Who is Cole Sprouse?

Cole Mitchell Sprouse & Dylan Thomas Sprouse (born August 4, 1992) are American actors who are identical twins. 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 sitcoms The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and The Suite Life on Deck. 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 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, and they now live in Calabasas, California.

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 six 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 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. 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 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.

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 only played in 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, with 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 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 played the voice of Shasta in Disney's "Snow Buddies." The brothers filmed Kings of Appletown which is based on Tom Sawyer. It was directed by Bobby Moresco, written by Amanda Moresco and also featured Victoria Justice from Nickelodeon's Zoey 101. It was filmed in New Braunfels, Texas and is estimated to be released around Christmas 2008.