How long did Charles Martinet voice Mario? Career of veteran explored as he steps away from voicing the legendary character

Charles Martinet is widely renowned as the beloved voice actor for the iconic video game character Super Mario. Over the years, the 67-year-old has established a close-knit bond with the IP holder Nintendo for bringing the fan-favorite mascot to life. Recent news about him stepping back from the role has disappointed fans.

Given how close he has been to fans, the news does come as a surprise. With the upcoming Super Mario Wonder seemingly being his last role, let's look back at how he came to get this role in the first place.

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Charles Martinet's Mario voice acting career over the past 32 years has cemented him as one of the best in the industry

Charles Martinet was born in 1955 in San Jose, California, in the United States. Soon after his university years, he got into theatre, where he discovered his knack for accents. After being informed of an audition for "an Italian plumber from Brooklyn," he decided to give it a shot.

As luck would have it, he arrived at the last minute before the auditions were closing. Initially, he opted for a deep, harsher voice but switched to a soft-spoken one. This was inspired by Gremio from Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.

This rendition is what established him as the one and only voice actor for the Mushroom Kingdom's savior. He initially voiced a digital puppet version of Mario at various gaming trade shows.

The first time he made it into a commercial video game was Mario Teaches Typing in 1994.

Most players met him in Super Mario 64, the revolutionary Nintendo 64 3D platformer. This opportunity arose after designer Shigeru Miyamoto himself met Martinet in person to discuss the role. Since then, he has made an appearance in every major outing featuring the mustached plumber. However, he has more under his belt.

The second most powerful role Charles Martinet is known for is Mario's lanky, green-clad brother Luigi. Besides that, he is known for voicing the announcer in Super Punch Out! for Super NES, the Luigi's Mansion series, the Wario Land series, and more.

He has even voiced third-party games, including SEGA's Skies of Arcadia (2000), Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance (1999), Jet Set Radio Future (2002), World in Conflict (2007), and Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (2009). He has also voiced the dragon Paarthurnax in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim (2011).

Charles Martinet also has experience in the film and TV industry. The former includes The Californians (2005), Dragon Ball Super: Super Heroes (2022), and the recent The Super Mario Bros movie (2023). As for the latter, he has made an oral appearance in a few episodes of series like Reasonable Doubts (1992) and even JoJo's Bizzare Adventure (1994).

Given his excellent track record and brilliant talent, it certainly is disappointing to see him step back. Charles Martinet's voice will definitely be missed in future Super Mario games; however, he will remain at the company as an ambassador for the Japanese gaming giant.