ENTERTAINMENT
Who is Drake Bell, the actor who revealed sexual abuse by Brian Peck in the docuseries ‘Quiet on Set’?
Starring in ‘Drake & Josh’ and ‘The Amanda Show’, the California-born actor found huge fame as a child actor on Nickelodeon.
A new documentary series entitled ‘Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV’ featured one particularly disturbing episode with Drake Bell, a former child star on the Nickelodeon channel.
In the episode Bell alleged that he was sexually abused by his former dialogue coach Brian Peck during his time working for the network. Peck was convicted on related charges in 2003; at the time Bell was not known to have been the victim.
That shocking revelation has cast fresh light on Bell’s career and the occasional missteps in his personal life. Here’s a look at the film, television and music achievements in Bell’s career.
What films and TV shows has Drake Bell appeared in?
The California native began working as an actor at the age of five when his father noticed his unusual confidence and flare for public speaking. He appeared in an advert for Whirlpool Appliances and was soon given small roles in television shows.
His first big break came in 1999 when he began appearing as a featured guest on ‘The Amanda Show’, which continued until the show was cancelled in 2002. The following year he was cast as co-lead on Nickelodeon series ‘Drake & Josh’. This remains his most well-known role and he was named Favorite TV Actor at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards for three consecutive years.
He starred in ‘Drake & Josh’ for six years before the show eventually ended. From there he was cast as Spider-Man in animated television show ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ and ‘The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’. In 2015 he and former co-star Miranda Cosgrove reunited in animated movie ‘A Mouse Tale’.
Drake Bell’s music career
Throughout his career in film and television, Drake Bell’s music was frequently used in the production. He famously co-wrote and performed the theme song to ‘Drake & Josh’ and he maintained a consistent musical output throughout his career.
His debut album, ‘Telegraph’, was released in 2005 with 11 of the 12 tracks written by Bell himself. The following year Bell was signed to Universal Motown record label and his second album, ‘It’s Only Time’, was released in December. Again Bell was heavily involved in the writing and it reached Number 81 on Billboard’s Top 200. It was more successful in Mexico, where the album reached Number 4.
His third studio album was a rockabilly record, which he described as “a complete concept record. Getting in a time machine and going back to the 40s and 50s.” The album peaked at 182 in the Billboard 200 but the single ‘Bull’ spent weeks in the Top Ten in Mexico.
Throughout his music career Bell toured in the United States and Mexico, enjoying particular success in the later. He has previously described The Beatles and The Beach Boys as major artistic influences for him. In March 2024, in light of the allegations against Peck, he released a new single entitled ‘I Kind Of Relate’.