Charles Martinet Bids Farewell to Voicing Mario After 27 Years

Renowned voice actor Charles Martinet, who has been the iconic voice behind the beloved video game character Mario for the past 27 years, is stepping away from his role.

Nintendo recently made the announcement through a tweet on Monday.

While Martinet’s voice has been synonymous with Mario, he will now take on the new position of “Mario ambassador.”

With this transition, the 67-year-old Martinet will no longer be recording character voices for Nintendo’s games.

However, the company emphasized that he will still remain actively involved in spreading the joy of Mario around the world and engaging with fans.

Martinet’s journey as Mario’s voice actor began well before his breakthrough in Super Mario 64 in 1996.

He had previously lent his voice to the cheerful plumber in games like Mario Teaches Typing and Mario’s Game Gallery for PC in 1994 and 1995 respectively.

Throughout the years, Martinet continued to breathe life into Mario in various mainline games like Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario Galaxy, as well as in spinoff titles such as the Mario Kart series.

Notably, he extended his vocal talents to other beloved Nintendo characters including Luigi, Wario, and their younger versions.

Beyond Nintendo’s realm, Martinet’s voice also resonated in other video games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Dragon Ball Super: Hero.

Speculation regarding Martinet’s future arose when fans noticed his absence as the voice of Mario in the upcoming Nintendo Switch game, Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

In a surprising turn of events earlier this year, Hollywood actor Chris Pratt took over the role of Mario in the highly successful Super Mario Bros. Movie, accompanied by Charlie Day as the voice of Luigi.

Interestingly, Martinet made a brief cameo appearance in the movie as a Brooklyn, New York resident.

Nintendo has promised to provide more information about this transition in a forthcoming video message featuring both Charles Martinet and Nintendo’s video game director Shigeru Miyamoto.

The company expressed its gratitude to Martinet for his immense contribution to bringing Mario to life over the years, highlighting the honor they’ve felt in collaborating with him.