After a swell of worry, Drake Bell has been found after going missing, leading to a collective sigh of relief for his friends, family, and fans. It’s not yet known how or why the recipient of multiple Kid’s Choice Awards went missing from Daytona Beach, but law enforcement has confirmed he’s alive and well.
Despite only being in his mid-thirties, Bell has been working for nearly three decades now, and as a result, he has an acting resume that rivals almost anyone in showbiz in terms of length. If you’ve been following the news about the former child actor and are wondering where you know him from, you’re not alone. While he’s certainly best known for his Nickelodeon roles, there is a chance you may recognize him from one of his more obscure projects.
Who is Drake Bell?
Bell is a former Nickelodeon star and child actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows. Born in California, he began acting in commercials at age five, and as a child, played several small roles in some iconic television shows like Seinfeld and Home Improvement. Bell’s big break came in 1999 when he earned a starring role on the comedy sketch program The Amanda Show. Two years later, he starred alongside Josh Nichols in Drake and Josh, which turned him into a household name and earned him several awards.
Bell is also a musician and has released five studio albums under his own name, as well as multiple singles. His sixth studio album, Non-Stop Flight, is set to come out later this year. However, his musical career hasn’t quite reached the heights of his acting, with only one of his studio albums charting in the top 100 in the U.S (It’s Only Time). With that said, he’s had two number ones in Mexico, as well as another Top 10 single in Central America.
Since 2009, Bell has been involved with the Thirst Project, a charitable organization that seeks to raise awareness about a lack of clean water. The Drake and Josh star has raised money via concerts and appeals. He has also engaged in various other charitable projects.
Bell’s life hasn’t been without controversy, either, with financial woes and accusations of abusive behaviour. He also worked closely with Dan Schneider at Nickelodeon, who has been accused by multiple former child actors of coercive and abusive behaviour. Bell has not commented publicly on Schneider.
What movies do you know Drake Bell from?
Bell has appeared in 38 movies, although not all have had critical and commercial success, with several being direct-to-video/DVD releases — including his most recent film appearance, 2020s animated film The Big Trip. In chronological order, here are all the movies Drake Bell has been in, as well as the name of his character. Voice only roles are marked by an asterisk.
- The Neon Bible, David, aged 10
- Drifting School, Kenny Smith
- Jerry Maguire, Jesse Remo
- Dragonworld: The Legend Continues, Johnny McGowan (Direct-to-video)
- Dill Scallion, Eugene Bob
- Perfect Game, Bobby Jr.
- High Fidelity, Young Rob Gordon
- Yours, Mine and Ours, Dylan North
- Unstable Fables: Tortoise vs. Hare Butch Hare (Direct-to-DVD)*
- The Nutty Professor, Harold Kelp/Jack (Direct-to-DVD)*
- Superhero Movie, Rick Riker/Dragonfly
- College, Kevin
- Pure Country 2: The Gift, Drake
- I Owe My Life To Corbin Bleu, Himself
- The Reef 2: High Tide, Pi*
- Keenan Cahill’s Story, Himself (Documentary)
- The Naughty List, Snowflake (Direct-to-DVD)*
- The Little Penguin Pororo’s Racing Adventure, White Tiger (Direct-to-DVD)*
- Space Warriors, Jimmy Narration*
- Under Wraps, Danny (Direct-to-DVD)*
- Frozen in Time, Brody (Direct-to-DVD)*
- Birds of Paradise, Jack (Direct-to-DVD)*
- Adventure Planet, Sam (Direct-to-DVD)*
- 20 Moves, Himself (Documentary)
- The Nutcracker ,Sweet Nutcraker (Direct-to-DVD)*
- The Greys, Blake Smelt
- The Frog Kingdom, Announcer, Muscles (Direct-to-DVD)*
- L.A. Slasher, The Popstar
- Jungle Shuffle, Manu (Direct-to-DVD)*
- A Mouse Tale, Sebastian (Direct-to-DVD)*
- It’s A Rockabilly World!, Himself (Documentary)
- Arlo: The Burping Pig, Arlo*
- The Blind Girl, Jack
- Bad Kids of Crestview Academy, Ben
- American Satan, Damien
- A Stork’s Journey, Richard*
- Cover Versions, Byron
- The Big Trip, Oscar (Direct-to-DVD)*
What TV shows do you know Drake Bell from?
While Bell’s film work is extensive and wide-ranging, he is much better known for his various television roles, especially The Amanda Show and Drake and Josh, as well as various other cameos in Nickelodeon projects. Below is a list of all 53 of his television appearances, in chronological order. Shows in which he appeared in only one episode are marked by an asterisk.
- Home Improvement, Little Pete*
- Minor Adjustments, Jordan*
- ABC Afterschool, Special Scott*
- Men Behaving Badly, Charlie Atwood*
- Gun, Brendan*
- Over the Top, Clarence*
- The Pretender, Shawn Boyd*
- The Drew Carey Show, The Blues Kid*
- Seinfeld, Kenny*
- Caroline in the City, Rodney*
- The Jack Bull, Cage Redding (television film)
- The Amanda Show, Various roles
- Double Dare 2000, Himself
- Chasing Destiny, Walter (television film)
- The Nightmare Room, Alex Sanders*
- Rugrats, Dusty*
- Fairly Odd Parents, Timmy Turner
- So Little Time, Himself*
- All That, Himself/Various roles
- Drake & Josh, Drake Parker
- Zoey 101, Himself*
- Drake & Josh Go Hollywood, Drake Parker (television film)
- Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh, Drake Parker (television film)
- The Fish Tank, Fish*
- iCarly, Drake Parker*
- 7 Secrets with Miranda Cosgrove, Himself (documentary)
- A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!, Timmy Turner (television film)
- Victorious, Himself*
- The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Spider-Man/Peter Parker
- Figure It Out, Himself*
- Celebrity Ghost Stories, Himself
- Rags, Shawn (television film)
- Abominable Christmas, Matt (television film)
- A Fairly Odd Christmas, Timmy Turner (television film)
- Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man/Peter Parker
- Splash, Himself (as a contestant)
- Phineas and Ferb, Spider-Man/Peter Parker*
- A Monsterous Holiday, Andy (television film)
- Avengers Assemble, Spider-Man/Peter Parker
- Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Spider-Man/Peter Parker
- Sam & Cat, Drake Parker*
- A Fairly Odd Summer, Timmy Turner (television film)
- Grandfathered, Kirk*
- Cozmo’s,Ken (television film)
- Cupcake Wars, Himself (as a contestant)
- Ben 10, Michael Morningstar
- Home and Family, Himself
- Safeword, Himself (as a contestant)
- Do or Dare, Himself (as a contestant)
- Highly Gifted, Alan*
- The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars, Himself (as a contestant)
- The Adventures of Kid Danger, Drake Parker*
- Double Dare, Himself
- Robot Chicken, Drake Parker*
What else has Drake Bell been in?
Bell has appeared in various video games and web series, including providing the voice of Spider-Man for three different Marvel/Disney games. His most notable web appearance was as a voice actor in Lego Marvel Superheros: Maximum Overload, where he also played Spider-Man.