Dylan Thomas Sprouse and Cole Mitchell Sprouse (born August 4, 1992) are Italian-born American identical twin brothers and actors. They are collectively referred to as Cole & Dylan, the Sprouse Bros, or the Sprouse Twins, and are known for their roles in the film Big Daddy, as Patrick Kelly in Grace Under Fire, Ross’s son Ben on Friends (played by Cole), and for portraying the title characters on the Disney Channel series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. As a result of the series’ success, they have become “heartthrobs” and “overwhelming draws” among preteen and teen audiences.

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 Italy. Dylan, named after poet Dylan Thomas, is 15 minutes older than Cole, who is named after jazz singer and pianist Nat King Cole. The twins 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.

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, starting with the twosome appearing 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. Starting when they were only six months old, the two starred on the ABC-TV series Grace Under Fire from 1993 to 1998, playing one character, Patrick Kelly.

In 1999, the twins appeared in their first major feature film, Big Daddy, in which they shared a role of a five-year old boy named ‘Julian’ who is adopted by Adam Sandler’s character ‘Sonny Koufax’. That year, the twins collaborated with Adam 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 twins 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 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 started appearing in episodes of the television show Friends, as Ross Geller’s son Ben. Many people think it was a shared role, however their web site and other credible sources specify that Dylan did not appear in any episodes.

Between the years of 2002 and 2003, the two starred 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 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 in a total of three theatres across the United States, ultimately grossing $29,000 domestically. In November 2006, the two began filming the Sony Pictures film The Prince and the Pauper, which also starred Sally Kellerman, Ed Lauter and Dedee Pfeiffer, in Palm Beach, Florida; filming had begun in October and ended by December. The Prince and the Pauper came out on dvd on February 5th, 2008. The two also lent their voices to a movie called Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn’t Happen, which also features the voices of fellow Disney Channel stars Brenda Song and Emily Osment. Dylan also played the voice of Shasta in Disney’s “Snow Buddies.” As of late November 2007, they are filming a new movie called Kings of Appletown which is based on Tom Sawyer. It is directed by Bobby Moresco and written by Amanda Moresco. Also starring in it is Victoria Justice from Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101.  It is being filmed in New Braunfels, TX and is estimated to be released around Christmas 2008.

In September 2005, the Sprouses signed a licensing agreement with Dualstar Entertainment to create a new commercial brand, entitled “Sprouse Bros”, which will include DVD movies, CDs, clothing, sports gear, video games, ring tones and deodorants targeted towards preteen and teen audiences. Dualstar has partnered with Leisure Publishing LLC to create a magazine called Sprouse Bros. Code, which will target boys ages 8-14 with a guide on recent trends favored by the Sprouses; Cole Sprouse has stated that the magazine will appeal to “people who are our age and boys. We don’t want anything too girlie”, while Dylan has said that it will have “something that will appeal to everybody”. The first issue became available on July 18, 2006.

In September 2006, the Sprouse brothers, represented by Dualstar Entertainment, signed a book deal with Simon Spotlight, a publishing company, to release a spy book series that will utilize the “Sprouse Bros.” brand. The book series, which was scheduled for release in the summer of 2007, has been described by the publisher as featuring the Sprouses as “young James Bonds or undercover agents”.

In June 2007, Simon & Schuster Inc. published the first two volumes of Sprouse Bros. 47 R.O.N.I.N. The series is about 15-year-old twin brothers Tom and Mitch (the Sprouses’ middle names) who learn that their father and live-in butler are members of a rogue crime-fighting organization, R.O.N.I.N., which dates back to feudal Japan; that their father is in danger; and that they have just been recruited to join their father’s clan.[

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 As and honors".

Skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, basketball and motocrossing, as well as working on drawing a comic strip, The Adventures of Tibblebu and Thumbin, based on a stuffed animal of Cole's.  Cole Sprouse's favorite school subjects are mathematics and science; he names The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as his favorite video game and Forrest Gump and Godzilla as the films he likes the most.  Dylan prefers science, dislikes mathematics, and enjoys playing the video games Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl; his favorite film is Napoleon Dynamite. The twins have a dog named Bubba, and their favorite actor and co-star is Adam Sandler.

According to a May 2006 interview with Mad Kids magazine, the Sprouses do not speak Italian, despite incorrect reports to the contrary:

Cole says: "I can't say anything in Italian. "Pizza, per favore [sic]” maybe?”

Dylan says: “…I don’t really speak Italian except for “spaghetti”, “Italian ice” (Yum!) and “Ferrari”.

Full Name: Dylan Thomas Sprouse

Born: August 4, 1992 (He is 15 Minutes older then Cole)
Dylans Favorites:

Color: Orange

Dessert: Chocolate chip ice cream

Pizza Topping: Pepperoni

Arcade Game: Marvel vs. Capcom

Dylans offical Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/official_dylan_sprouse
Dylan Loves: Surfing , Snowboarding, Playing Video Games and Spending time with his Dog Bubba.
Quote from Dylan : “I’m not sure if you want to hear a funny story about Cole and me, but here’s one anyway. One morning, our school was planting new trees. I was playing on them when our principal told everyone in our school not to. I broke a limb off a tree and I said that Cole did it. The next morning at assembly when all the kids were sitting down, they announced his name and he got into really big trouble. I let him take the blame for a while, but then I told the principal it was really me. So, I was beaten with a stick. Just kidding!!!”
Full Name: Cole Mitchell Sprouse
Born: August 4, 1992 (He Is 15 minutes younger then Dylan)
Coles Favorites:

Color: Red

Dessert:Cold Stone Creamery Cake Batter ice cream

Pizza Topping:Bacon bits

Arcade Game:Marvel vs. Capcom

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/the_official_cole_sprouse
Message From Cole: “I was born in Arezzo, Italy – 15 minutes after Dylan – in a small hospital called Clinica Tanganeli. We were delivered by Senora Maggie, a midwife who had hand-delivered at least half the town since World War II.

I love animals. I’m really into superheroes. I love snowboarding. I’m very outgoing. I’m usually the hit of the parties. I like rock music. What I like in girls is a funny personality, not a crazy fan. I like a girl who is down-to-earth and doesn’t get worked up over anything – not the kind of girl who is so worried about how she looks that she has to put on pounds of makeup!”
Coles’ acting credits:
“The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” (2005- present) Cody Martin
“Friends” (2000-2002) Ben Geller

Dylan’s acting credits:
“The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” (2005- present) Zack Martin
“Piggybanks” (2004) Young John
Shared:
“Eight Crazy Nights” (2002) K-B Toys Soldier
“Master of Disguise” (2002) Young Pistachio
“The Astronaut’s Wife” (1999) Twin
“Big Daddy” (1999) Julian “Frankenstein” McGrath
“Grace Under Fire” (1993-1998) Patrick Kelly

Sources: Wikipedia and Sprousebros websites

Tags: biography, brothers, Cole Sprouse, disney, dualstar, DVD, Dylan Sprouse, italy, movie, R.O.N.I.N., Sprouse bros, the suite life, twins, zack and cody