11 of the most successful twins in the world: from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and Cole and Dylan Sprouse, to George W. Bush’s ‘nepo daughters’ and Michael and Ashton Kutcher

May 25 , 2023

Twins like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Cole and Dylan Sprouse and Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush, have all found success in their respective fields. Photos: Getty Images

Power twins go beyond showbiz – just look at Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, who sued Mark Zuckerberg after claiming that Facebook (now known as Meta), stole ideas from their company, HarvardConnection

Meanwhile, Scarlett Johansson makes her millions as Marvel’s Black Widow while her brother Hunter runs non-profit Solar Responders, and Scott and Mark Kelly were both Nasa astronauts

In a breadth of industries across the annals of time, many twins have proven to be wildly successful.

The Winklevoss twins received millions after claiming to have inspired the creation of Facebook. Today, the best-known twins in entertainment include Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Dylan and Cole Sprouse.

Bringing double the talent, double the hard work and double the double-takes, here are 11 of the most successful sets of twins in the world:

1. David and Bill Koch

Billionaires David Koch and Bill Koch were born into one of the wealthiest families in the world. Photo: Getty Images

David and Bill Koch’s father, Fred Koch, started Koch Industries in 1940. The hugely successful conglomerate, which has generated over US$100 billion in revenue, produces fertiliser, Dixie paper cups, Quilted Northern toilet paper and refines crude oil.

The Koch twins engaged in a decades-long battle over control of the board of their father’s company. Despite their drawn-out conflict, Bill expressed grief for his twin brother when he died in 2019, nearly three decades after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

2. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

Mary Kate (left) and Ashley Olsen, posing at the Lane Crawford shop in Admiralty, Hong Kong, in July 2015. Photo: Handout

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are best known for their shared role in Full House and their subsequent co-starring roles in a series of films. Although their acting career was lucrative – according to Cosmopolitan, as toddlers, they brought in US$80,000 per Full House episode – the Olsen twins were quick to leave their acting days in the past in favour of a career in fashion.

Fashionista twins Mary Kate (right) and Ashley Olsen (L), posing at the Lane Crawford shop in Admiralty, Hong Kong, in July 2015. Photo: Handout

In 2006, the Olsens founded The Row, which the Business of Fashion describes as one of “New York’s most high-profile young brands”. In 2007, they launched Elizabeth & James – a company named after their other siblings – which sold sunglasses, jewellery and bags. As of 2019, Elizabeth and James has been sold exclusively at Kohl’s.

The Business of Fashion reported in 2019 that, according to market-source estimates, The Row was bringing in between US$100 million and US$200 million annually.