23 Actors You Completely Forgot Were In "The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody"
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
We hope you love the shows and movies we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of revenue or other compensation from the links on this page. Oh and FYI: Platform, prices, and other availability details are accurate as of time of posting.
Remember The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, the hilarious coming-of-age Disney Channel show that ran for three seasons in the mid-'00s? Well, now every episode is available to stream on Disney+.
The show stars Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Ashley Tisdale, and Brenda Song, but while rewatching, we found 23 other familiar faces (and voices) that might inspire you to dip your toes back into the proverbial Tipton Hotel pool.
Here are all the actors you forgot appeared on The Suite Life:
1.Zac Efron
Of course Disney Channel is always happy to cross-promote one of its own. The High School Musical star appeared on an episode of The Suite Life as Trevor, a guest of the Tipton Hotel for a convention of merit scholars. London attempts to woo him by saying smart things relayed from Maddie to her in an earpiece. Obviously the plan tanks, but Efron's star continued to rise outside of the show — starring in films like 17 Again, Hairspray, and The Greatest Showman.
2.Victoria Justice
Pre-Victorious and pre-saying she likes to sing more than Ariana Grande, Victoria Justice made an appearance on The Suite Life as Rebecca, a beauty pageant contestant who Zack has a crush on.
3.Skyler Samuels
I thought my first encounter with Skyler Samuels was on Ryan Murphy's Scream Queens, where she played the plucky (if bland) protagonist Grace Gardner, who tries to save her sorority sisters from being murdered (one of whom is Ariana Grande — so many connections). Although technically, I guess I first saw her on The Suite Life, where she plays an obnoxious beauty pageant contestant named Brianna, who is hellbent on making Mr. Moseby's life miserable.
4.Caroline Rhea
The Canadian actress, perhaps best known for playing the aunt of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, was of course famous before appearing on The Suite Life. The Biggest Loser host, however, played the reoccurring role of Ilsa Schiklegoobermeyger-Vanhelsingdekeppeloogerhoffer (try saying that one time fast), the hotel inspector intent on shutting down the Tipton. Kudos to the props department who gave her a fake mole so large that it could have been played by another actor.
5.Alyson Stoner
Another Disney Channel staple, actor/singer/dancer Alyson Stoner popped up everywhere in the '00s, from Cheaper by the Dozen to Camp Rock to six episodes of The Suite Life as Zack's friend/crush Max. More recently, Stoner returned to the public eye during Missy Elliott's VMA Video Vanguard performance and by coming out as queer.
6.Moises Arias
Prior to his stint as the mouthy Rico Suave on Hannah Montana, Moises Arias appeared in an episode of The Suite Life as Randall, a child Maddie watches in daycare who becomes Zack's rival for her romantic attention. Since graduating from Disney, Arias's film career has blossomed with roles in movies like Kong: Skull Island, Five Feet Apart, and The King of Staten Island.
7.Joey King
In one episode of The Suite Life, London steals Maddie's short story idea, turns it into a book, and becomes famous from it. At one point, she hosts a reading that is attended by none other than a VERY young Joey King. King would go on to play Ramona Quimby in Ramona and Beezus (along with fellow Suite Life guest Selena Gomez) before launching the Kissing Booth franchise on Netflix and snagging an Emmy nomination in The Act.
8.Monique Coleman and Vanessa Hudgens
Ashley Tisdale's High School Musical costars Monique Coleman and Vanessa Hudgens popped up multiple times over the course of The Suite Life as Maddie and London's friends Mary-Margaret and Corrie. Both actresses would appear in the two HSM sequels before Coleman appeared on Dancing With the Stars and Hudgens carved out a niche for herself playing seemingly 700 identical twins in The Princess Switch films.
9.Selena Gomez
From humble beginnings on Barney and The Suite Life, Selena Gomez would skyrocket to fame. The Wizards of Waverly Place actor and "Hands to Myself" singer appears here as a classmate of Zack and Cody's who is also auditioning for the school play. Cody is immediately smitten and intent on kissing Gomez's Gwen during their performance of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
10.Cheryl Burke
If you're doing a whole episode of your sitcom revolving around a ballroom dancing competition, it's only natural that Dancing With the Stars champion Cheryl Burke make an appearance. She plays a frumpy nurse named Shannon who is miraculously transformed into a beautiful dancer through the power of London's money. If only that were my storyline as well.
11.Tahj Mowry
Really every guest star in The Suite Life is a prospective love interest for one of the main characters. Tahj Mowry appears as a delivery boy whom both London and Maddie have a crush on. Tahj is obviously the brother of Sister, Sister twins Tia and Tamera Mowry but also had leads on sitcoms like Baby Daddy and Smart Guy as well as providing a voice for Kim Possible.
12.Nathan Kress
Nathan Kress is back in the news these days as a star on the new iCarly reboot. Prior to either version of iCarly or getting hot however, Kress played Jamie on an episode of The Suite Life. A wheelchair basketball player who's down on himself, he is introduced to a professional wheelchair player by the twins in order to help restore his self-esteem. I did not see a Pear phone anywhere in the episode though.
13.Jennifer Tisdale
We've got to love a case of good ol'-fashioned nepotism. Ashley Tisdale's sister, Jennifer, best known for her role in Bring It On: In It to Win It, makes an appearance in one episode of The Suite Life. London and Maddie pretend to be the actresses playing saloon girls to break onto a film set. When the actual actresses show up (Jennifer being one), they are dragged off by the bouncer for being the imposters. Clever casting.
14.Raini Rodriguez
Austin and Ally was still a few years away when Raini Rodriguez appeared on The Suite Life as Betsy, a girl very excited to be spending the night in (and trashing) a suite at the Tipton. Raini (whose brother is Modern Family star Rico Rodriguez) would later appear as Paul Blart: Mall Cop's daughter and of course as Ally's bestie Trish (not to be confused with Trish, of course).
15.Mark Indelicato
Really any connection to Ugly Betty whatsoever is enough to get me excited. So obviously I was thrilled to see Mark Indelicato (aka Betty's nephew, Justin) on The Suite Life. In a very meta episode in which Maddie auditions to play the role of Sharpay Evans in High School Musical, Mark waltzes in as Antonio, Cody's dramatic rivalry. If only Justin had told him not to wear that hat. (Oh, and Mark is in Hacks, which you should all go watch ASAP.)
16.Kathy Najimy
In the Caroline Rhea school of guest appearances, famed comedian, actress, and nun Kathy Najimy makes an appearance as London's high school teacher Mrs. Militich. The Sister Act and Hocus Pocus actress eats up her dialogue here and reminds me that someone needs to give her the Jennifer-Coolidge-in-The-White-Lotus treatment.
17.Kay Panabaker
In 2012, Kay Panabaker would retire from acting in order to become a zoologist, but she was all over the Disney Channel back in the '00s. She appears on The Suite Life as a girl Zack meets in science class and has a crush on. You can relive peak Kay by watching Phil of the Future, Fame, and of course the Disney Channel Original Movie Read It and Weep.
18.Justin Baldoni
What we learned from The Suite Life is that Justin Baldoni has always been hot. He was insanely hot on Jane the Virgin, and he was hot here as London's fencing instructor (yes, it was a wild plotline). Justin would of course go on to pivot to directing with his first feature film, Five Feet Apart. I wonder if he and Moises Arias met on The Suite Life set and decided to make a movie together a decade later.
19.Jaden Smith
Now this is a REAL strange bit of foreshadowing. Jaden Smith appeared on an episode of The Suite Life in 2008, where his main personality trait is that he knows karate. Then, in 2010, he was the new Karate Kid. Was the casting already complete? Did they know this would be a cheeky nod to the future? Or was it a coincidence? I'm impressed either way. Of course, this acting stint was one of many career changes for Smith, who would also be a model, singer, and just general icon.
20.Michael Clarke Duncan
During his stint on the show, Michael Clarke Duncan was able to intimidate the crap out of Zack as his basketball coach. Prior to his Disney Channel appearance, Duncan scooped up an Oscar nomination for his work in The Green Mile and appeared in films such as Daredevil, Sin City, and The Scorpion King. So clearly, tweens were no match for him. Sadly, Duncan died in 2012 of a heart attack at only 54.
21.Daniella Monet
Another teen star/Ariana Grande bestie, Daniella Monet appears in one episode of The Suite Life as a cheerleading captain at Zack and Cody's school. Daniella was on Victorious as well as Zoey 101 (I wonder what she thinks about Jamie Lynn Spears these days) and has since been the host of AwesomenessTV and Paradise Run.
22.KayCee Stroh
Auditioning for Daniella's Dana is KayCee Stroh's Leslie, a transfer student from a Catholic school who seems frumpy but can really break it down. KayCee iconically played Martha in High School Musical and its sequels before appearing on Celebrity Fit Club. Most recently, she made an appearance on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
23.Emma Stone
And in the weirdest, most baffling item on this list, Oscar-winning actress Emma Stone once did the voice for London Tipton's dog, Ivana. From voicing a dog to playing a revenge-seeking woman who builds a dalmation-inspired fashion empire — that is the full-circle acting career I wish for all aspiring professionals.
Get your Disney+ subscription now for $6.99 a month or $79.99 a year. If you’re not ready to commit yet, you can test it out for seven days for free!
