Brian Peck
American convicted sex offender and former dialogue coach (born 1960)
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Brian Richard Peck[a] (born July 29, 1960) is an American convicted sex offender and former dialogue coach and actor. From the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, he worked on popular children's shows produced by Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, including The Amanda Show (1999–2002), All That (2000–2002) and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005–2008). In 2004, Peck was convicted of sexually assaulting Drake Bell in 2001, when Bell was 15 years old.
July 29, 1960
- Actor
- dialogue coach
- producer
- filmmaker
Brian Peck | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | Brian Richard Peck July 29, 1960 Huntington, Indiana, U.S.[1] |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1982–2019 |
| Known for | The Return of the Living Dead |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
Criminal status | Released and registered as a sex offender (2005) |
| Convictions | Convicted on 2 counts:[2]
|
Criminal penalty | 16 months in prison |
| Details | |
| Victims | Drake Bell |
Date apprehended | August 19, 2003 |
Career
As an actor, Peck is best known for his role as Scuz in The Return of the Living Dead[4][5][6] as well as Pickle Boy on All That,[7] the latter of which employed him as a dialogue coach.[8] Peck also appeared on Boy Meets World,[9] Good Burger, Growing Pains[10] and The Amanda Show. He also directed comedy horror anthology film The Willies (1990).[11] He was a body double for Kirk Cameron on Growing Pains.[10][12]
After his release from prison, he was hired in 2005 to work on the Disney Channel teen sitcom The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. His crimes were overlooked in part due to character letters supporting him written by Richard and Beth Correll, directors of the show.[13] He did voiceover work for three episodes but was later fired after Disney Channel executives learned of his conviction, and his voice lines and on-screen credits were replaced.[2][14][15]
In 2012, Peck was a stand-in for Charlie Sheen on the FX sitcom Anger Management.[16]
Child sex abuse allegations and conviction
On August 19, 2003, Peck was arrested in California and charged with 11 counts of sexual misconduct with a minor.[17][18] The charges included:
- Oral copulation by Anesthesia or Controlled Substance (PC288a(i))
- Lewd Act upon a Child 14 or 15 by a Person 10 years older (PC288(c)(1))
- Sodomy of a Person Under 16 (PC288(b)(2))
- Attempt to commit Sodomy of a Person under 16 by a Person over 21 (PC664-286(b)(2))
- Forcible Penetration with a Foreign Object (PC289(i))
- 4 counts of Oral Copulation with a minor under 16 (PC288a(b)(2))
- Harmful Matter sent: Seduction of a Minor (PC288.2(a))
- Using Minor for Sex Acts (PC311.4(c))[19]
The abuse occurred in 2001 and the underaged male victim's identity was concealed at the time of the trial to protect his identity. Peck entered a plea deal in 2004 and pleaded no contest to "lewd acts upon a child 14 or 15 years of age" and "oral copulation with a minor under 16 years of age", referred to in the California Penal Code as 288(c)(1) and 288a(b)(2), later that year.[20] He served 16 months in prison from 2004 to 2005 and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.[2][15]
After his arrest, many high-profile professionals from the film and television industry wrote letters of support for Peck. The over 40 individuals who voiced their support included James Marsden, Kimmy Robertson, Taran Killam, Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns, Rider Strong, Will Friedle, Ron Melendez (American Horror Story), Rich and Beth Correll, and Tom DeSanto.[21][22][23][24] In 2024, the Corrells, Strong, Friedle, Kerns, and DeSanto apologized for their past support of Peck.[25][26][27] In an episode of Pod Meets World, Friedle and Strong said that they were misled by Peck, who told them that his misconduct occurred only once and that the victim was "almost 18." Kerns and DeSanto also said that they had been misled and if they had known all of the details, they would not have supported Peck.[28]
In 2024, more than twenty years after Peck's arrest and conviction, Investigation Discovery released Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, a docuseries that addresses child sexual abuse in the entertainment industry. Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell appeared on Episode 3 and revealed that he had been sexually and psychologically abused by Peck, who worked with him on The Amanda Show and Drake & Josh.[a] Bell was 15 years old at the time, while Peck was in his early 40s. A 2014 documentary, An Open Secret, also discussed Peck's abusive conduct, though Bell had not been identified at that point in time.[29][30]
Personal life
Peck studied theater at the University of Southern California.[31] He is openly gay.[14][32][33] He lives in Los Angeles, California, as of 2025, and has not worked in the entertainment industry since 2019.[34]
Kyle Sullivan, who performed with Peck in the Nickelodeon show All That, recounted in Quiet on Set that Peck had correspondence with the serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Sullivan, who visited Peck's residence at the age of 14, recalled observing a significant volume of written communication exchanged between Peck and Gacy. Sullivan asserts that Gacy, who pursued painting while on death row, purportedly sent Peck an autographed painting of a clown, which Peck reportedly displayed in his residence at the time.[35]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The Last American Virgin | Victor | |
| 1985 | The Return of the Living Dead | Scuz | |
| 1987 | Like Father Like Son | Intern with Heart Patient | |
| 1988 | Return of the Living Dead Part II | Special Zombie | |
| 1990 | The Willies | KORN TV News Reporter | Also director, screenwriter, and executive producer |
| 1993 | Return of the Living Dead 3 | Ballistic Technician | |
| 1994 | Angel 4: Undercover | Guitar Salesman | Also dialogue coach |
| 1995 | Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest | Jake | Also ADR and dialogue coach |
| 1997 | Good Burger | Upset Customer | |
| 1999 | Man on the Moon | Fridays Announcer | |
| 2000 | X-Men | Hot Dog Stand Patron | Uncredited; also appears in DVD commentary track[36][37] |
| 2003 | Holes | Townsman in Classroom | Also acting coach |
| X2 | News Reporter | ||
| 2005 | Love Wrecked | TV Reporter #1 | Also dialogue coach |
| 2006 | Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy | Clay | Also associate producer |
| 2007 | House of Fears | Creepy laugh (voice) | |
| 2008 | Forever Strong | Colton McDonald | Also associate producer |
| Bedtime Stories | Bugsy Hero | Uncredited | |
| 2009 | Bitch Slap | Wrong Place - Wrong Time | Also associate producer |
| Jack and the Beanstalk | The Emperor | Uncredited; also dialogue coach | |
| 2015 | Freaks of Nature | Zombie Dad | Uncredited |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–1991 | Growing Pains | Various characters | Also a body double for Kirk Cameron[10] |
| 1990 | Just the Ten of Us | Doorman | S3E14: "Poetic Justice" |
| 1993 | Home Free | Guy | S1E4: "Prime Time" |
| 1995 | The Mommies | Minister | S2E13: "Four Mommies and a Funeral" |
| 1995–1997 | The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat | Mr. Jolly (voice) | |
| 1996 | The Tick | Baron Violent (voice) | S3E4: "The Tick vs. Arthur"[38] |
| 1997 | Kenan & Kel | Lottery Announcer | S2E3: "The Lottery" |
| Clueless | Dr. Bongo (voice) | S2E10: "Intruder Spawn" | |
| 1998–1999 | Guys Like Us | Customer #2/Mr. Happy Pants | Two episodes |
| 1999 | Boy Meets World | Cowboy #2/Ookie | Two episodes; also stand-in |
| 2001 | The Amanda Show | French Chef | S02E12: "Face & Zawyer"; Also dialogue coach |
| 2002–2003 | What I Like About You | Guy #1/Store Employee | Two episodes; also dialogue coach |
| All That | Pickle Boy/'Know Your Stars' Announcer | 11 episodes; also dialogue coach | |
| 2006–2007 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Mirror (voice)[38] | Three episodes; voice later replaced by Jim Meskimen[14] |
| 2013 | Anger Management | TMZ Announcer | Uncredited; also dialogue coach |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster and the Beanstalk | Also special thanks | |
| 2001 | Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy | Gambler[38] | |
| Planet of the Apes | Dr. Zaius / Cornelius / Ursus | ||
| Shenmue II | English dub |
Notes
- Brian Peck is of no relation to Josh Peck, Drake Bell's co-star on Drake & Josh.[3]