Died at 32
male
Benjamin Schiff Platt (born September 24, 1993) is an American actor and singer. The son of film and theatre producer Marc Platt and philanthropist Julie Platt, he began his acting career in musical theatre as a child. He appeared in productions of The Sound of Music (2006) and The Book of Mormon (2012–2015), rising to prominence for originating the title role in the Broadway coming-of-age musical Dear Evan Hansen (2015–2017). His performance in the latter earned him multiple accolades, including the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (making him the youngest solo recipient of the award at the time), a Daytime Emmy, and a Grammy Award. Platt reprised the role of Evan Hansen in the 2021 film adaptation of the musical produced by his father. He then played Leo Frank in the 2022 New York City Center Gala production of Parade, which transferred to Broadway in 2023 and earned another Tony and Grammy nomination. Platt's film credits include the Pitch Perfect film series (2012–2017), Ricki and the Flash (2015), Run This Town (2019), and Theater Camp (2023), the latter of which he also co-wrote. Since 2019, he has starred in the Netflix comedy-drama series The Politician, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Platt signed with Atlantic Records in 2017 and released his debut album, Sing to Me Instead, in March 2019. In May 2020, the concert film Ben Platt Live from Radio City Music Hall debuted on Netflix. Platt's second studio album, Reverie, was released on August 13, 2021. After signing with Interscope in 2023, Platt's third studio album, Honeymind, was released on May 31, 2024. In 2017, Platt was included on the annual Time 100 list of the world's most influential people. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ben Platt, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Candide is the story of a gentle man who, though pummeled and slapped in every direction by fate, clings desperately to the belief that he lives in "the best of all possible worlds." On the surface a witty, bantering tale, this eighteenth-century classic is actually a savage, satiric thrust at the philosophical optimism that proclaims that all disaster and human suffering is part of a benevolent cosmic plan. Fast, funny, often outrageous, the French philosopher's immortal narrative takes Candide around the world to discover that -- contrary to the teachings of his distinguished tutor Dr. Pangloss -- all is not always for the best. Alive with wit, brilliance, and graceful storytelling, Candide has become Voltaire's most celebrated work.
