Ben Platt facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ben Platt
Platt in 2025
Born	Benjamin Schiff Platt (1993-09-24) September 24, 1993 (age 31) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	Columbia University
Occupation	Actor singer songwriter
Years active	2002–present
Spouse(s)	Noah Galvin ​ (m. 2024)​
Parent(s)	Marc Platt (father) Julie Platt (mother)
Musical career
Genres	Broadway • Pop • Folk
Instruments	Vocals piano
Labels	Atlantic Interscope

Benjamin Schiff Platt (born September 24, 1993) is an American actor and singer. He is the son of film and theater producer Marc Platt. Ben started acting in musical theater when he was a child.

He became very well known for playing the main character, Evan Hansen, in the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen (2015–2017). For this role, he won several big awards. These included a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, a Daytime Emmy, and a Grammy Award. At the time, he was the youngest person to win the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical by himself. Ben Platt also played Evan Hansen in the movie version of the musical in 2021.

Ben Platt has also been in movies like the Pitch Perfect series (2012–2017) and Theater Camp (2023), which he also helped write. Since 2019, he has starred in the Netflix TV show The Politician. For this role, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

He signed with Atlantic Records in 2017 and released his first album, Sing to Me Instead, in 2019. His concert film, Ben Platt Live from Radio City Music Hall, came out on Netflix in 2020. His second album, Reverie, was released in 2021. After joining Interscope in 2023, his third album, Honeymind, was released in May 2024.

In 2017, Time magazine named Ben Platt one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Early Life and Education

Ben Platt was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the fourth of five children. His parents are Julie and Marc Platt. His father is a well-known producer of films, TV shows, and theater. Some of his father's famous works include Legally Blonde, La La Land, and the musical Wicked.

Ben has two sisters and two brothers, including actor Jonah Platt. His family follows the Jewish faith.

He went to the Adderley School for Performing Arts. There, he acted in plays like Bye Bye Birdie. He graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles in 2011. After high school, he started at Columbia University in New York. However, he left after seven weeks to perform in the musical The Book of Mormon. While at Columbia, he was part of an a cappella singing group called Nonsequitur.

Ben Platt's Career Journey

Early Stage Roles and The Book of Mormon

When Ben was 9 years old, he played Winthrop Paroo in The Music Man at the Hollywood Bowl. He performed alongside famous actress Kristin Chenoweth. At age 11, he was part of a short national tour for the musical Caroline, or Change. Later, at 17, he played Jean Valjean in a production of Les Misérables.

In 2012, Ben Platt was chosen to play Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Chicago show of The Book of Mormon. The show opened in December 2012 and was very popular. Critics praised Ben's performance, calling him a "true revelation." He later played the same role on Broadway from January 2014 to January 2015.

Film Work and Dear Evan Hansen Success

In 2012, Ben Platt had a supporting role in the musical comedy movie Pitch Perfect. He played Benji Applebaum, a character who loves magic. The movie was a big hit and received good reviews. He was nominated for a Teen Choice Award in 2013 for his role. He returned as Benji in the sequel, Pitch Perfect 2, in 2015. He also appeared in other films like Ricki and the Flash.

In 2014, Ben Platt started working on a new musical called Dear Evan Hansen. He was involved in early readings and workshops. In 2015, the musical officially began in Washington, D.C., with Ben playing the main character, Evan Hansen. The show was a huge success, especially because of Ben's performance. This led to the show moving to Off-Broadway.

In 2016, Ben continued to play Evan Hansen Off-Broadway. The shows sold out quickly. In December 2016, he brought the role to Broadway at the Music Box Theatre. Critics called his performance "historic" and "one of the greatest." For this role, Ben won many awards, including the Tony Award. He was 23 years old when he won the Tony, making him the youngest solo winner in that category at the time. He performed his last show as Evan Hansen on Broadway in November 2017.

Ben Platt in 2017

Music and TV Shows

In 2017, Ben Platt signed a music deal with Atlantic Records. In 2018, he performed "Somewhere" at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. He also released a song called "Found/Tonight" with Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton. They combined songs from Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen. Ben donated some of the money from the song to support the March for Our Lives movement against gun violence. He also performed with Lin-Manuel Miranda at a rally in Washington, D.C.

In January 2019, Ben announced his first album, Sing to Me Instead, which came out in March 2019. After the album's release, he went on his first tour across North America. The tour ended in September 2019 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. This concert was filmed and released on Netflix as Ben Platt Live from Radio City Music Hall in May 2020.

Ben Platt starred as Payton Hobart in the Netflix comedy-drama series The Politician. The show is about a very determined teenager who wants to become President of the United States. The series premiered in September 2019. Ben was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his acting in the first season.

Recent Projects and Albums

In April 2021, Ben Platt shared a preview of his new song, "Imagine", on TikTok. The full song was released later that month. In July, he announced his second album, Reverie, which came out in August 2021. He then went on the Reverie Tour in 2022.

In 2021, Ben Platt played Evan Hansen again in the movie version of Dear Evan Hansen. The film was released in September 2021. Some people thought he looked too old to play a high school student at age 27. Ben said that he created the role and worked on it for three years, and that the movie might not have been made without him.

In 2022, Ben Platt played Leo Frank in a production of Parade at New York City Center. Critics loved his return to the stage. A limited Broadway run of Parade began in February 2023, with Ben continuing his role as Leo Frank. The show was very popular, and tickets sold out quickly. For his performance as Leo Frank, Ben received another Tony Award nomination.

Platt and Micaela Diamond with First Lady Jill Biden during a Jewish American Heritage Month reception at the White House in 2023.

In June 2022, it was announced that Ben Platt would produce and star in the musical comedy film Theater Camp. He also co-wrote the film. Theater Camp premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in January 2023 and was released in theaters in July 2023.

Ben Platt confirmed in 2022 that he was working on new music. In May 2023, he signed with Interscope Records. In March 2024, he announced his third album, Honeymind, which was released in May 2024. He also held a special three-week series of performances at the Palace Theatre in New York City in May and June 2024. This was the first event at the theater since its renovations. He then started The Honeymind Tour in June 2024.

Personal Life

Ben Platt is married to actor Noah Galvin. They first met in 2015. Noah Galvin later took over Ben's role as Evan Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen in 2017. They announced their engagement in November 2022 and were married in September 2024.

Acting Credits

Theater Performances

Film Roles

Television Appearances

Music Albums

Studio Albums

Soundtrack and Cast Albums

Singles

Promotional Singles

Other Charted Songs

Concert Tours and Performances

Headlining Tours

• Sing to Me Instead Tour (2019)
• Reverie Tour (2022)
• Honeymind Tour (2024)

Residency

• Ben Platt: Live at the Palace (2024)

Awards and Nominations

Platt and fellow Dear Evan Hansen cast member Rachel Bay Jones with their Tony Awards

Ben Platt has won many awards for his acting and singing. For his Off-Broadway performance in Dear Evan Hansen in 2016, he won an Obie Award and a Lucille Lortel Award.

In May 2017, he won the Drama League Distinguished Performance Award. This award is given for a great performance on the New York stage. Ben was the youngest person to win this award at age 23. He also won a Daytime Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, and a Tony Award for his role in Dear Evan Hansen. At the 71st Tony Awards in June 2017, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.

In 2020, Ben Platt was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role in the Netflix series The Politician. At the 76th Tony Awards, he received his second Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role as Leo Frank in the 2023 Broadway revival of Parade.

Having won an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony, Ben Platt is very close to achieving the EGOT. This means he only needs to win an Oscar to complete the set of four major American entertainment awards.

See also

In Spanish: Ben Platt para niños

• LGBT culture in New York City