It would be difficult to land a more preternatural start to acting than American Cole Sprouse. An identical twin, the fair-haired Cole reportedly commenced television appearances as early as six months old, when he and brother Dylan were jointly cast as Patrick Kelly, the eight-month-old son of acid-mouthed oil-refinery worker Grace Kelly (Brett Butler) in the popular ABC sitcom Grace Under Fire. After that program's cancellation in 1998, the Sprouses signed to appear opposite funnyman Adam Sandler in his 1999 comedy Big Daddy, directed by Dennis Dugan. In that vehicle, the then-five-year-old twins play Julian, a little boy adopted by misfit and loser Sonny Koufax (Sandler), who hopes to prove to his estranged girlfriend that he's capable of juggling "adult" responsibilities.
As they aged, the twins branched out into separate roles and careers. The divergence began around 2000, when Cole Sprouse signed (sans his other half) to play Ben, the school-age son of Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), in several episodes of the blockbuster sitcom Friends. In 2001, the Sprouses reunited onscreen (and re-teamed with Adam Sandler) to voice the K-B Toys Soldiers in Sandler's animated holiday comedy Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights. From this point on, the Sprouses typically appeared together (as -- surprise -- brothers!) in lieu of playing the same role interchangeably. For example, they portrayed soccer-playing twins in the family-friendly 2003 comedy Just 4 Kicks, directed by Farrelly Brothers collaborator Sidney Bartholomew Jr. The brothers hit a zenith of sorts with their 2005 sitcom The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, in which they play a couple of wiseacre twins who reside in a Beantown hotel and wreak all sorts of havoc there. Bit roles in Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, and Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana followed after The Suite Life with Zack and Cody went off the air in 2008, and after reteaming with Dylan for The Suite Life on Deck that same year, the siblings stuck together for The Suite Life Movie in 2011.
