Charles Martinet, the original and longtime voice actor of Mario in the Nintendo Super Mario game series, is retiring from the role he’s held since the 1990s, Nintendo announced. However, Martinet will continue his association with the character as a “Mario Ambassador.” Nintendo thanked Martinet for his years of service and announced that a special video message from Shigeru Miyamoto and Martinet himself will be released at a later date.
Martinet has voiced not only Mario, but also other iconic Nintendo characters such as Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and Baby Mario, among others. He first voiced Mario at tradeshows in the early 1990s and made his video game debut as the character in 1994’s Mario Teaches Typing. Martinet’s popularity became apparent in 2023 when fans expressed outrage over Chris Pratt being cast as the voice of Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, instead of the original voice actor.
Martinet’s retirement marks the end of an era for the Super Mario game series, but he will always be remembered for bringing the beloved character to life for so many years. As a Mario Ambassador, Martinet will continue to share the joy of Mario and interact with fans around the world. It is a new adventure for him, and his fans are eagerly awaiting the special video message to celebrate his contributions to the franchise.