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For three decades now, the iconic character of Mario has continued to delight gamers all over the world, and Charles Martinet is the person who deserves equal credit for the same. The man behind the voice of beloved Nintendo characters has been known to play both Mario and Luigi, including other characters like Wario and Waluigi in the Super Mario gaming series.
However, Martinet shall no longer continue to voice the characters, as revealed by a statement on Twitter by Nintendo on August 21, 2023. Instead, he will take on the role of Mario Ambassador, traveling the world to promote the video game series.
Super Mario Bros. presently has over 20 games in the series that have sold over 380 million copies worldwide ever since its introduction.
Charles Martinet - The man behind the moustache
Charles Martinet, born on September 17, 1955, in San Jose, California, had a unique path to becoming one of the most recognized voices in the world of video games. His stint with Nintendo began with Super Punch-Out!! in 1994, but his association with Mario video games started once he took over the role of Mario Teaches Typing in the same year.
The 67-year-old American actor had landed a job with Nintendo when he turned up for an audition at the trade show where the casting for Mario's voice actor was being wrapped up for the day. He was asked to pretend to be an Italian plumber from Brooklyn for his attempt, and Martinet's choice to make his voice sound more children-friendly led to the friendly, raspy voice.
Charles Martinet drew his inspiration from Gremio from William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and went on to read his lines till the tape ran out. Along with his digital puppetry at video game trade shows, Martinet took on the role of Mario in pinball arcade machines in 1992.
It was only in 1995 that the world was truly exposed to the celebrated voice of Martinet with Super Mario 64. Around the time he worked on Mario in Real-Time or MIRT at trade fairs, he was introduced to the creator of the gaming series, Shigeru Miyamoto.
The world-famous sexagenarian has voiced Nintendo characters Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Metal Mario, Shadow Mario, Mini-Mario Toys, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and Baby Wario alongside Wart, Mouser, Tryclyde, and Clawgrip in Super Mario Advance.
Martinet was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for performing as Mario under a hundred different titles following Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
More on Charles Martinet's Resignation as Mario
On the evening of August 21, 2023, Nintendo of America announced that Martinet will be officially stepping down as a voice actor and transitioning into a Mario Ambassador. His job will be to travel the world and spread the message of Mario.
The statement on Twitter reads:
“It has been an honor working with Charles for so many years and we want to thank and celebrate him. Please keep an eye out for a special video message from Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles himself, which we will post at a future date.”
The last Mario game to feature Charles Martinet's voice was Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope released in 2022. Aside from this, he played Giuseppe and Mario’s dad in The Super Mario Bros. Movie which was released on April 5, 2023.
