About Drake Bell
Jared Drake Bell is an American actor and musician. Born in Newport Beach, California, he began his career as a child actor in the 1990s, appearing on Home Improvement and in several commercials. He rose to prominence with Nickelodeon, playing starring roles in the sketch comedy series The Amanda Show , the sitcom Drake & Josh , and the Nickelodeon television film series The Fairly OddParents . He also voiced Peter Parker / Spider-Man on the Disney XD series Ultimate Spider-Man and various Disney XD media. 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 , and signed with Universal Motown Records in 2006. His second studio album, It's Only Time , emerged as a commercial success. His third album, Ready Steady Go! , was released through the independent record label Surfdog Records. He has since released two independent albums: The Lost Album and Non-Stop Flight .
Bell was born on June 27, 1986, in Newport Beach, California, the youngest of four children from former professional billiards player, Robin Dodson, and 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 went to OCSA for school 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 therefore 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.
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