Twins in pop culture

By Jessica Wedemeyer 5:23am PST, Nov 16, 2020

It's been 25 years since Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen starred as identical strangers Alyssa and Amanda — an orphan and a rich girl who swap places — in the 1995 comedy "It Takes Two." Although the family film tanked with critics, it was a huge hit with '90s kids who grew up watching the Olsen twins on "Full House." In honor of the flick's big anniversary, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at more of pop culture's most memorable twins. Keep reading to see if your favorites made the list…

The Bella Twins — Nikki Bella and Brie Bella — are butt-kicking former WWE champs and reality TV stars. The duo do basically everything together — from founding a wine label and hosting a podcast to settling down and having babies! (No, really: They welcomed sons within days of each other in the summer of 2020!)

If you grew up in the '90s, you grew up with Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry. From 1994 to 1999, they starred as twin sisters separated at birth who reconnect as teens on "Sister, Sister."

The force was strong with long-lost twins Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in the original "Star Wars" trilogy.

A pre-teen Lindsay Lohan proved her acting chops by portraying twins Annie James and Hallie Parker, who were separated at birth, in the 1998 remake of "The Parent Trap."

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Lena Headey starred as comely incestuous twins Jaime and Cersei Lannister on HBO's "Game of Thrones" from 2011 to 2019.

Twins Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse got their start sharing a role on "Grace Under Fire" from 1993 to 1998. After that, they shared the role of Julian in the 1999 Adam Sandler comedy "Big Daddy." They're all grown up now — and doing their own thing — but we'll always remember them as these cute kiddos!

"Saturday Night Live" legends Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader showed off their dramatic sides in the lauded 2014 dramedy "The Skeleton Twins." They starred as suicidal estranged twins Maggie and Milo, who reunite to work through their issues after he attempts to take his own life.

Armie Hammer scored his first major breakthrough when he portrayed real-life twins Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss — Harvard grads who famously sued classmate Mark Zuckerberg over Facebook — in 2010's "The Social Network."

If their pedigree is any indication, twins Knox Jolie-Pitt and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt are destined for greatness: Their parents are Oscar-winning actors and lauded humanitarians Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

James Phelps and real-life twin brother Oliver Phelps starred as redheaded pranksters Fred and George Weasley in all eight installments of the "Harry Potter" film franchise.

Lisa Kudrow starred as offbeat musician Phoebe Buffay and her self-centered, ditzy twin sister, Ursula Buffay, on "Friends." Remember when Joey was head over heels for Ursula and Phoebe had to pretend to be her to break it off? What a mess!

President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush's fraternal twin daughters, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush, are the first twin children of a U.S. president. While Barbara is a humanitarian who's currently pursuing a master's degree at Harvard University, Jenna is now a TV star thanks to her gig hosting the "Today" show. The former teacher has been working on the popular morning program for the past decade!

Twins Benji Madden and Joel Madden have been making sweet, sweet music together for more than two decades as the guitarist and lead singer of Good Charlotte.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen starred as Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch — super-powered twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff — in 2015's "Avengers: Age of Ultron."

Real-life twins Lisa Burns and Louise Burns have haunted our dreams since 1980 when they portrayed the Grady twins — the ghosts of two murdered girls — in "The Shining."

Totally iconic! Jason Priestley and Shannen Doherty starred as twins Brandon and Brenda Walsh on FOX's "Beverly Hills, 90210," which aired from 1990 to 2000 — though Shannen notoriously exited the beloved teen soap after its fourth season.

Twin sisters Khadijah Haqq McCray and Malika Haqq are best known for their friendship with the Kardashian-Jenner clan, but they've also scored some success as actresses. They shared the role of Penny — a villainous cheerleader who can clone herself — in 2005's "Sky High," played twins in 2006's "ATL" and popped up on the BET series "Real Husbands of Hollywood" in 2013.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito starred as mismatched, long-lost twin brothers in the 1988 comedy "Twins."

In September 2020, Mark Ruffalo won the Emmy for best lead actor in a miniseries or made-for-TV movie for his performance as Dominick Birdsey and his twin brother, Thomas — who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia — on the HBO miniseries "I Know This Much Is True," which is based on a 1998 novel of the same name.

Twin sisters Tegan Quin and Sara Quin are Tegan and Sara, the Grammy- and Oscar-nominated electro-pop duo behind the hit "Everything Is Awesome" from "The Lego Movie."

Sarah Paulson earned an Emmy nomination for her performance as conjoined twins Dot and Bette Tattler on "American Horror Story: Freak Show" in 2014.

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's twins, Loretta and Tabitha, are seriously adorable. We love how Loretta looks just like Mom, while Tabitha is the spitting image of Dad!

Real-life twin brothers Adrian Rayment and Neil Rayment kicked butt as The Twins — hostile computer programs — in 2003's "The Matrix Reloaded."

What would "The Simpsons" be without Marge's grumpy older sisters? Identical twins Patty and Selma Bouvier have become iconic characters on the long-running TV show — thanks in part to their strong dislike of their brother-in-law, Homer.

In "Legend," Tom Hardy portrayed real-life British gangsters and identical twins Reggie and Ronnie Kray, who perpetrated crimes ranging from arson and armed robbery to murder while reigning over London's organized crime scene during the '60s.

Holy hotness! Siva Kaneswaran and his twin brother, Kumar, got their start as models and actors before Siva joined "The Wanted" in 2009.

Brittany Daniel and Cynthia Daniel first came to fame playing the Wakefield twins on the mid-'90s TV adaptation of the book series "Sweet Valley High." Brittany went on to star on "The Game" and in "White Chicks," while Cynthia retired from acting to pursue professional photography and raise a family with her husband, actor Cole Hauser.

They really were the worst twins ever! (If you know, you know!) Michelle Trachtenberg and Travis Wester starred as twins Jenny and Jamie — total opposites through and through — in the outrageous 2004 comedy "EuroTrip."

Little-known fact: The Super Mario Brothers are actually twins! That's right, the iconic characters are fraternal twins, according to their game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto. Mario is the older brother while Luigi is his taller, slightly younger twin.