For his title role in the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen, young Ben Platt received rave reviews and notable awards, including a Tony Award. He dominated the stage, and he’s currently on the rise in TV and film. For some, they knew Ben Platt due to his breakout role as a nerdy member of the Treblemakers in Pitch Perfect and its sequel. Currently, he stars in the role of Payton Hobart on Netflix’s The Politician.
Early Life
Ben Platt’s real name is Benjamin Schiff Platt (September 24, 1993), and he was born in Los Angeles as the fourth of Julie and Marc Platt’s five children. His father is a television, film, and theater producer whose credits include Into the Woods, Legally Blonde, La La Land, Mary Poppins Returns, and the musical Wicked.
He attended the Adderley School for Performing Arts in Pacific Palisades and performed in productions like Into the Woods and Bye Bye Birdie. In 2011, he graduated from the Harvard-Westlake School and then enrolled at Columbia University in New York. After six weeks, he dropped out to fulfill his contract with The Book of Mormon. During his time at Columbia, he was a member of a campus a capella group.
Theatre Career
At the early age of 9 years old, Platt starred in The Music Man at the Hollywood Bowl alongside Kristin Chenoweth. At 11 years old, he appeared in a brief national tour of Caroline or Change. Then at 17, he appeared in a Kidz Theater’s production of Les Misérables. He also played the role of Claude Bukowski in Columbia University’s production of Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.
In 2012, Platt was cast as Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Chicago production of The Book of Mormon, which premiered at the Bank of America Theatre. Critics lauded his performance, and later reprised his role on Broadway from 2014 to 2015.
In 2015, Platt originated the title role in Dear Even Hansen, which began production in Washington, D.C. The show got an overwhelmingly positive reception and making the musical transfer to off-Broadway. It played until May 2016, until the production reached Broadway at the Music Box Theatre. Critics hailed Platt’s performance, bringing him numerous awards, including his first Tony Award.
Film, Television and Recording Career
In 2012, Platt landed a supporting role in the 2012 musical comedy film Pitch Perfect, playing the magic-loving BenjiApplebaum along with an ensemble cast including Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, and Adam DeVine. The film was a huge commercial success and earned him a nomination at Teen Choice Awards as Choice Movie: Male Scene Stealer. He also made film appearances in Ricki and the Flash (2015), Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016), The Female Brain (2017), Run This Town (2019), and Drunk Parents (2019).
Platt signed a record deal with Atlantic Records in 2017. The next year, Platt and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda released “Found/Tonight,” a mashup of a song from Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen. In 2019, Platt released his debut album Sing to Me Instead and embarked on his first North American tour.
Platt appeared on television only as a guest star for shows – mostly in talk shows like Today (2017), The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2017, 2019), The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019), The Late Late Show with James Corden (2020). He also appeared in one episode of Will & Grace (2017). Currently, he plays the role of an ambitious student named Payton Hobart in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series The Politician.
Awards
- Distinguished Performance by an Actor, Obie Awards (2016) – Dear Evan Hansen
- Best Actor in a Musical, Tony Awards (2017) – Dear Evan Hansen
- Distinguished Performance, Drama League Awards (2017) – Dear Evan Hansen
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical, Lucille Lortel Awards (2017) – Dear Evan Hansen
- Favorite Leading Actor in a Musical, Broadway.com Audience Awards (2017) – Dear Evan Hansen
- Favorite Onstage Pair, Broadway.com Audience Awards (2017) – Dear Evan Hansen
- Best Musical Theater Album, Grammy Awards (2018) – Dear Evan Hansen
- Hasty Pudding Man of the Year (2020)