'Jared Drake Bell' (born
June 27,
1986), better known as 'Drake Bell', is an
American actor,
guitarist, and
singer/songwriter. After beginning his career as a
child actor in the late
1990s and early
2000s, he appeared on ''
The Amanda Show'' and became well known among young audiences for his role on the series ''
Drake & Josh''. In addition to his acting, Bell has a growing career as a musician and released his debut album, ''
Telegraph'', independently in
2005. His second album, ''
It's Only Time'', was released in
2006 after signing with
Universal/Motown. Bell is commonly associated with
Josh Peck and
Miranda Cosgrove in his acting career.
Biography
Early life
Jerry Drake Bell was born in
Orange County, California to Joe Bell and Robin Dodson, a professional
billiards player. He has a stepfather, Roy, a step sister, and two older brothers, Robert and Travis. Bell's father left the family bacause he was accused of abusing Bell's mother. After his father left, they were also left with money problems. Bell was homeschooled since the age of 5. Bell attended the
Orange County High School of the Arts, also referred as "OCHSA," in
Santa Ana, California for one semester in the tenth grade.
Bell, at age eleven, in an episode of ''Seinfeld'', playing a game of
Frogger.
Career
Bell started acting at the age of five and began playing the guitar (given lessons by
The Who's
Roger Daltrey[1]) at the age of nine. At ten years old, Drake played a small role alongside Tom Cruise, in Jerry Maguire as Jesse Remo. He also appeared in a small role in the ''
Seinfeld'' episode "
The Frogger" in
1998. In
2000, he was nominated for the Young Artist Award for "Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot" in the "Supporting Young Actor" category for his role as Cage Redding in the
made-for-television film The Jack Bull. During the early
2000s, Bell was a featured performer on ''The Amanda Show'' and made a guest appearance on the series ''The Nightmare Room'', before being cast as Drake Parker on the
Nickelodeon series ''
Drake & Josh'', which began airing in
2004. During this time period, he made a guest appearance as himself on Nickelodeon's ''
Zoey 101'', won a "Blimp Award" at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in the "Favorite Male TV Actor" category for ''Drake & Josh'', directed part one of the ''
Drake & Josh'' TV movie '', and had a role in the
2005 film ''
Yours, Mine and Ours'''. Bell was also a judge for the
Miss Teen USA 2006 pageant which aired on
NBC on
August 15,
2006. Drake was nominated for "Favorite Male TV Actor" at the 2007 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, and won the second year in a row.
Bell's debut album, ''
Telegraph'', was released independently on
September 27,
2005. His song, "I Found a Way", which can be found on the album, is the theme song for ''Drake & Josh''. He recently signed with
Universal Records, on which his new single "
I Know" was released on
October 17th. Shooting for the video of "I Know" took place in
October 2006. Drake's second album, entitled ''
It's Only Time'', was released on
December 5th,
2006. Drake performed live on MTV's
TRL the day after it was released.
Bell has signed a producing deal with
Vitrus Entertainment and will star in ''
The Miracle of Santa Rosa''.
The storyline is centered on an American who returns to his ancestral home in Italy to spread his father's ashes.
Bell will also be in another Vitrus Entertainment production,
this one a mini-series titled ''
Flying Tigers''.
The film is about a squadron of American pilots who fought the Japanese in Asia immediately after the attack on
Pearl Harbor, prior to the United States' entry into
World War II.
Bell is currently starring in the
Lionsgate and
Element comedy ''
College'' directed by
Deb Hagan.
This film is being shot on-location in
New Orleans.
Personal life
On
December 29,
2005, Bell was involved in a
car accident on
Los Angeles'
Pacific Coast Highway. He was in the car with his friend Thomas. As his car was a 1966
Ford Mustang, the steering wheel was made of wood and metal, the seatbelts were only around the waist, and there were no
airbags. Because of this, his face smashed into the steering wheel, resulting in a
fractured neck, six dislodged teeth, and a deep cut across his chin, leaving a two-and-a-half inch scar. Bell told ''
People'' that he "could fit [his] tongue through it. It was like a second mouth." Although Bell's injuries were disfiguring, they were not life-threatening, and he made a full recovery. He had his jaw wired shut for three months and subsisted on a liquid diet. Because of Bell's condition, production of the final season of ''Drake & Josh'' was postponed for a few months while he recovered. Ironically, there was an episode of ''Drake & Josh'' that involved a Dune Buggy accident. Many songs on his new album (It's only time) were inspired by his accident. Drake Bell was voted hottest new star of
2007. His cousin is San Diego Padres pitcher
Heath Bell.
In a twist to the
Vanessa Hudgens nude picture scandal, PEOPLE revealed that the High School Musical actress once sent risqué photos of herself to Bell, though Bell's spokesperson claimed that: "Drake says he never received those photos."
[1]
Filmography
Discography
Footnotes
1. Nickelodeon Green-Lights Additional Episodes of TEENick's Drake & Josh for Hit Comedy Series' Fourth Season Launching This September
2. 'Drake and Josh' star is a busy bee Lorilee Craker
External links
★
Official Drake Bell Website
★
★
★
★
Alloy.com Blog
★
Offical Drake Bell Search Engine Contest
★
GotDrake Unofficial Drake Community
★
Drake Bell Biggest Fansite
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