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The Suite Life
Background:
“Yeah, it’s fun being a twin. Even though we fight sometimes over little stuff
we really do look out for each other. We’re like best friends. We spend a lot of
time doing fun things with our friends and family.” Dylan Sprouse
An American twin actor of German and Cherokee heritage, Dylan Sprouse entered
the world of cinema by storm, when at age 7, he landed the role of an adopted
boy, Julian, in the Adam Sandler blockbuster comedy Big Daddy (1999), a role he
jointly played with his identical twin brother, Cole. Delivering impressive
performance, The Sprouse Twins took home several nominations, including a Young
Artist nod and a YoungStar nod. Most recently, Dylan and Cole are enjoying
television success for playing the title characters on the Disney Channel
popular sitcom “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” (2005-?). Because of the series’
victory, they have been “overwhelming draws” and “heartthrobs” among pre-teen
and teen viewers.
Aside from acting, Dylan and his brother are young entrepreneurs. In September
2005, they penned a licensing deal with Dualstar Entertainment to form a new
commercial brand named “Sprouse Bros.,” which will include CDs, DVD movies,
sports gear, clothing, video games, ring tones and deodorants for preteen twins
and teen audiences. Also, Dualstar has teamed up with Leisure Publishing LLC to
produce a magazine called Sprouse Bros. Code, which will target boys ages from 8
to 14 with a guide on recent trends favored by the Sprouses. In September 2006,
the two, represented by Dualstar Entertainment, signed a book contract with the
publishing company Simon Spotlight to launch a spy book series that will employ
the “Sprouse Bros.” brand. The book series, featuring the Sprouse brothers as
“young James Bonds (or) undercover agents,” is set for release in the summer of
2007.
Lumpkin
Childhood and Family:
Named after poet Dylan Thomas, Dylan Thomas Sprouse was born on August 4, 1992
in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy, to American parents Matthew Sprouse and Melanie
Wright, who at the time were teaching at an American English language school in
Italy. At the age of four months old, he was brought back to the U.S., and spent
the rest of his childhood at Long Beach, California, his parents’ native. His
parents divorced in 1997. Dylan has an identical brother, Cole, who is fifteen
minutes younger than him. Cole is also an actor.
Dylan, whose nicknames are Lumpkin, Sponge and Dyl, enjoys surfing,
snowboarding, playing video games, especially Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash
Bros. Melee, as well as walking his dog, Bubba. He also loves drawing and
reading comics. His favorite school subject is science. He names Napoleon
Dynamite (2004), Saw (2004), Saw II (2005), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron
Burgundy (2004) as the films he likes the most. Dylan and his family currently
reside in San Fernando Valley.
Big Daddy
Career:
Born in Italy, Dylan Sprouse moved back to the United States as an infant, and
after a suggestion by grandmother Jonine Booth Wright, a drama teacher and
actress, started acting at age six months by appearing in a TV commercial for
toilet paper, along with his twin brother, Cole. His real acting job arrived in
1993 when he landed the role of Patrick Kelly, Brett Butler’s youngest child, in
the ABC hit sitcom “Grace Under Fire,” a role he shared with his brother.
It was in 1999, however, that Dylan and Cole scored a box office success with
their first feature debut, Big Daddy, a highly successful comedy starring their
favorite actor, Adam Sandler. As Julian ‘Frankenstien’ McGrath, a boy adopted by
Sandler’s character, the two received a 2000 Young Artist nod for Best
Performance in a Feature Film - Young Actor Age Ten or Under, a 2000 MTV Movie
nod for Best On-Screen Duo, a 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment nod for Favorite
Supporting Actor – Comedy and a 1999 YoungStar nod for Best Performance by a
Young Actor in a Comedy Film. They shared a minor role in the thriller film The
Astronaut’s Wife, starring Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron, that was released
during that same month in 1999.
Unfortunately, after Big Daddy’s release, Dylan entered into a “slow” in his
career, and was not cast in any major roles for a time. During the early 2000s,
he (and his brother) made guest appearances in the television shows “The
Nightmare Room” and “That 70’s Show,” and appeared in the movies Diary of a Sex
Addict (2001, as Sammy Jr.), Dana Carveys’ The Master of Disguise (2002, as
Young Pistachio) and Adam Sandler’s animated Eight Crazy Nights (2002, voiced
K-B Toys Soldier).
Dylan continued to star in the family films I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
(2002), sharing the role of Justin Carver with his twin, and Just for Kicks
(2003), as Dylan Martin, opposite his brother who played Cole Martin. Both of
the movies received a direct-to-video-release. Next, Dylan and Cole appeared as
Jack Pyne in the award-winner short Apple Jack (2003) and Jeremiah in the
independent film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004), based on JT
Leroy’s critically applauded book of the same name. The latter project was not
given a theatrical release until March of 2006. Dylan himself also portrayed
Young John in the Morgan J. Freeman-directed Piggy Banks (2004).
In 2005, Dylan was cast as Zack Martin, an 11-year-olds who live in the
top-floor suites at a swanky Boston hotel, in the Disney Channel television
series “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” (2005-?), in which also starred his
brother as Cody, his identical twin. The half hour sitcom has become a rating
success and the boys have become very famous among pre-teen and teen audiences.
They also earned a 2006 Young Artist nomination for Best Performance in a TV
Series (Comedy or Drama)-Leading Young Actor for their work on the show. The
boys’ affiliation with the Disney also spawned other gigs, including
participation on the Disney Channel Games 2006, which started airing in June of
2006.
Dylan will play Tom Canty and Cole will play Eddie Tudor on the Sony Pictures
upcoming film A Modern Twain Story: The Prince and the Pauper, for director
James Quattrochi. Starting its production in October and ended by December 2006,
The Prince and the Pauper is due for US release in 2007. The action/family film
also stars Sally Kellerman, Ed Lauter and Dedee Pfeiffer.
Awards:
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