Jonathan Groff on TIME's 100 Most Influential People (2026)

[JamesG]

Jonathan Groff
by Sutton Foster (Tony-winning Actress)





Jonathan Groff radiates from within. I first saw him onstage during Spring Awakening’s original run in 2006, and he was so beautiful and heartbreaking and vulnerable.

I went on to see him in Hamilton as King George, and in Merrily We Roll Along as the composer Franklin Shepard, for which Jonathan won his first Tony in 2024. It’s hard to make that character likable, but Jonathan is inherently likable—you just root for him.

Backstage at Merrily, we sat on the floor of his dressing room, shooting the ****. He gives the biggest hugs, and he’s a real seeker—he wants to understand the world and his place in it.

In the past year, Jonathan’s portrayal of the pop star Bobby Darin in Just in Time has been a tour de force. The show resonated because he was so connected to his character. Jonathan was a fan of mine growing up—and now I’m an überfan of his.

https://time.com/collection/100-most...onathan-groff/