Dylan Thomas Sprouse and
Cole Mitchell Sprouse (born August 4, 1992) are American
actors who are best known for their roles in the
Disney Channel sitcoms
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and
The Suite Life on Deck.
They are
identical twins and are collectively referred to as
Dylan and Cole Sprouse or the
Sprouse Bros.. As a result of these series' success, they have become "heartthrobs"
and "overwhelming draws"
among
preteen and
teen audiences. In April 2009,
People Magazine released a sixty-page special edition issue devoted almost entirely to the brothers.
Early lives
The Sprouses were born in
Arezzo, Italy, to American parents Matthew Sprouse and Melanie Wright, who at the time were teaching at an English language school in
Tuscany. Dylan, named after poet
Dylan Thomas,
is 15 minutes older than Cole,
who is named for jazz singer and pianist
Nat King Cole.
The boys moved back to the United States, four months after their birth. They grew up in their parents' native
Long Beach, California. Their parents divorced in 1997.
Acting
After a suggestion by their grandmother, Jonine Booth Wright, who was a
drama teacher and actress, the Sprouses began acting at the age of six months. The twosome first appeared in a
commercial for
toilet paper switching on-screen time every few seconds. As with many identical 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 the
ABC-TV series
Grace Under Fire from 1993 to 1998, playing one character, Patrick Kelly.
