Dylan Sprouse (Zack)

Dylan Sprouse is one half of the twin duo: the charming, mischievous Zack who is a constant pain for Mr. Moseby — at least when he’s not too busy crushing on Maddie.

To this day, Dylan is flattered by the show’s impact on a generation of fans. “It’s always lovely,” he told The View. “I think it’s nice to see that people are still attached to something nostalgic to them so many years later.”

Dylan first rose to prominence when he and Cole shared the role of Julian, the unofficially adopted son of Adam Sandler’s Sonny, in Big Daddy (1999).

After spending six years as Zack, culminating in The Suite Life Movie (2011), Dylan, an avid gamer, took time off from acting to study at NYU’s Gallatin School, where he graduated with a degree in video game design. He returned to acting for the high-school thriller Dismissed (2017) and landed another lead role in the romantic drama After We Collided (2020).

In recent years he has appeared in the rom-com Beautiful Disaster (2023), its sequel Beautiful Wedding (2024), and the action-thriller Aftermath (2024).

Dylan married Hungarian model Barbara Palvin in 2023. The actor also has various business ventures, including being a founder and brewer at All-Wise Meadery and co-founder of the high-protein yogurt-like product Thor’s Skyr, along with Terry Crews.

Cole Sprouse (Cody)

Cole Sprouse plays Zack’s brilliant twin brother Cody. He’s the uptight one but is often coerced into letting loose — before inevitably having to repair the damage from Zack’s latest scheme.

“A lot of children’s programming fit in this golden space in people’s childhoods,” Cole told EW in 2024. “Those shows become the language, the jokes, the things that we repeat as we age. They’re so important. I can quote every SpongeBob episode still to this day, and it’s nice to know that we’re included in that.”

Cole began acting with his brother when they were still in diapers, sharing the role of Patrick in the sitcom Grace Under Fire (1993–1998). One part that Cole had all to himself, however, was Ross’s (David Schwimmer) son Ben in later seasons of Friends (2000–2002).

The brothers collaborated on nearly every other project until they attended NYU together while taking a break from acting. Cole graduated with a degree in archaeology.

Cole’s career got a second wind as a darker, edgier, more artsy version of Jughead in Riverdale (2017–2023), a multi-genre reimagining of the Archie comics. He has also landed roles as the romantic lead in major studio releases, including Five Feet Apart (2019), opposite Haley Lu Richardson, and Lisa Frankenstein (2024) opposite Kathryn Newton.

The younger Sprouse twin will next appear in the crime thriller The Rivals of Amziah King, alongside Matthew McConaughey and Kurt Russell. The film premiered at SXSW in March 2025 and hits theaters later this year.

During his Riverdale tenure, Cole dated his costar Lili Reinhart, who played Betty. For the last four years, he has been in a relationship with Canadian model Ari Fournier.

Brenda Song (London)

Brenda Song plays the persuasive, ultra-rich, air-headed hotel heiress London Tipton. She had some of the show’s best one-liners, including accidentally renaming a gear shift “the PRNDL.” She reprised the Paris Hilton-inspired parody character on The Suite Life on Deck and the franchise’s 2011 feature.

“At the end of the day, I feel like I would not be sitting in this chair right now talking to you if it wasn’t for [London],” Song told EW in 2025. “That people can enjoy her even 20 years later is exactly the reason why we do what we do… I feel very lucky to be able to portray a character that people keep resonating with even though she’s so outrageous.”

In addition to her time spent on the Disney Channel — which featured guest appearances on That’s So Raven (2003) and Phil of the Future (2004–2005), among others — she found big-screen success in Like Mike (2002), alongside Lil’ Bow Wow. As she expanded beyond her child-star beginnings, she stole a scene or two as Andrew Garfield’s volatile girlfriend in the Oscar-winning film The Social Network (2010).

Once her Tipton days were over, Song landed roles on various sitcoms, including Dads (2013–2014) and Dollface (2019–2022). She also had a main role in the medical drama Pure Genius (2016–2017).

The Sacramento native recently appeared in the indie drama The Last Showgirl (2024), alongside Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis and brushed off her sitcom chops in Netflix’s basketball comedy Running Point (2025–present), starring Kate Hudson. 

In 2022, Song got engaged to Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin, with whom she has two sons.

Ashley Tisdale (Maddie)

Ashley Tisdale portrays the smart, hard-working, and occasionally snarky Tipton candy counter girl, Maddie.

Tisdale was a regular guest presence across TV for years before breaking out on Suite Life. Before being cast as Maddie, she auditioned for the role of London; instead, she later got to play a similarly snobby, rich character: Sharpay in the High School Musical franchise. The role made her a Disney mainstay. She starred in the series’ three main films and later landed a spinoff, Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (2011).

“I’m so grateful for that experience. I’m so grateful for playing those roles,” Tisdale said. “At that time in my life that was what I wanted to do. I was like, ‘I need to be on Disney.’”

After The Suite Life wrapped, she continued her TV career in the cheerleader comedy Hellcats (2010–2011) and the barbershop sitcom Clipped (2015). On the big screen, the actress scored the lead role in Scary Movie 5 (2013).

In more recent years, it’s been Tisdale’s voice doing the heavy lifting. After launching her music career in 2007 with the gold-certified debut album Headstrong and the 2009 follow-up Guilty Pleasure, she returned to the recording booth for Symptoms in 2019. Meanwhile, her voice acting work flourished, particularly her regular gig as big sister Candance on Phineas & Ferb (2006–2015).

Tisdale married musician/composer Christopher French in 2014. They have two children.

Kim Rhodes (Carrie Martin)

Kim Rhodes plays Carrie, who balances being the resident singer at the bourgeois Tipton Hotel with raising her twins — and frequently getting them out of trouble — as a single mother.

The close relationship between Carrie and her sons extended to the actress and the two actors. In a 2023 interview, she recalled Dylan Sprouse defending her from a rude joke while she was pregnant: “One of my favorite memories is Dylan had a line that was a fat joke, and he just kept skipping over it… He goes, ‘I would not disrespect any woman that way, let alone this woman. You write something funny and I’ll say it.’…That’s my little man. They’re both my little men.”

Rhodes made her name in soap operas, primarily Another World (1996–1999). After Suite Life, she made a handful of guest appearances on The Suite Life on Deck, but her most prominent role was outside the franchise as Sheriff Jody Mills on Supernatural (2010–2020). In recent years she has also appeared on Criminal Minds (2018) and the reboot of Kung Fu (2022–2023).

Rhodes married actor Travis Hodges in 2006. They have one daughter.

Phill Lewis (Mr. Moseby)

Phill Lewis portrays the uptight, frequently agitated hotel manager Mr. Moseby, who’s also something of a surrogate father to Zack, Cody, Maddie, and London especially.

“I definitely keep in touch with all the cast members. Brenda is probably who I keep in touch with the most. We had such a great relationship on the show and she is like my other daughter,” Lewis said in 2012. “Dylan and Cole, we’re always texting each other back and forth and sending each other jokes and funny pictures and all that great stuff.”

From playing the yearbook editor in the classic dark comedy Heathers (1988) to appearances in A Different World (1988–1989) and Freddy’s Nightmares (1988), Lewis was a regular bit player throughout his early years before landing his first lead role in the short-lived sitcom Teech (1991). The high-profile guest roles continued from there, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1998), Mad About You (1999), Friends (2003), and as authoritative Principal Tweedy on Lizzie McGuire (2001–2002), which helped him land his Suite Life role.

The veteran actor stuck close to his Disney roots, reprising Mr. Moseby as manager of the SS Tipton in The Suite Life on Deck. He also brought the character back in various Disney shows, including Wizards of Waverly Place (2009), Hannah Montana (2009), and Jessie (2015).

He’s since stepped into the director’s chair, helming episodes of popular series like Netflix’s One Day at a Time (2017–2019) and the iCarly reboot (2021–2023), among others.

Lewis is married to Megan Benton and they have two daughters together.

Brian Stepanek (Arwin)

Few Disney Channel characters are wackier than janitor/inventor Arwin, who gets along well with the twins and is not-so-secretly in love with their mom. The role was memorably brought to life by veteran character actor Brian Stepanek.

Though he had appeared in everything from The West Wing (2000) to Malcolm in the Middle (2003), this was his breakout series regular role. Stepanek later filmed a pilot for an Arwin spinoff show that featured Selena Gomez, but it didn’t make it to series.

Of course, even non-Zack & Cody viewers probably know Stepanek’s face. He’s been a ubiquitous presence in commercials and landed bit parts in major movies like Transformers (2007), Pain & Gain (2013), and Best Picture winner Green Book (2018). 

For three years, the actor also hosted the Disney Channel Games (2006–2008) with the network’s biggest stars, including Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Gomez, the Jonas Brothers, and his Suite Life costars. He returned as Arwin for a handful of The Suite Life on Deck episodes and booked another recurring part on Young Sheldon (2017–2024).

The Cleveland native has also found success as a voice actor. He had a leading role in Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn (2014–2018), as the quadruplets’ father, and played another Nickelodeon dad in The Loud House (2016–present) and its live-action spinoff, The Really Loud House (2022–2024).

Stepanek and his wife, Parisa, got married in 2002. They have three children.

Adrian R’Mante (Esteban)

Adrian R’Mante provides an uproarious brand of physical comedy as the devoted hotel employee Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoya de la Rosa Ramírez, who always strives to do his best — despite his occasional clumsiness.

“When I got the scripts, I made a choice,” R’Mante said on the UCF Podcast. “I made a choice to make Esteban happy even when he was in trouble. I believe that’s what got me the job because they were laughing.”

After years of guest spots, including episodes of Frasier (2003) and Alias (2005), Suite Life became his first regular gig. Since landing the role, R’Mante has appeared in crime dramas CSI (2006–2009), 24 (2007), NCIS: Los Angeles (2015), Hawaii Five-O (2017), and Magnum P.I. (2019). He also returned as Esteban for two episodes of The Suite Life on Deck.

The Tampa native also founded the CGTV program, which is designed to help actors make connections in the industry.

In 2018, R’Mante married Mayara Reina, with whom he has two children.