Ben Platt: 18 facts about Dear Evan Hansen star that you (probably) didn't know
Ben Platt dominated Broadway with his performance in Dear Evan Hansen and his star is on the rise in TV and Film. Here's everything you need to know.
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1. Everything you need to know about Ben Platt
If you don't already know Ben Platt, here's a quick crash course about the Broadway and Netflix star. Here's everything you need to know about the rising star, from his previous Broadway success to his other on screen roles and music career.
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2. How old is Ben Platt?
Ben is currently 29 years old. He was born on September 24, 1993 in Los Angeles, California. He is the fourth out of five children.
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3. How tall is Ben Platt?
Ben is 5ft 9 and a quarter inches. In a tweet, Ben wrote: "Doctor just told me that my height isn't in fact 5'10" but rather 5'9.25". I've been living a lie. Please respect my privacy at this time."
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4. Ben Platt plays Payton Hobart in The Politician
Ben plays the role of Payton Hobart in Ryan Murphy's new Netflix series The Politician. Payton is an ambitious student from Santa Barbara, who was adopted by Georgina Hobart's (Gwyneth Paltrow) very rich family. He runs a campaign to become student president at his high school and all sorts of drama ensues. (Netflix)
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5. Ben Platt made a guest appearance on the new season of "Will & Grace"
While it's his first leading TV role, The Politician won't be Ben's TV debut. He made a small guest appearance on season nine of Will & Grace in the episode called "Who's Your Daddy". He played Blake, a gay millennial who isn't quite up scratch with the history of the LGBTQ+ community. (NBC)
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6. Ben Platt's first on screen role was in "Pitch Perfect" (2012) as Benji Applebaum
Before Ben became Evan Hansen, he was most known for playing the role of Benji in the Pitch Perfect movie franchise. Funnily enough, Ben was also part of an a capella group at Columbia University called Nonsequitur.
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7. What other movies has Ben Platt been in?
As well as appearing in the first two Pitch Perfect movies, Ben has also appeared in Ricki & The Flash alongside Meryl Streep, Run This Town, Drunk Parents, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk and The Female Brain. He played Evan Hansen in the movie adaptation of the musical, and has also signed on to be part of Richard Linklater's next project called Merrily We Roll Along, which will shoot over the next 20 years. (PA Images)
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8. Ben Platt opens up about his sexuality on his album, Sing to Me Instead.
Ben came out to his family when he was 12 but only recently started talking about his sexuality ahead of the release of his album. While he says it is not a ‘coming out’ album, the experiences he sings about just happen to be about men he’s been in love with. Platt freely uses male pronouns throughout the album. He told USA Today: "Having an example of someone who's open and can share their sexuality through art is a beautiful thing, and I'm so happy kids are going to be able to see that."
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9. Does Ben Platt have Instagram?
He does! Ben is on Instagram and Twitter at @bensplatt. He is, unfortunately, not on Snapchat but he does post to his Instagram story regularly... and almost every picture is iconic. (@bensplatt via Instagram)
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10. Who are Ben Platt's parents?
Ben grew up in a pretty musical family. His father, Marc Platt is the producer behind La La Land, Wicked and tons of other movies. His brother Jonah is also a Broadway actor, having starred as Fiyero in Wicked. Ben's mother, Julie Platt, is a Jewish communal leader and philanthropist.
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11. Ben Platt originated the role of Evan Hansen in "Dear Evan Hansen" in 2016
Dear Evan Hansen originally started in Washington DC and then moved into an off-Broadway theatre before it established itself as an original Broadway show. Ben played the title character in all three productions. His last performance as Evan was in November 2017, where he was replaced by Noah Galvin. Ben reprised the role in 2021 movie adaption of the musical.
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12. Ben Platt won a Tony Award for his role in Dear Evan Hansen
Ben won his first Best Actor in a Musical Tony award in 2017 for Dear Evan Hansen.
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13. Ben Platt won a Grammy for the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack
The cast of Dear Evan Hansen won the Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album. In 2018, Ben performed at the Grammys as part of a tribute to Broadway where he sang 'Somewhere' from West Side Story.
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14. Are Ben Platt and Skylar Astin related?
While they look like they could be brothers, former Pitch Perfect co-stars Ben and Skylar are not related.
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15. Was Ben Platt in Orange Is The Black?
No! He wasn't, but to be fair, he does look a LOT like the actor in the show. Many people thought Corrections Officer Bayley was played by Platt but he was actually played by Alan Aisenberg. Aisenberg says he gets people on the street shouting "PITCH PERFECT!" at him all the time... So many Ben Platt lookalikes, so little time!
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16. Ben Platt recorded a song with Lin-Manuel Miranda for March For Our Lives
Ben Platt and Lin-Manuel Miranda have teamed up on the new song "Found/Tonight" - a mash-up of the messages in the songs "The Story of Tonight" from "Hamilton" and "You Will Be Found" from "Dear Evan Hansen." A portion of the proceeds from the song will go to the March For Our Lives charity, in support of common-sense gun control.
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17. Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein have been best friends since high school
Ben and Beanie are best friends who go all the way back to middle school. They first met at a bat mitzvah and clicked immediately. They ended up attending the same high school, starring in several musicals together and eventually becoming BFFs. They also ended up starting their careers on Broadway at the same time too.
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18. Ben Platt released his debut album ‘Sing to Me Instead’ in 2019.
After revealing that he was recording an album, Ben dropped Sing To Me Instead in March 2019. The record features 12 tracks about love and heartbreak. So far, he’s released two songs as singles from the album called ‘Bad Habit’ and ‘Ease My Mind.’ Each song was also released with a music video, with the image above being from 'Ease My Mind' starring Charlie Carver.
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19. Ben Platt set to star in Richard Linklater’s Merrily We Roll Along
Ben is set to take on a role in Richard Linklater’s adaption of the musical Merrily We Roll Along. The shoot will take place over the next 20 years and will also star Beanie Feldstein and Blake Jenner. The musical follows the lives of three friends: Franklin Shepard, a Broadway composer; Charley Kringas, a lyricist who partners with Frank; and Mary Flynn, a writer and critic. In the movie, Platt will play Kringas, Jenner will play Shepard, and Feldstein will play Mary Flynn.
