Who Is Ben Platt?

9 Facts About the Incredibly Talented Star of The Politician, Ben Platt

Oct 4 2019 by Kelsie Gibson

Ben Platt is skyrocketing to superstardom, and he doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon. After stealing the hearts of audiences everywhere with his starring role in the Tony-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen in 2016, the 25-year-old has been making a major name for himself, both on and off stage. After signing a deal with Atlantic Records, Platt released his debut album, Sing to Me Instead, in March 2019, and he can currently be seen on Ryan Murphy's new Netflix series The Politician alongside Bette Midler and Gwyneth Paltrow. No big deal, right? If you're new to the Ben Platt fandom, brush up on these key facts about the talented star ahead.

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1. He was born and raised in LA.

Even though Ben is a Broadway sensation, he actually grew up on the West Coast. He attended the prep school Harvard-Westlake School in LA and graduated in 2011. He is still close friends with his high school classmate Beanie Feldstein, who is Jonah Hill's sister.

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2. He grew up in a musical family.

It's no surprise that Ben has a love for theatre — it runs in his blood. His father, Marc Platt, is the producer behind La La Land and Wicked. His brother Jonah is also in the business, having starred as Fiyero in the latter musical on Broadway. Ben and his four siblings were often dubbed the Von Platts (based on the Von Trapps from The Sound of Music) for their musical talents growing up.

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3. He's Jewish.

Ben is very open about his Jewish background. His mom, Julie, credits their religious upbringing to keeping their kids so grounded in Hollywood.

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4. His first big role was when he was 9.

He played Winthrop Paroo in at the Hollywood Bowl alongside Kristin Chenoweth, who went on to star as Glinda in his father's production of Wicked. The two actually met backstage when Marc came to see Ben's performance.

Image Source: Getty / Kevin Mazur

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5. He deferred from Columbia to be in The Book of Mormon.

After graduating high school, Ben was accepted into Columbia University in New York but put his education on hold to star in The Book of Mormon. He played Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Chicago tour from December 2012-October 2013 and again in the Broadway show from January 2014-January 2015.

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6. He was in an a cappella group on stage and in real life.

Ben is well-known for playing the nerdy Treblemaker Benji Applebaum in Pitch Perfect. Interestingly enough, he was also a member of Columbia's musical group Nonsequitur A Cappella.

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7. He originally auditioned for Benj Pasek and Justin Paul way before nabbing the lead role in Dear Evan Hansen.

Before landing the title role in Dear Evan Hansen, Ben auditioned for a different Pasek and Paul original called Dogfight, about a group of Marines on the eve of shipping out to Vietnam. Even though they thought Ben was "incredible," he was a little too young for the cast. Following the audition, Benj sent him a Facebook message mentioning another idea they were developing and suggested they stay in touch. Fast forward a few years later, and the trio were working together on Broadway.

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8. He's the youngest winner of the Drama League Awards.

In May 2017, Ben won the organisation's distinguished performance award, which recognises a performance on the New York stage in the past year and can only be won once in a performer's career. At 23, he became the youngest winner in the award's history.

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9. He's a Tony winner.

Ben took home best performance by an actor in a leading role at the Tony Awards in 2017. Not only was it his first win, but it was also his first nomination.

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