Charles Martinet has voiced Mario in the “Super Mario” games and its spinoffs for over 27 years. He began voicing Mario when “Super Mario 64” was released on the Nintendo 64 on June 23, 1996.
Martinet went to audition for Mario and caught them right before closing time and got to audition.
“I actually crashed an audition; as I walked, in they were walking out,” Marinet said. “I said, ‘Can I read for this?’ and the guy looked at his watch, and he goes ‘Ugh, alright, come on in.’ …, and that was 26 amazing, fantastic years ago.”
Martinet’s work on “Super Mario 64” spiraled into voicing many other franchise characters, such as Luigi, Wario, Waluigi and more. He also voiced a few characters who only showed up a handful of times, like Robo Mario, Metal Mario and Baby Wario. His voice-acting work wasn’t just limited to Nintendo. He was also the voice of Paarthurnmax from “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” and Orvus from “Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time.” His voice-acting work was easily recognizable, as Mario is the golden child of Nintendo and one of the most well-known characters in the world.
Martinet’s influence isn’t just limited to Mario games. He voiced Mario in various other projects, and even outside of video games. His work may even reach people who don’t even play video games.
“A lot of people on the internet use his voice,” Senior Treyton Elliott said. “His voice can be used in many different ways.”
Martinet has said “Bye-Bye!” to the Mario crew, as he departed from the voice-acting gig and stepped into the new role of Mario Ambassador, which entailed him traveling across the globe to promote Mario. Martinet left an unforgettable legacy that will inspire gamers and game developers for generations.
“Mario’s voice is so iconic,” Senior Aiden Anderson said. “I find myself mimicking him sometimes, his voice is so goofy. The news (Martinet’s retirement from the role) kind of shocked me, but it’s good that he’s moving on.”