Benjamin Levi Ross (born January 15, 1998) is an American stage actor and singer. He is best known for his work in the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

winning musical ''

Dear Evan Hansen ''Dear Evan Hansen'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. The musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety, "who invents an important role for himself in a t ...

,'' where he played Evan, Connor and Jared (understudy) on Broadway and Evan in the national tour.

Early life and education

Ross was born to a Jewish family on January 15, 1998, and grew up in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

. He attended

Santa Monica High School Santa Monica High School, officially abbreviated to SaMoHi, is located in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1891, it changed location several times in its early years before settling into its present campus at 601 Pico Boulevard. It is a part o ...

, where he was active in his school's theater program. In 2016, he was named a Presidential Scholar of the Arts as part of the 2016 U.S.

Presidential Scholars Program The United States Presidential Scholars Program is a program of the United States Department of Education. It is described as "one of the Nation's highest honors for students" in the United States of America and the globe. The program was estab ...

. He was also a grand prize finalist for the 2016 Music Center Spotlight awards. Following high school, he attended

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

for a year and a half.

Career

At an audition for the play ''The Low Road'' at New York's Public Theater, Ross was noticed by ''Dear Evan Hansen'' director

Michael Greif Michael Greif (born ca. 1959 in Brooklyn, New YorkWelsh, Anne Marie, "New York and family call Michael Greif home", ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'', October 10, 1999, p.E-1) is an American stage director. He has won three Obie Award, Obie Awards a ...

, who told Ross that he would be great as an understudy in the cast of ''Dear Evan Hansen''. Soon after, he joined ''Dear Evan Hansen''s cast, and made his Broadway debut as the character Jared. Ross then spent ten months understudying for the roles of Evan, Connor, and Jared. In 2018, he left the Broadway company and joined the first national tour of the show in the titular role. He left the production on September 15, 2019. From January 29 to February 3, 2020, Ross starred as Henry in the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

's production of ''

Next to Normal ''Next to Normal'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing ...

''. In 2021, Ross appeared in the film '' Tick, Tick... Boom!'' as Freddy.

Personal life

Ross is gay and

non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

, using they/them and he/him pronouns.

Film credits

Theater credits

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Ben Levi 1998 births 21st-century American actors 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American LGBT people Actors from Santa Monica, California American gay actors American male musical theatre actors American non-binary actors Jewish American male actors LGBT people from California Living people LGBT Jews