Marc Platt (producer)

Early life

Platt was born and raised in a Conservative Jewish home in Pikesville, Maryland, the son of Sue Ellen (née Sezzin), a schoolteacher, and Howard Platt, who worked in the retail shoe business. He has an older brother and a younger sister.

Career

Adam Siegel (President) Television Stage Platt started producing in theatre, before moving into film. Platt was a business-affairs lawyer for (ICM) International Creative Management's superagent Sam Cohn, laying the essential groundwork of entertainment contacts. He was thirty-three years old when he replaced Mike Medavoy, at Orion Pictures, as production chief. After Orion, he served as president of production for two more movie studios: TriStar Pictures, and Universal Studios. Platt has since formed his own production company, Marc Platt Productions, within the Universal realm and continues to pursue creative projects. His company is responsible for the Legally Blonde films and the HBO miniseries Empire Falls.

Platt has produced a variety of feature films beginning with the 1987 comedy Campus Man. His films include Legally Blonde (2001), Wanted (2008), Rachel Getting Married (2008), Nine (2009), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Drive (2011), The Girl on the Train (2016), and Cruella (2021). He also produced critically acclaimed films such as Steven Spielberg's Cold War drama Bridge of Spies (2015), Damien Chazelle's musical La La Land (2016), and Aaron Sorkin's legal drama The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), all of which earned him Academy Award for Best Picture nominations.

He was executive producer of the two-part docudrama The Path to 9/11, shown on ABC on the fifth anniversary of 9/11 on September 10 and 11, 2006. The film was controversial and accused of having a political agenda and fictionalising the events leading up to the September 11, 2001 attacks, especially those involving the Clinton administration.

He collaborated with Walt Disney Pictures producing numerous musicals for the studio including Into the Woods (2014), Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Aladdin (2019, as an executive producer), The Little Mermaid (2023), and Snow White (2025), as well as Universal's Wicked films (2024–2025). In 2021 he produced a film adaptation of the musical Dear Evan Hansen (2021) which featured a leading performance from his son Ben Platt, who originated the title role on Broadway. This casting, however, led to accusations of nepotism against them for having Ben, at age 27, reprise his role as the teenage title character in the film. For his work on television he produced Grease Live! (2016), Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (2018), and Rent: Live (2019) as well as the HBO projects Empire Falls (2005), and Oslo (2021).

Theatre

Platt has produced numerous productions on the Broadway stage with his first official credit being Wicked earning his first Tony Award for Best Musical nomination. He was also nominated for Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical for Pal Joey in 2009 and Tony Award for Best Play for Indecent in 2017. He won the Tony Award for Best Musical for The Band's Visit in 2018 and for A Strange Loop in 2022. He will also produce the upcoming stage adaptation of La La Land.

Personal life

Platt and his wife Julie (née Beren) also a Penn graduate and trustee of the university, live in the Los Angeles area. They funded the construction of a performing arts rehearsal and performance space on the campus, the Platt Student Performing Arts House. Platt is a Penn Glee Club alumnus and supporter. His company has taken at least one Penn student intern a year since its inception.

The Platts have five children, including, Ben Platt and Jonah Platt, both actors and singers.

Filmography

Film

;Actor

;Thanks

;Cameo appearances

Television

;Executive producer

;Actor

;Thanks

;Cameo appearances

Theatre

• 1983: Total Abandon (play, associate producer)
• 2003–present: Wicked (musical)
• 2006: Three Days of Rain (play)
• 2008–09: Pal Joey (musical, associate producer)
• 2014: If/Then (musical)
• 2016: Oh, Hello on Broadway (Play)
• 2017: War Paint (musical)
• 2017: Indecent (play)
• 2017–19: The Band's Visit (musical)
• 2021–23: A Strange Loop (musical)
• 2022-23: Topdog/Underdog (play)
• 2023: Fat Ham (play)
• 2024: Death Becomes Her (musical)
• 2025: Buena Vista Social Club (musical)
• 2025: Purpose (play)
• TBA: La La Land (musical)

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. Berrin, Danielle. (February 23, 2016). "Producer Marc Platt: The man behind "Wicked" and "Bridge of Spies" aspires to great art". [[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]].
2. Bloom, Nate. (February 25, 2016). "The tribe at the Oscars, 2016". [[Times of Israel]].
3. Wolfsiz, Francine. (February 27, 2017). "La La Land: Who knew it was so Jewish". [[Times of Israel]].
4. (April 26, 2019). "On April 25, 2019, Sue Ellen Platt (née Sezzin); loving wife of Howard Platt; cherished mother of Dr. Jeffrey (Pamela) Platt, Marc (Julie) Platt, & Wendy (Scott) Newberger;".
5. He graduated from [[Pikesville High School]] in 1975 and the [[University of Pennsylvania]] in 1979, where he was a member of the [[University of Pennsylvania Glee Club]]. He then earned his [[Juris Doctor]] from the [[New York University School of Law]] and began his career as an [[entertainment law
6. Lasswell, Mark. (May 1991). "The Lost Tycoons". [[Spy (magazine).
7. [http://www.hbo.com/films/empirefalls/cast/marc_platt.html Empire Falls cast biography] {{Webarchive. link. (January 9, 2010 . [[HBO Films]].)
8. "Ben Platt Is Facing Backlash Over His Latest Comments About The "Dear Evan Hansen" Film".
9. (May 19, 2021). "Dear Evan Hansen: Ben Platt, 27, hits back at 'rando jerks' after he's mocked with memes for portraying a teenager".
10. Jacobs, Julia. (2022-06-12). "Tony Awards 2022 Live Updates: 'A Strange Loop' Wins Best Musical". The New York Times.
11. Galuppo, Mia. (February 7, 2023). "'La La Land' to Become a Broadway Musical". The Hollywood Reporter.
12. "UPenn Trustees". [[University of Pennsylvania]].
13. [http://www.sas.upenn.edu/home/news/platts.html "Lead Gift Creates a Permanent Home for Student Performing Arts at Penn"] {{Webarchive. link. (2017-06-16. [[University of Pennsylvania]] (September 2005); accessed April 30, 2017.)
14. (17 July 2015). [https://www.ajc.org/news/podcast/from-broadway-to-jewish-advocacy-jonah-platt-on-identity-antisemitism-and-israel#:~:text=He%20reflects%20on%20his%20Jewish,stories%20with%20heart%20and%20nuance. From Broadway to Jewish Advocacy: Jonah Platt on Identity, Antisemitism, and Israel] American Jewish Committee. Retrieved on 29 October 2025
15. "Digging into 'The Book of Mormon': an interview with Ben Platt and Nic Rouleau".
16. Weiss, Melissa. (April 29, 2020). "For the Platt brothers, Yom Ha'atzmaut is a family affair".
17. "The 88th Academy Awards (2016) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
18. "The 89th Academy Awards (2017) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
19. "The 93rd Academy Awards {{!}} 2021". [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]].
20. Green, Jesse. (2022-10-21). "Review: In 'Topdog/Underdog,' Staying Alive Is the Ultimate Hustle". The New York Times.
21. VanHoose, Benjamin. (December 9, 2024). "2025 Golden Globe Nominations: Wicked, The Substance, The Bear and Shōgun All Score". People.
22. Brooks, Brian. (February 21, 2009). ""The Wrestler" Leads 2009 Spirit Award Winners". [[IndieWire]].
23. Grein, Paul. (November 16, 2023). "Billie Eilish's 'Barbie' Song, Robbie Robertson's Scorsese Score Honored at 2023 Hollywood Music in Media Awards".
24. Grein, Paul. (November 21, 2024). "'Emilia Pérez' and Hans Zimmer Are Top Winners at 2024 Hollywood Music in Media Awards".