Ben Levi Ross

Benjamin Levi Ross (born January 15, 1998) is an American stage actor and singer. He is best known for his work in the stage musical Dear Evan Hansen, where he was Evan on Broadway and in the national tour. He received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the second Broadway revival of Ragtime as Mother's Younger Brother.

Early life and education Ross was born to a Jewish family on January 15, 1998, and grew up in Santa Monica, California. He attended Santa Monica High School, where he was active in his school's theater program, and during the summer, he trained at Interlochen Center for the Arts. . In 2016, he was named a Presidential Scholar of the Arts as part of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. He was also a grand prize finalist for the 2016 Music Center Spotlight awards. Following high school, he attended Carnegie Mellon University 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, who told Ross that he would be great as an understudy in the cast of Dear Evan Hansen. Soon after, he joined Dear Evan Hansens 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's production of Next to Normal. In 2021, Ross appeared in the film Tick, Tick... Boom! as Freddy.

From March to May 2022, he returned to the Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen in the title role of Evan Hansen for a limited engagement.

In the summer of 2024, Ross starred as Nick Carraway in Florence Welch's Gatsby: An American Myth at the American Repertory Theatre. He went on to reprise his Ragtime role beginning in September 2025 at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. Ross will depart the show early on July 12th ahead of its closing on August 16th, 2026.

Filmography

Theater credits +YearTitleRoleNotesRef.2017–18Dear Evan HansenEvan / Jared / Connor (understudy)Music Box Theater, Broadway Gatsby: An American MythNick CarrawayAmerican Repertory Theatre RagtimeMother's Younger BrotherNew York City Center, Off-Broadway 2025 The Connector Ethan Dobson Webster Hall 2025–26 Ragtime Mother's Younger Brother Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Broadway

Awards and nominations