In 2005, they starred in the Disney Channel sitcom The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. As a result of the series' success, they have become "heartthrobs" and "overwhelming draws" among pre-teen and teen audiences. 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 two of the wealthiest children alive in 2007. Since 2008, they have starred in The Suite Life on Deck, the sequel to The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. The Suite Life on Deck went on to become the most-watched tween/children's television show in 2008 and 2009. In April 2009, they appeared on the cover of People Magazine, in a sixty-page special edition issue devoted to The Suite 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 Appletown in 2009. The brothers became the faces of Nintendo DS in August 2010. MSN reported by the end of the 2000s, the twin brothers became the richest teenage twins in the world.
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 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.
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 by Adam Sandler's character 'Sonny Koufax'. That year, the boys collaborated with Sandler on the second and third versions of The 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 thriller The Astronaut's Wife. The Sprouses have noted that after Big 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 of The Nightmare Room and That '70s Show, as well as in MADtv: Season Four (1998-1999) (episode #425) and the feature films The Master of Disguise and a voice-over role in Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights. In 2001, Cole began appearing in episodes of the television show Friends, as Ross Geller's son Ben; this role was not shared with Dylan.
Between the years of 2002 and 2003, they both appeared in I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus and Just for Kicks, both of which were family films that received a direct-to-video release. The Sprouses were subsequently cast in the Disney Channel original series The 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 success and 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, the Disney 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 the Disney film Cinderella. The Sprouses have also participated in the Disney Channel Games every year since 2006.
Cole Sprouse at A Modern Twain Story: The Prince and the Pauper premiere in September 2007
The Sprouses played one character, Jeremiah, in the independent film The 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 filmed A 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 Happen alongside Brenda Song and Emily Osment. Dylan played the voice of Shasta in Disney's "Snow Buddies." The brothers both starred in the theatrical film, The Kings of Appletown which is based on the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The film was directed by Bobby Moresco and written by Amanda Moresco.The film was filmed in New Braunfels, Texas and was originally estimated to be released in the winter 2008. Kings of Appleton had a limited theatrical release on December 12, 2009 and was officially released at the Newport Beach Film Festival in April 2010.
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 of Dannon Danimals, their endorsement deal was renewed in 2010. In August 2010, the twin brothers signed an endorsement deal with Nintendo DS.
The brothers are currently represented by William Morris Endeavor.
"Sprouse Bros" brand
In 2005, the Sprouse brothers signed a licensing agreement with Dualstar Entertainment to produce "Sprouse Bros" branded merchandise for the preteen and teenage market, the Sprouse Bros brand includes a clothing line, comics series and magazine. In 2006 Dualstar and Leisure Publishing LLC launched a magazine called "Sprouse Bros. Code", targeting boys.In 2007 Simon & Schuster Inc. published the two volumes of a book series titled Sprouse Bros. 47 R.O.N.I.N., which was described as featuring the Sprouse twins as "young James Bonds or undercover agents", the book series continued. In 2008, the brothers ended their association with the Olsens' Dualstar and continued their clothing line which is 'on hold', the items in their clothing lines are sold exclusively online.
Personal lives
Dylan Sprouse has stated that the experience of coming to fame after the success of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody is "kind of scary, how fast everything is moving. Just a year ago none of this was happening, it was just doing Suite Life, and now I can't wait for what's in store..." While filming The 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 enjoy skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, and basketball,as well as writing or drawing a comic strip, The Adventures of Tibblebu and Thumbin, based on a stuffed animal of 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 is Adam Sandler.
In 2010, the twin brothers were both accepted to New 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.
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