Charles Martinet Retires From Voicing Mario

Nintendo released a statement earlier this week sharing the news that Charles Martinet, the first and original voice of a variety of “Super Mario” characters – including the titular Mario himself. According to the message posted by Nintendo of America on X, formerly known as Twitter, just because Charles Martinet retires from voicing Mario, he is not leaving the gaming scene entirely; instead, he is “stepping back” from providing his classic voices for equally classic characters and becoming a “Mario Ambassador” on behalf of Nintendo. The message concludes with the new of an upcoming video message from Martinet himself and “Super Mario” creator, executive and game director at Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto.

Charles Martinet, 67, originally began voicing Mario in 1991. However, many trace back their earliest memories of hearing Mario’s iconic voice in the 1996 hit “Super Mario 64” on the Nintendo 64 console. As the years and games went by, Martinet began providing the voice of a variety of other characters in the “Super Mario” universe, including Luigi, Wario, Waluigi and the many variants of each character. In 2019, Guinness World Records recognized Martinet for voicing Mario in over 100 different video games, more than any other voice actor in the industry.

Beyond the “Super Mario” franchise, Martinet has also done voice work for other well-known video games, such as the dragon Paarthurnax in “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” and Orvus in “Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time.”

Martinet’s Final Mario Performance Was Not Even As Mario

“Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope,” released in 2022, was Martinet’s final game providing the voice of both Mario and Luigi. However, his truly final instance of lending his voice to a Mario-related production is this year’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” where he played two brief cameos, including one as Mario and Luigi’s father. Currently, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is sitting proudly as the highest-grossing film of 2023, the highest-grossing video game-based film and the second highest-grossing animated film of all time.

“Super Mario Bros. Wonder,” scheduled to release later this year on Oct. 20, will be the first game to feature someone new behind the voice of Mario – though, exactly who that is has yet to be revealed.

Shortly after Nintendo of America’s announcement, Charles Martinet retweeted it with a proud proclamation: “My new Adventure begins! You are all Numba One in my heart! #woohoo  !!!!!!!”

Featured Image Courtesy of Nintendo of America.

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