Ben Platt – Actor/Singer

Benjamin Schiff Platt b-September 24, 1993 [1] is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He began his career in theatre as a child and has appeared in Broadway productions of The Music Man (2002), The Book of Mormon (2012–2013), and Dear Evan Hansen (2015–2017), receiving multiple accolades for his performance as the title character in the latter, including the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.[2][3] Platt’s film credits include roles in Pitch Perfect (2012), Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), and Ricki and the Flash (2015). In 2017, Platt signed with Atlantic Records and is scheduled to release his debut studio album, Sing to Me Instead, in March 2019

Life

Ben Platt was born in Los Angeles, the fourth of five children of Julie (née Beren) and Marc Platt. His father is a film, television and theater producer whose credits include the musical Wicked.[4] He and his family are Jewish.[5][6][7]
He attended the Adderley School for Performing Arts in Pacific Palisades, performing in productions like Bye Bye Birdie and Into the Woods. Platt attended Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, graduating in 2011. He attended Columbia University in New York, but dropped out after six weeks to fulfill his contract with The Book of Mormon. During his time at Columbia, he was a member of the campus a cappella musical group Nonsequitur.[4][8]

Career

2002–2014: Early stage work and The Book of Mormon

At 9 years old, Platt played Winthrop Paroo in The Music Man at the Hollywood Bowl alongside Kristin Chenoweth.[9] At 11, he appeared in a brief national tour of Caroline, or Change, by Jeanine Tesori and Tony Kushner. At 17, he played Jean Valjean in Kidz Theater’s production of Les Misérables. His other early roles include the role of Claude Bukowski in Columbia University’s production of Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.[10] He has also collaborated on a workshop of Alice by Heart, by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, a new take on Alice in Wonderland.
In 2012, Platt was cast as Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Chicago production of The Book of Mormon. The show premiered at the Bank of America Theatre on December 19, 2012, after a week of previews.[11] The production was well received and closed on October 6, 2013.[12] Critics lauded Platt’s performance, calling him a “true revelation in this brand new Chicago production…He really leans into this part, throwing himself out there with the abandonment of youth”.[13] Platt later reprised his role as Elder Cunningham on Broadway at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre from January 7, 2014 to January 6, 2015.[14]

2015–2017: Film career and Dear Evan Hansen

In 2012, Platt had a supporting role in the musical comedy Pitch Perfect, loosely based on the non-fiction book Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory. Platt played the magic-obsessed Benji Applebaum, alongside an ensemble cast including Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp and Brittany Snow. The film emerged as a major commercial success and received mostly positive reviews from critics. He was subsequently nominated at a Teen Choice Awards in the category Choice Movie: Male Scene Stealer for his work.[15] In 2015, Platt reprised his role as Benji Applebaum in the sequel, Pitch Perfect 2. He has since made film appearances in Ricki and the Flash and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.
Platt became attached to Pasek and Paul’s then Untitled P&P Project in 2014, participating in early read-throughs and workshops.[16] By 2015, the musical, titled Dear Evan Hansen, had begun production in Washington, D.C. at the Arena Stage with Platt originating the titular role. The show premiered on July 9, 2015 and closed August 23, 2015.[17] The overwhelming positive reception toward the production and Platt’s performance resulted in the show being transferred to Off-Broadway.[18]
In 2016, Platt, again, originated the role of Evan Hansen at Second Stage Theatre. Platt and the cast played a month of previews, beginning on March 26, 2016, before premiering on May 1, 2016. The limited engagement sold out its entire run with Platt playing his last performance on May 26, 2016.[19][20][21]

In December 2016, Platt originated the title role in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre. Critics hailed his work, calling it “historic” and “one of the greatest leading male performances ever seen in a musical”.[22][23][24] For his performance, Platt won numerous awards including the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Platt played his final performance on November 19, 2017.[25]
On November 29, 2018, it was announced that Universal Pictures and Platt’s father, Marc Platt, secured the film rights to the musical. It is unconfirmed if Platt will reprise his Tony Award-winning role in the film, but is reported to be in “early talks” to do so.[26][27]
2017–present: Music and Sing to Me Instead[edit]
In 2017, Platt signed a record deal with Atlantic Records.[28] On January 28, 2018, Platt performed Leonard Bernstein’s “Somewhere” live at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards accompanied by Justin Goldner and Adele Stein and arranged by Alex Lacamoire[29][30]
On March 19, 2018, Platt and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda released “Found/Tonight”, a mashup of the Hamilton song “The Story of Tonight” and the Dear Evan Hansen song “You Will Be Found”.[31] Platt donated a portion of the proceeds to support the March for Our Lives anti-gun violence initiative, and also performed on stage with Miranda at the rally in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2018.[32][33][34] Platt is set to star opposite Damian Lewis, Nina Dobrev, and Mena Massoud in the Rob Ford historical fiction thriller Run This Town.[35][36] The casting of Platt caused minor controversy, over allegations that the filmmakers were appropriating the story of female reporter Robyn Doolittle.[37]
In January 2019, Platt announced that his debut studio album Sing to Me Instead is scheduled for release on March 29, 2019, and was made available for pre-order along with the songs “Bad Habit” and “Ease My Mind” a few days later.[38][39]

Stage Work

Year	Production	Role	Venue	Notes
2002	The Music Man	Winthrop Paroo	Hollywood Bowl	Los Angeles
2004	Caroline, or Change	Noah Gellman	Ahmanson Theatre	National tour
2005	Dead End	Philip Griswald	Ahmanson Theatre	Regional
2012	The Power of Duff	Ricky Duff	Powerhouse Theatre	Regional
2012	The Black Suits	Chris Thurser	Center Theatre Group	Regional
2012–2013	The Book of Mormon	Elder Arnold Cunningham	PrivateBank Theatre	Chicago
2014–2015	The Book of Mormon	Elder Arnold Cunningham	Eugene O’Neill Theatre	Broadway
2015	Dear Evan Hansen	Evan Hansen	Arena Stage	Washington, D.C.
2016	The Secret Garden	Dickon	David Geffen Hall	25th anniversary concert
2016	Dear Evan Hansen	Evan Hansen	Second Stage Theatre	Off-Broadway
2016–2017	Dear Evan Hansen	Evan Hansen	Music Box Theatre	Broadway
2018	Parade	Leo Frank		Workshop

Film Work

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	Red Riding Hood	Boy Scout #1
2012	Pitch Perfect	Benji Applebaum
2015	Pitch Perfect 2	Benji Applebaum
2015	Ricki and the Flash	Daniel
2016	Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk	Josh
2017	The Female Brain	Joel
2019	Drunk Parents		Post-production^[40]
2019	Love & Oatmeal	Scott	Post-production
TBA	Run This Town		Post-production^[41

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2017	Will & Grace	Blake	Episode: “Who’s Your Daddy”^[42]
2019	The Politician	Payton	Upcoming Netflix series; also executive producer^[43]

Discography

Sing to Me Instead (2019)

Press Release

The winner of the 2017 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance as Evan Hansen in the smash hit, Dear Evan Hansen, Platt is one of today’s most extraordinary talents, a truly multi-faceted actor, singer, and all-around performer. Sing To Me Instead sees him making a remarkable arrival as recording artist and songwriter, co-writing all of the album’s songs. Tracks like Bad Habit and Ease My Mind reveal a striking, deeply emotive amalgam of classic popcraft with sweeping vocals and Platt’s own undeniable charm and versatility.
Sing To Me Instead marks Platt’s first recorded output since his stunning duet with Lin-Manuel Miranda in March 2018 on Found/Tonight. The track, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart, was an installment in Miranda’s Hamildrop series, and featured vocals from both men in an original medley of The Story of Tonight from Hamilton and You Will Be Found from Dear Evan Hansen.

Awards and Nominations

Platt was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Drama League Distinguished Performance Award, and won ^[44] the Obie Award^[45] for Distinguished Performance by an Actor and Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for Dear Evan Hansen’s Off-Broadway run in 2016.^[46]

On May 19, 2017, at the 83rd annual Drama League Awards, it was announced that Platt had won the organization’s Distinguished Performance Award. This award, which recognizes a performance on the New York stage in the past year, can only be won once in a performer’s career. In winning, at the age of 23, for his work in Dear Evan Hansen, Platt became the youngest winner in the award’s history.^[47] On June 11, at the 71st Tony Awards, Platt won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical being the youngest actor to win this award solo.^[48]

Year	Awards	Category	Work	Result
2013	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie: Male Scene Stealer	Pitch Perfect	Nominated
2016	Drama League Awards	Distinguished Performance	Dear Evan Hansen	Nominated
	Outer Critics Circle Awards	Best Leading Actor in a Musical		Nominated^[44]
	Obie Awards	Distinguished Performance by an Actor		Won^[45]
2017	Tony Awards	Best Actor in a Musical		Won^[48]
	Drama League Awards	Distinguished Performance		Won^[47]
	Lucille Lortel Awards	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical		Won^[46]
	Broadway.com Audience Awards	Favorite Leading Actor in a Musical		Won
	Broadway.com Audience Awards	Favorite Onstage Pair		Won
2018	Grammy Awards	Best Musical Theater Album^[a]		Won^[49]
2018	Daytime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program (with the cast of Dear Evan Hansen)	“You Will Be Found” (performed on The Today Show)^[50]^[51]	Won