Jonah Platt

Jonah Sezzin Platt (born November 17, 1986) is an American actor, singer and Jewish advocate. He has credits across stage, film and television, with his most prominent roles occurring on stage.

Since 2024, he has hosted the award-winning weekly podcast, Being Jewish with Jonah Platt, interviewing Jewish entertainers, writers, advocates, rabbis, as well as non-Jewish allies.^[1][2] Haaretz described it as a "top-ranked Jewish podcast".^[3]

Platt was born in Los Angeles, one of five children of Julie and Marc Platt.^[4] His father is a film, television, and theater producer whose credits include Legally Blonde, Into the Woods, La La Land, Mary Poppins Returns, the musical Wicked, and its film adaptation. ^[5] His mother has served as chair of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America, which oversees 146 Jewish federations across the United States and Canada.^[6][7] He has two sisters and two brothers, including actor Ben Platt.^[8] He and his family are Jewish.^[9][10]

He attended Jewish day school and sleepaway camp at Camp Ramah, affiliated with Conservative Judaism.^[1][11] He also participated in Birthright Israel, a free ten-day trip to Israel for young Jewish adults between the ages of 18 and 26.^[12]

He attended Harvard-Westlake School, an independent school in Los Angeles.^[13] In 2008, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences with a B.A. in English with minors in Cinema Studies and Music.^[14]

In October 2023, Platt contributed a column to Variety as part of Variety’s Antisemitism and Hollywood package. Platt's column advocated for more joyful Jewish narratives being told on screen.^[15]

In January 2024, he joined Julianna Margulies, David Schwimmer and Debra Messing in signing an open letter addressed to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, demanding it include Jews in its representation and inclusion standards.^[16]

In late 2024, California's 51st State Assembly district recognized him with a Community Excellence Award for Combating Antisemitism.^[17]

In October 2024, he started the podcast, Being Jewish with Jonah Platt. His guests have included actor Skylar Astin, singer and activist Montana Tucker, Rabbi David Wolpe, writer Sarah Hurwitz, comedian Tiffany Haddish, actress Ginnifer Goodwin, actor Josh Gad, news commentator, Van Jones and matchmaker Aleeza Ben Shalom.^{[18][19][20][21][22][23]} Guests have also included Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, writer Dara Horn, basketball coach Bruce Pearl, actress Patricia Heaton, comedian David Baddiel, activist Noa Tishby and actor Jason Alexander.^{[1][24][25][26][27][28]}

In 2025, he was awarded multiple accolades for his podcast, including honoree of Best Indie Podcast by the Webby Awards and the Religion Communicators Council Wilbur Award for Excellence in the category of Audio Productions – Extended Length.^[29][30]

In September 2025, he joined Messing, Liev Schreiber, Mayim Bialik and Gene Simmons in signing a letter rejecting a boycott of the Israeli film industry.^[31]

In November 2025, American Friends of ELEM (a non-profit supporting Israeli youth at risk) honored Platt with the Lifesaver Award at the Ray Of Hope Benefit in Manhattan.^[32]

In 2013, he starred in the Los Angeles revival of the musical comedy, Bare: A Pop Opera.^[33]

In 2014, he starred as Wolf alongside Kristen Bell and Sarah Hyland in a Hollywood Bowl production of the musical, Hair.^[34] In the same year he starred as Homer in La Mirada's theatre revival of Floyd Collins.^[35] The production went on to win Best Production of a Musical (Large Theater) at the 2014 Ovation Awards.^[36]

In 2015, he made his Broadway theatre debut in Wicked, playing Fiyero.^[37]

In 2017, he played the Beast in Beauty and the Beast — A Christmas Rose, a production in Pasadena in the style of a British pantomime.^[38]

In the same year, he directed a production of Bert V. Royal's Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. The production ran for six sold-out shows at the Blank Theater as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival. It was partly funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, with 15% of proceeds going towards the GSA Network.^[39]

In 2018, he starred as Marty Kantrowitz in the musical stage adaptation of the 1999 film, A Walk on the Moon. Platt performed at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.^[40]

In 2019, he directed Carrie Manolakos and an all-star cast in a reading of the play Irena at Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills. The story is based on the life of Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker who rescued more than 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during the Second World War.^[41]

In 2020, he starred as Davy Rothbart in the musical Found, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. The production at the Los Angeles Theatre Center is based on a collection of stories written Rothbart, drawn from discarded notes and letters.^[42]

In 2023, he starred in a workshop of The Heart of Rock and Roll, directed by Gordon Greenberg.^[43]

Later in 2023, he starred alongside Bella Heathcote in Samuel Baum's play The Engagement Party at the Geffen Playhouse.^[44]

He has performed with his brothers, Ben Platt and Henry as "The Platt Brothers".^[45] He has also performed as a soloist and in duet with Ben.^[46]

In 2021, he had a minor role in Aaron Sorkin's drama, Being the Ricardos, which also starred Nicole Kidman. The following year he starred in the Hulu Hannukah movie, Menorah in the Middle, alongside Lucy DeVito.^[47]

Platt is currently producing his first feature film, The Mensch, in which he will co-produce and star alongside Ginnifer Goodwin.^[1]

In 2016, he married Courtney Galiano in a Jewish ceremony officiated by Rabbi David Wolpe.^[48] The couple have two children together.^[18] His wife converted to Judaism and he is an Advisory Board Member for the American Jewish University’s Miller Intro to Judaism Program.^[49][50]

In 2025, Platt revealed that he had received an adult diagnosis for ADHD and how he was responding to it.^[51]

• Official website
• Jonah Platt at IMDb