben; this role was not shared with Dylan.
Between the years of 2002 and 2003, they both appeared inI Saw Mommy Kissing Santa ClausandJust for Kicks, both of which were family films that received adirect-to-videorelease. The Sprouses were subsequently cast in theDisney Channeloriginal seriesThe Suite Life of Zack and Cody, where they play identical twins Zack (Dylan) and Cody (Cole) Martin. The series, which debuted in March 2005, has become a ratings successand the twins have become very well known among pre-teen and teen audiences. As part of their involvement with Disney, the brothers are now part of the 11-member group, theDisney Channel Circle of Stars, and sang the song "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" along with the members of the circle, for a video that was released as bonus material in the special edition version of theDisneyfilmCinderella. The Sprouses have also participated in theDisney Channel Gamesevery year since 2006.
The twin brothers began filming another Modern Twain Story film in the summer of 2009, the film is tentatively titled "Sivilized" and is a modern version of "Huckleberry Finn."In March 2009, they became the new face ofDannonDanimals, their endorsem*nt deal was renewed in 2010. In August 2010, the twin brothers signed an endorsem*nt deal withNintendo DS.The Sprouses played one character, Jeremiah, in theindependent filmThe Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, which was produced in 2004 but not given a theatrical release until March 2006, when it played at three theatres in the United States, ultimately grossing $29,000 domestically.[In 2007, the boys filmedA Modern Twain Story: The Prince and the Pauper. The Sprouse brothers both had voice roles in the animated film,Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn't HappenalongsideBrenda SongandEmily Osment.Dylan played the voice of Shasta in Disney's "Snow Buddies." The brothers both starred in the theatrical film,The Kings of Appletownwhich is based on the bookThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The film was directed byBobby Morescoand written by Amanda Moresco.The film was filmed inNew Braunfels, Texasand was originally estimated to be released in the winter 2008.Kings of Appletonhad a limited theatrical release on December 12, 2009 and was officially released at theNewport Beach Film Festivalin April 2010.The brothers are currently represented byWilliam Morris Endeavor.
PERSONAL LIVES
Dylan Sprouse has stated that the experience of coming to fame after the success ofThe Suite Life of Zack & Codyis "kind of scary, how fast everything is moving. Just a year ago none of this was happening, it was just doingSuite Life, and now I can't wait for what's in store..."While filmingThe Suite Life of Zack & Cody, the two received on-set tutoring for three hours each day,and claimed to be getting "straight A's and honors."Both boys have had girlfriends, but none of their relationships have lasted longer than 8 months; as of September 2009 both are single.
The Sprouses enjoyskateboarding,snowboarding,surfing, andbasketball,as well as writing or drawing a comic strip,The Adventures of Tibblebu and Thumbin, based on astuffed animalof Cole's.]The twins' family has three dogs: Bubba, which belongs to Dylan and Cole; Pinky, who is their father's; and Curry, their stepmother's.Their favorite actor and co-star isAdam Sandler.
In 2010, the twin brothers were both accepted toNew York University. They had initial plans to attend the university in the fall of 2010, however deferred for one year. Dylan plans on majoring in fine/studio arts and minoring in economics while Cole plans on majoring in film and television production and minoring in drama.
