Drake Bell

He has won ten Kids' Choice Awards, a Teen Choice Award, and a Young Artist Award, among other accolades. Bell began his musical career contributing to the soundtrack of Drake & Josh. He independently released his debut studio album, Telegraph (2005), and signed with Universal Motown Records in 2006. His second studio album, It's Only Time (2006), emerged as a commercial success. His third album, Ready Steady Go! (2014), was released through the independent record label Surfdog Records. He has since released two independent albums: The Lost Album (2020) and Non-Stop Flight (2024).

Drake Bell studied at Orange County School of the Arts. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is film acting, television production and music. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are pop rock, power pop, rockabilly and pop. Places of work recorded in the authority are California.

Bell was born on June 27, 1986, in Orange County, California. He is the youngest of four children from former professional billiards player Robin Dodson, and swimming pool service technician Joe Bell. Through his father's family, Bell is the cousin of former San Diego Padres relief pitcher Heath Bell. His parents divorced when he was five years old. While growing up in Orange County, Bell attended the Orange County School of the Arts and skateboarded while regularly attending punk rock concerts, the music of which he cites as an influence. He received a GED.

Bell started acting at the age of five, encouraged by his father who attempted to put him into Little League Baseball and other sports with no success before finding Bell's talent in public speaking and his confidence when impersonating people he would watch on television. Bell stated, "I was five, and my dad kind of said, 'Hey, you wanna be an actor?' and I said, 'Sure,' that kind of thing, you know? I was kind of put into it by my dad but, you know, good. I really love it, and I still do it." Bell's first televised commercial was for Whirlpool Appliances. "I had to sit under a tree and eat a Popsicle," Bell later stated, "I thought, 'I could get used to this.'" His first television show appearance was on a 1994 episode of Home Improvement. He appeared in the 1996 film Jerry Maguire, and had a small role in the Seinfeld episode "The Frogger" in 1998. In 1999, he acted in a commercial for Pokémon Red and Blue and in the film Dragonworld: The Legend Continues. In 2000, he was nominated for a Young Artist Award for his role as Cage Redding in the television film The Jack Bull. He began to play guitar at the age of 12. He received his first official guitar lessons from Roger Daltrey when he starred with him in the 2001 film Chasing Destiny. From 1999 until the show was cancelled in 2002, Bell was a featured performer on The Amanda Show. He also made a guest appearance on the series The Nightmare Room.

In 2003, Bell was cast as Drake Parker alongside Amanda Show costar Josh Peck on the Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh. His song "Found a Way" was featured as the theme song and is included on the show's soundtrack, released on February 22, 2005. During this time period, he appeared as himself on Nickelodeon's Zoey 101 in the episode "Spring Fling", where he performed "Highway to Nowhere", which is also featured on the Drake & Josh soundtrack. He also had his first of three consecutive wins at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for "Favorite TV Actor". In 2005, Bell co-starred alongside Drake & Josh co-star Miranda Cosgrove with Dennis Quaid in Yours, Mine and Ours. Telegraph, Bell's debut album, was released independently on August 23, 2005. The album includes 12 tracks. All the tracks were written only by Bell with the exception of "Highway to Nowhere". Being an independent release, the album ran out of print, and was re-released on August 7, 2007. "Down We Fall" was played on an episode of Drake & Josh titled "Number 1 Fan". In 2005, Bell performed with Hawk Nelson in a video for the Hawk Nelson song called "Bring 'Em Out", which was featured in the film Yours, Mine and Ours. The studio version was included on Hawk Nelson's EP Bring 'Em Out and on the special edition of Hawk Nelson Is My Friend. In 2006, Bell signed with Universal Motown. Bell's second album, It's Only Time, was released on December 5, 2006. Bell wrote all of the songs, however, they were all co-written with either C.J. Abraham, Michael Corcoran, or both. It reached Number 81 on Billboard's Top 200. It also charted on the Billboard Rock Charts at number 21. The album was more successful in Mexico, reaching number 4 in the Mexico Top 100. It is his first album to chart on the Billboard 200, and his highest-selling album with more than 178,000 copies sold in the United States as of 2012. He released the lead single, "I Know", on October 17, 2006. The video for "I Know" was released in October 2006. The single topped the Mexican music charts. "I Know" also appeared on the 2010 compilation album Pure Love Songs Vol. 2. His song from It's Only Time, "Makes Me Happy", peaked at number 3 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Chart, which is an extension of the Hot 100. The song was featured in the Drake & Josh series finale "Really Big Shrimp". The song also made an appearance on the Pop 100 at number 67 and on the Hot Digital Songs chart at number 45. Because of the song's popularity, on October 16, 2007, the Radio Disney single edit version of his song "Makes Me Happy" was released on iTunes. He also featured on the theme song for the show iCarly, "Leave It All to Me", with his Drake & Josh co-star Miranda Cosgrove. The music video for the song was released on Cosgrove's Vevo YouTube channel on September 28, 2010. The song took the lowest position on the Hot 100, peaking at number 100. It also peaked on the Pop 100 at number 83. He performed some Christmas songs in the Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh film, including "Jingle Bells" and "Christmas Promise". A DVD entitled Drake Bell in Concert was released on December 16, 2008. The video was unable to crack the 2008 or 2009 Top 100 in the U.S., but did chart on the Top 100 Mexican album charts, peaking at number 81. The DVD contains footage of him and his band live on stage while they toured in Mexico, filmed during five sold out fall nights. It also features 2 new songs and five covers, all of which are exclusive to the DVD. In the spring, Bell had a starring role in the comedy spoof film Superhero Movie. Bell recorded a theme song featuring his co-star Sara Paxton for the film called "Superhero! Song", which was released on April 8, 2008. In August 2008, he co-starred in the comedy College, which was shot on location in New Orleans. Bell also starred in Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh alongside Josh Peck, which began production in July 2008, and premiered on December 5, 2008. In 2009, his songs "Unbelievable" and "Modern Times", which were featured on a commercial for Twalkin, were released exclusively on Myspace. Bell was also cast in a pilot for a then upcoming CBS comedy series, Fish Tank, stating Bell's involvement is what put the series into production in the first place. The series however, was never picked up. Bell also had a third album, set to be released in 2009; however, the album was apparently shelved and never released, until it was released in 2020 as "The Lost Album".

Since 2009, Bell has supported the Thirst Project, a non-profit organization that addresses the issue of the clean water crisis by raising awareness through education. Bell's contributions include public appeals and concerts to raise funds. Seth Maxwell, founder of the Thirst Project, recruited Bell to be the 'face' of the campaign. Bell has also made contributions to other organizations such as Toys for Tots. On April 18, 2015, Bell performed at the Strawberry Bowl in support of the charity Rockin A Cure for cystic fibrosis.

In 2024, Bell revealed that dialogue coach Brian Peck (of no relation to Josh Peck) repeatedly sexually assaulted him when he was 15, during the period after filming of the last season of The Amanda Show and before filming the first season for Drake & Josh. Peck was arrested on August 19, 2003, on 11 counts of child sexual abuse, later taking a plea deal in 2004 and being convicted of oral copulation with a minor under 16 as well as a charge of performing lewd acts with a 14- or 15-year-old. Peck was sentenced to 16 months in prison and was required to register as a sex offender for life. Because of his age, Bell's identity as the victim was not publicly revealed in the court records. Bell first revealed his identity and shared his experience in the 2024 documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. According to the creators of the documentary, a number of high-profile Hollywood stars submitted character references in support of Brian Peck. These 41 letters, which remained under seal for years following his 2004 sentencing, included testimonials from several famous actors, notably James Marsden, X-Men producer Tom DeSanto, Taran Killam, Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns, Kimmy Robertson and more. On The Sarah Fraser Show podcast on March 22, 2024, Bell revealed that he went to rehab after his interview for the documentary. In April 2023, Bell was reported "missing and endangered" by the Daytona Beach Police Department in Florida. He was found safe a few hours after the public alert was issued. It was later reported that the "endangered" status was triggered after Bell's brother contacted police, alleging Bell had sent suicidal text messages. Deputies of the Daytona Beach Police said they "took action" to ensure Bell received a mental health evaluation. On December 29, 2005, Bell, then 19 years old, and a friend of his were driving from Malibu to Los Angeles when, while stopped at a red light on California State Route 1, the two were struck by an oncoming vehicle. Though Bell's passenger suffered only bruises, Bell suffered more severe injuries, including a cervical fracture of his neck vertebrae, a broken jaw at three places, the loss of several teeth, and deep facial lacerations. As part of his recovery, Bell required more than 70 facial stitches, had to have his jaw wired shut for two months, and underwent surgery on his chin and mouth.

In July 2021, Bell revealed that in 2018 he had married his girlfriend of five years and that they had a son. After separating in September 2022, Bell's wife filed for divorce on April 20, 2023, citing irreconcilable differences. In August 2025, Bell filed additional documents to proceed with finalizing the divorce in Seminole County, Florida. A spokesperson of Bell said "Their priority remains the safety and well-being of their son, and they are doing so from a place of love and respect." He also said Bell and his ex-partner are "closing a beautiful chapter of their lives."

In 2007, Bell purchased a 2,640-square-foot (245 m2) house in Los Feliz for $2,050,000. After Bell filed for bankruptcy in California in early 2014, the house was taken in foreclosure. As of March 2024, Bell primarily resides in Mexico City to record his album Non-Stop Flight. In an interview with Yordi Rosado on March 24, 2024, Bell revealed that he would like to move to Mexico, telling Rosado "I feel more at home when I'm here. I have more friends here [because] a lot of my friends from Los Angeles have moved to Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and so my relationship with them is on the phone anyway". During the February 2nd episode of Josh Peck's "Good Guys" podcast in 2026 Bell declared that he is a resident of Celebration, Florida.

On June 4, 2021, Bell was indicted in Cleveland, Ohio, on charges relating to attempted child endangerment, a 4th degree felony, and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a misdemeanor. A public information officer with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, said "the 15-year-old victim attended one of his concerts in December 2017... While there, Bell violated his duty of care and, in doing so, created a risk of harm to the victim." The Cleveland Police also found that Bell had sent the minor "inappropriate social media messages" for "months leading up to the concert". Bell was 31 at the time of the alleged incident. Bell pleaded not guilty, and was freed on a $2,500 personal bond, and was ordered to provide a DNA sample. On June 23, 2021, Bell pleaded guilty to both charges. On July 12, 2021, Bell was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service, which he was permitted to complete in California. Bell's accuser, a Canadian citizen, then 19, made during the sentencing hearing a public appearance and statement accusing him of sexually assaulting her while she was underage, in addition to the endangerment charge. Bell's attorney Ian N. Friedman told the media at the time "Today's plea and sentence reflect conduct for which Mr. Bell did accept responsibility. The victim's allegations that went beyond that which all parties agreed, not only lack supporting evidence but are contradicted by the facts learned through extensive investigation. As the court made clear, this plea was never about sexual misconduct or sexual relations with any person, let alone a minor." Bell claimed that he ceased communication to his accuser when her age came to light, and that no images of a sexual matter were exchanged and digital forensics was involved: "I was being investigated, and that was really difficult on my family, and thankfully through 18 months of subpoenaing my social media and computers and witnesses and everything, it turned out a lot of most of what was being accused of me was not true." Bell said he "cut communications" the moment he found out her age. "I think she got upset, and she was coming to concerts still, and I was doing everything I could to kind of keep my distance." The adult witnesses that went to the concerts with the accuser disputed her claims she made during sentencing. Bell said he took the plea deal because he wanted to resolve the case quickly. His wife had recently given birth to their son, and he wanted to be in California with his family instead of in Ohio, where the case was filed.