Ben Platt

Benjamin Schiff Platt, born September 24, 1993, is an American actor and singer. He is widely recognized for originating the title character in the Broadway coming-of-age musical Dear Evan Hansen. His career spans work in musical theater, film, television, and popular music.

Platt grew up in Los Angeles as the fourth of five children in a Jewish family. His father, Marc Platt, works as a producer across film, television, and theater, while his mother, Julie Platt, has served as chair of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America. Platt attended the Adderley School for Performing Arts and graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in 2011. He subsequently enrolled at Columbia University, where he sang in an a cappella group, but left after seven weeks to join a professional stage production.

Platt began acting on stage as a child, debuting at age nine in a Hollywood Bowl staging of The Music Man. He later appeared in productions of Caroline, or Change, Les Misérables, and Hair. In 2012, he was cast as Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Chicago run of The Book of Mormon, later reprising the role on Broadway from 2014 to 2015. His central career breakthrough occurred when he originated the lead role in Dear Evan Hansen, performing in its initial 2015 Washington, D.C. staging, its 2016 Off-Broadway engagement, and its Broadway run from 2016 to 2017.

For his performance in Dear Evan Hansen, Platt won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, becoming the youngest solo recipient of the honor at that time, alongside a Daytime Emmy and a Grammy Award. In 2017, he was named to the Time 100 list of influential people. On screen, Platt portrayed Benji Applebaum in the Pitch Perfect musical film series and appeared in feature films such as Ricki and the Flash, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, Run This Town, Broken Diamonds, and The People We Hate at the Wedding. Beginning in 2019, he starred as Payton Hobart in the Netflix comedy-drama series The Politician, earning a Golden Globe Award nomination.

In 2021, Platt reprised his starring role in the feature film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen, which was produced by his father. He co-wrote, produced, and starred in the 2023 musical comedy film Theater Camp, and was cast in a multi-decade film adaptation of Merrily We Roll Along. Returning to the stage, Platt starred as Leo Frank in a 2022 to 2023 Broadway revival of Parade, receiving additional Tony and Grammy nominations.

In addition to acting, Platt maintains a solo recording career. After signing with Atlantic Records in 2017, he released his debut studio album, Sing to Me Instead, in March 2019, followed by a concert tour that produced a 2020 Netflix special filmed at Radio City Music Hall. His second album, Reverie, arrived in August 2021. After moving to Interscope Records in 2023, Platt released his third studio album, Honeymind, in May 2024.