Ben Levi Ross

Benjamin Levi Ross[1] (born January 15, 1998)[2] is an American stage actor. He is best known for his work in the Tony Award winning musical Dear Evan Hansen.

Ben Levi Ross
Born (1998-01-15) January 15, 1998
EducationCarnegie Mellon University (attended)
Occupation
  • Actor
  • singer
Years active2017–present
Partner(s)Taylor Trensch (2017–present)

Early life and education

Ross was born to a Jewish family on January 15, 1998 and grew up in Santa Monica, California.[3][2] He attended Santa Monica High School, 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.[4][5] He was also a grand prize finalist for the 2016 Music Center Spotlight awards.[6][7] Following high school, he attended Carnegie Mellon University for a year and a half.[8]

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, who told Ross that they would be great as an understudy in the cast of Dear Evan Hansen. Soon after, they joined Dear Evan Hansen's cast, and made their Broadway debut as the character Jared. Ross then spent ten months understudying for the roles of Evan, Connor, and Jared.[8][9] In 2018, he left the Broadway company and joined the first national tour of the show in the titular role.[10][11] They left the production on September 15, 2019.[12] From January 29 to February 3, 2020, Ross starred as Henry in the Kennedy Center's production of Next to Normal.[13]

Personal life

Ross is openly gay and non-binary, using he/him and they/them pronouns.[14][15] He has been in a relationship with Taylor Trensch, another former Dear Evan Hansen actor, since December 2017.[16]

Theater credits
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2017–18 Dear Evan Hansen Jared, Connor, Evan (understudy) Music Box Theater [8]
2018–19 Evan National tour [9][10]
2020 Next to Normal Henry Limited run at the Kennedy Center [13]

Awards and Nominations
Year Award Category Show Result Ref.
2019 BroadwayWorld Los Angeles Awards Best Leading Actor in a Musical - Tour Dear Evan Hansen Won [17]
BroadwayWorld Washington D.C. Awards Best Actor in a Musical - Large Professional Theatre Won [18]
2020 Eliot Norton Awards Outstanding Visiting Musical Performance Won [19][20]

References
  1. "The Samohi » Benjamin Ross". Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  2. "ben levi ross on Instagram: "A slappy sleepy happy 20 year old, thank u all for the lovely wishes and posts. I don't believe in age, but 20 feels good so far."". Instagram. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  3. "ben levi ross on Instagram: "three generations of Jewish Ross women's jewelry around my neck and romie"". Instagram. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  4. "Samohi's Ben Ross Candidate in Presidential Scholars Race". SM Mirror. February 24, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  5. "2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts" (PDF).
  6. Wild, Stephi. "Meet DEAR EVAN HANSEN's Touring Evan, Ben Levi Ross!". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  7. "14 Southern California Teens Named Grand Prize Finalists in The Music Center's Spotlight Program". At This Stage. May 13, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  8. "Ben Levi Ross: from Carnegie Mellon to Broadway to 'Dear Evan Hansen' tour star". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  9. Clawson, Kerry. "Ben Levi Ross tackles title role in Cleveland-bound 'Dear Evan Hansen'". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  10. Floyd, Thomas (July 31, 2019). "'Dear Evan Hansen' tests star Ben Levi Ross like he's never been tested before".
  11. "For the Evan in Tampa's 'Dear Evan Hansen,' a demanding role comes with love and anxiety". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  12. "ben levi ross on Instagram: "I am truly grateful for every single person from my family, to my friends, to the cast, to the team, to my boyfriend, to the band, to the…"". Instagram. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  13. "Broadway Center Stage: Next to Normal". www.kennedy-center.org. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  14. "ben levi ross (@benlross)". Instagram. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  15. Ross, Ben Levi [@benlross] (April 1, 2020). "A reminder that: BOTH of these people (me) are non-binary. Gender presentation is very complex. #transdayofvisibility". Retrieved November 18, 2020 – via Instagram.
  16. Ross, Ben Levi [@benlross] (November 29, 2019). "2 years ........ 💓". Retrieved November 18, 2020 – via Instagram.
  17. "Winners Announced For 2019 BroadwayWorld Los Angeles Awards". BroadwayWorld.com.
  18. "Winners Announced For 2019 BroadwayWorld Washington, DC Awards". BroadwayWorld.com.
  19. Gantz, Jeffrey (May 11, 2020). "'Parade,' 'The Stone' each grab three Elliot Norton awards in a virtual ceremony". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  20. "Elliot Norton Awards". elliotnortonawards. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
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