Who is Mario voice actor Charles Martinet and why is he stepping down?

NINTENDO revealed on Monday that long-time voice actor Charles Martinet will be stepping down from voicing iconic video game character Mario.

Charles Martinet, 67, is an American actor and the original voice behind Mario, ever since the earliest video games in which the beloved Italian plumber actually speaks.

Nintendo

The Super Mario 64 start screen is for many the first time when they heard Mario’s voice, provided by Charles Martinet[/caption]

Who is Charles Martinet?

Charles Martinet was born in San Jose, California, on September 17, 1955, but his family moved to Barcelona and then Paris when he was a kid.

Later on, he attended UC Berkeley to study international law, but then moved to an apprenticeship at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Martinet also went to Drama Studio London, where he discovered a knack for imitating dialects and accents.

His skill would prove crucial for creating the distinctive exaggerated Italian-American accent of Mario.

When did Charles Martinet start voicing Mario?

Martinet landed the role of Mario back in 1991 when Nintendo was looking for a voice for their mascot to use at trade shows and other promo events.

Mario games at the time did not feature voice acting, so Charles Martinet was hired to portray the iconic character for an interactive system known as Mario in Real-Time (MIRT).

The system, developed by US company SimGraphics, would allow visitors at promotional events to converse with a 3D version of Mario displayed on a TV screen.

The first video game for which Martinet had to voice Mario is 1994’s Mario Teaches Typing, an obscure educational game. 

Mario’s Game Gallery from 1995 is the earliest game where Martinet provides full dialogue in a game.

Nevertheless, most Mario fans first heard Charles Martinet as the voice of Mario in Super Mario 64, which was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1996.

Why is Charles Martinet stepping down from voicing Mario?

Although Martinet is stepping back from recording character voices for Nintendo games, he will move to the new position of Mario Ambassador.

While it is not clear what exactly this new role will entail, Nintendo’s announcement notes that “he will continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario and interacting with you all!”

Nintendo’s announcement does not cite specific reasons for the move. 

With the announcement, the company promised a special video message from Charles Martinet and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. 

This video will be published at an unspecified later date.

Who else did Charles Martinet voice?

In addition to Mario, Charles Martinet has portrayed many other characters in the Super Mario franchise.

Martinet has voiced Mario’s brother Luigi, as well as the arch-rivals of Mario and Luigi, Wario and Waluigi. 

He has also lent his voice to special versions of Mario, like Metal Mario, who appears throughout the Mario and Super Smash Bros. series.

Shadow Mario, a mysterious Mario doppelgänger who is a boss in Super Mario Sunshine, is also portrayed by Charles Martinet. 

The Mini-Mario Toy, which appears in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, is voiced by Martinet, too. 

Martinet also voiced Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, and Baby Wario, who appear in the Yoshi’s Island series.

In the first Luigi’s Mansion game, Martinet voices the portrait ghost Boolossus and the smaller Boo ghosts.

Did Charles Martinet voice Luigi?

Yes, Charles Martinet has been voicing Mario’s taller brother, Luigi, for almost three decades, too. 

Mario Kart 64 from 1996 is one of the earliest games that features a voiced version of Luigi.

In Luigi’s own video game series, Luigi’s Mansion, Mario’s twin brother is also voiced by Charles Martinet.

Written by Stoyan Ovcharov on behalf of GLHF.