DEAR EVAN HANSEN's Ben Platt Among TIME's 100 Most Influential People in the World

TIME has named Ben Platt to the 2017 TIME 100, its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The full list and related items appear in the May 1, 2017 issue of TIME, available on newsstands on Friday, April 21, and now at time.com/time100.

In the TIME article on Platt, actor Zac Efron comments, "From the minute he stepped onto the Dear Evan Hansen stage, I knew there was something different about Ben Platt. His speech pattern had such a unique rhythm, and his singing-it's rare to hear a voice with such range, tone and pitch that can also convey complicated emotions musically. I wanted to give him a standing ovation after his first song." (read more here)

Others on this year's list include Oscar winner and Broadway alum Viola Davis, LA LA LAND star Emma Stone, and late night/TONY host James Corden. Check out the full list HERE

Platt has received critical acclaim for playing the title role in Broadway's Dear Evan Hansen. He originated the role at Arena Stage in Washington, DC and at Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre (Obie Award, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Nominations). Platt was the original Elder Cunningham in the Chicago production of THE BOOK OF MORMON and reprised the role on Broadway.

His film credits include Benji Applebaum in Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2, and 2016's Ricki and the Flash. Upcoming films include Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, Drunk Parents, The Female Brain. He starred in the National Tours of Caroline, or Change, directed by George C. Wolfe.

The TIME 100 list, now in its fourteenth year, recognizes the world's most influential individuals. As TIME Editor-in-Chief Nancy Gibbs has said of the list in the past: "Each year our TIME 100 list lets us step back and measure the forces that move us.... One way or another they each embody a breakthrough: they broke the rules, broke the record, broke the silence, broke the boundaries to reveal what we're capable of."

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos