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Charles Martinet, who has been the voice of Mario in every Nintendo game since 1991, will no longer provide the sound of the iconic character, the company announced Monday.
Nintendo stopped short of calling the move a retirement, noting Martinet would move into the role of “Mario Ambassador,” meeting with fans around the world.
“Charles Martinet has been the original voice of Mario in Nintendo Games for a long time, as far back as Super Mario 64,” Nintendo wrote in a tweet. “Charles is now moving into the brand-new role of Mario Ambassador. With this transition, he will be stepping back from recording character voices for our games, but he’ll continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario and interacting with you all! It has been an honor working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years, and we want to thank and celebrate him.”
The company did not announce who would take over voice acting duties for Mario moving forward. Earlier this year, actor Chris Pratt assumed the role in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Given his in-demand status in Hollywood, the likely cost of his services, and the significant difference between the vocal mannerisms between movie Mario and video game Mario, he is an unlikely choice.
We have a message for fans of the Mushroom Kingdom. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/U1ASicOuTO
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 21, 2023
In addition to voicing Mario, Martinet has been the voice of the plumber’s lanky brother Luigi, as well as Wario and Waluigi. He has been a popular guest at gaming conventions and a fan favorite for years.
When he first auditioned for the role, Martinet said he didn’t know much of anything about the video game world, but assumed he could do an Italian accent as he had recently completed playing Gremio in a production of Taming of the Shrew. He ended up talking in the now-iconic voice until the casting director ran out of tape, not only securing the job but also a place in pop culture.
“So often [fans] say things like ‘You’re the voice of my childhood’ or ‘I grew up playing your game’ and I’m so touched by that because I’m the actor that puts a little icing on the top of the cake,” Martinet said at a 2021 fan expo. “The process of making a video game is years long and there are people working seven days a week…and I come in and go ‘Woo-hoo!,’ ‘Yippee!,’ ‘Whee!’ and I get recognition for that.”
