Charles Martinet

"Ah, that Charles Martinet. Nice Italian boy."

- Mario

 (last name usually pronounced mar-tin-AY, born September 17, 1955 in, ) is an American actor and voice actor best known for his voices in the Super Mario franchise. He voiced several characters in the franchise, including Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Baby Wario, among several other male characters. He also voiced the male bosses in Super Mario Advance. The Internet Movie Database attributes over 150 works to Martinet in total. In addition to English, Martinet speaks fluent French and Spanish, as well as some Italian.

At the time of his audition in 1990, Charles Martinet had never heard of Mario or Nintendo. Martinet originally was not invited to audition for the role of Mario; according to him, he crashed the auditions and was asked to do an Italian accent. His recordings left so much of an impression that they were the only ones sent to Nintendo. As a former Shakespearean actor, Martinet has stated that Mario's voice was based on his voice for Gremio, a character from . Some sources have alternatively cited Petruchio from the same play as the inspiration.

Martinet was flown to SimGraphics in South Pasadena the next day to be fitted for the Mario in Real Time system, wherein he had motion sensors attached to his face, which transposed his facial movements to a computer-generated Mario head on a screen. Martinet watched people passing by the screen through a hidden camera and talked to them as Mario; this was used rather often by Nintendo for promotional events. He would not start voicing Mario in games until the 1994 CD release of Mario Teaches Typing (featuring an altered form of Mario in Real Time), which, while the first confirmed game to have Mario portrayed by Martinet, has been contested by the Super Mario Bros. pinball machine in 1992, although no reliable source has been given to this claim.

Charles Martinet's voice for Mario would be solidified as standard by its usage in Super Mario 64. The non-Japanese version of Mario Kart 64 would be the first game to feature him as the voice actor for Luigi and Wario (with him having developed the former's voice when trying to minimize his mouth movements while speaking in Mario in Real Time), and he went on to also voice Waluigi upon the character's introduction in Mario Tennis. He has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as providing the "most video game voiceover performances as the same character" (at least 100 as Mario, as of the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate).

He would not go on to voice Mario and Luigi in the The Super Mario Bros. Movie (with the characters instead being voiced by Chris Pratt and Charlie Day respectively in English), but he provided the voices of their father and Giuseppe in several languages.

Nintendo announced on August 21, 2023 that Martinet had stepped down from voicing characters in the Super Mario franchise for currently unspecified reasons, and would be taking on the role of Mario Ambassador. The final Super Mario game released prior to this that features his voice was Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (although the 2023 Summer Tour in Mario Kart Tour, which began the day after the announcement of Martinet's retirement, introduced a variant of Mario with a new voice line by him), while Super Mario Bros. Wonder and WarioWare: Move It! are the first games to feature his replacement(s). However, his voice clips are still used in reissues of games that featured them.

Portrayals

 * Mario in Real Time – Mario / Mario's face / Luigi / Wario / Donkey Kong / Mama Mario / Papa Mario / Himself
 * Mario Teaches Typing – Mario / Mario's face
 * Mario's Game Gallery – Mario
 * Super Mario 64 – Mario / Mario's face
 * Super Mario 64 Original Soundtrack – Mario
 * Mario Teaches Typing 2 – Mario / Mario's face
 * Mario Kart 64 – Mario / Luigi (English) / Wario (English) / System voice (English)
 * Mario Kart 64 (slot machine) – Mario / Luigi / Wario
 * Mario Kart 64 Race Tracks – Mario / Luigi / Wario
 * Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle Stadium – Mario (in-game only)
 * Mario Kart 64 Original Soundtrack – Mario
 * Mario Kart 64 on Club Circuit – Mario
 * Mario's FUNdamentals – Mario
 * Mario Party – Mario
 * Super Smash Bros. – Mario / Luigi
 * Mario Golf – Mario / Luigi / Baby Mario / Wario / Metal Mario
 * Mario Party 2 – Mario / Mario's face
 * Mario Tennis – Mario / Luigi / Baby Mario / Wario / Waluigi / Announcer
 * Mario Party 3 – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Super Mario Advance – Mario / Luigi / Clawgrip / Tryclyde / Mouser / Fryguy / Wart
 * Dr. Mario 64 – Dr. Mario / Wario / Metal Mario / Vampire Wario
 * Mario Kart: Super Circuit – Mario
 * Wario Land 4 – Wario
 * Luigi's Mansion – Luigi / Mario
 * Super Smash Bros. Melee – Mario / Luigi / Dr. Mario
 * Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 – Mario / Luigi
 * Super Mario Sunshine – Mario / Isle Delfino commercial narrator / Male Piantas (shared with Scott Burns)
 * Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 – Baby Mario / Mario
 * Mario Party 4 – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Nintendo Puzzle Collection – Mario / Dr. Mario / Wario / Metal Mario / Vampire Wario
 * WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! – Wario
 * Wario World – Wario
 * Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 – Mario / Luigi
 * Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Shadow Mario
 * WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! – Wario
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!! – Mario / Luigi / Baby Mario / Baby Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Male Piantas (shared with Scott Burns)
 * Mario Party 5 – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga – Mario / Luigi
 * Mario Golf: Advance Tour – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Mario vs. Donkey Kong – Mario / Mini Marios
 * Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door – Mario / Doopliss (when impersonating Mario)
 * Mario Pinball Land – Mario
 * WarioWare: Twisted! – Wario / Wario-Man
 * Mario Power Tennis – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Mario Party 6 – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Super Mario 64 DS – Mario / Mario's face / Luigi / Wario
 * WarioWare: Touched! – Wario / Wario-Man
 * Nintendo Sound Selection Vol.3: B-Side Music – Luigi
 * Yoshi Touch & Go – Baby Mario
 * Yakuman DS – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Mario Superstar Baseball – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Baby Mario / Baby Luigi / Male Piantas (shared with Scott Burns and Hironori Miyata)
 * Mario Tennis: Power Tour – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Whisker / Sass
 * Mario Kart Arcade GP – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Robo Mario
 * SSX on Tour – Mario / Luigi
 * Super Princess Peach – Mario / Luigi
 * Mario Party 7 – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Mario Kart DS – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Male Piantas (shared with Scott Burns)
 * Super Mario Strikers – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time – Mario / Luigi / Baby Mario / Baby Luigi
 * New Super Mario Bros. – Mario / Luigi / Wario
 * Mario Hoops 3-on-3 – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis – Mario / Mini Marios
 * Yoshi's Island DS – Baby Mario / Baby Wario / Baby Bowser
 * WarioWare: Smooth Moves – Wario / Tiny Warios
 * Wario: Master of Disguise – Wario
 * Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Robo Mario
 * Super Paper Mario – Mario / Luigi / Mr. L
 * Mario Strikers Charged – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Mario Party 8 – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Big Top / Male Piantas (shared with Scott Burns)
 * Super Mario Galaxy – Mario / Luigi / Cosmic Mario / Cosmic Luigi
 * Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Mario Party DS – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Wario-Man / Waluigi
 * Mario Kart Wii – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Baby Mario / Baby Luigi / Male Piantas (shared with Scott Burns)
 * Mario Super Sluggers – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Baby Mario / Baby Luigi / Male Piantas (shared with Scott Burns and Hironori Miyata)
 * Wario Land: Shake It! – Wario
 * WarioWare: Snapped! – Wario
 * Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story – Mario / Luigi
 * WarioWare: D.I.Y. – Wario
 * WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase – Wario / Wario-Man
 * Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! – Mario / Mini Marios
 * Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * New Super Mario Bros. Wii – Mario / Luigi
 * Super Mario Galaxy 2 – Mario / Luigi / Cosmic Clones / Male Piantas (shared with Scott Burns)
 * Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! – Mario / Mini Marios
 * Mario Sports Mix – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Male Piantas (shared with Scott Burns)
 * AR Games – Mario
 * Super Mario 3D Land – Mario / Luigi / Cosmic Clones
 * Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Fortune Street – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Mario Kart 7 – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Metal Mario
 * Mario Party 9 – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Male Piantas (shared with Scott Burns)
 * Mario Tennis Open – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Baby Mario / Metal Mario
 * New Super Mario Bros. 2 – Mario / Luigi
 * New Super Mario Bros. U – Mario / Luigi
 * Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon – Luigi / Mario
 * Game & Wario – Wario / Captain Wario / MechaWarios / Wario-Man
 * Photos with Mario – Mario / Luigi
 * Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move – Mario / Mini Marios
 * New Super Luigi U – Luigi
 * Mario & Luigi: Dream Team – Mario / Luigi / Luiginoids / Dreamy Luigi
 * Mario Kart Arcade GP DX – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Baby Mario / Fire Mario / Tanooki Mario / Ice Luigi / Metal Mario / Gold Mario
 * The Year of Luigi Sound Selection – Luigi
 * New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U – Mario / Luigi
 * Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Mario Party: Island Tour – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Bubble Mario (unused)
 * Super Mario 3D World – Mario / Luigi
 * Yoshi's New Island – Baby Mario
 * Mario Golf: World Tour – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Gold Mario
 * Mario Kart 8 – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Baby Mario / Baby Luigi / Metal Mario / Tanooki Mario / Male Piantas (shared with Scott Burns)
 * Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Wario-Man / Waluigi / Dr. Mario
 * Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars – Mini Marios / Mario / Mini Luigis
 * Mario Party 10 – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Nintendo Sound Selection: Endings & Credits – Luigi / Mario
 * Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition – Mario / Luigi
 * Luigi's Mansion Arcade – Luigi
 * Super Mario Maker – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Cat Mario / Gold Mario / Silver Mario / Builder Mario / Mario Trio
 * Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Gold Mario
 * Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam – Mario / Luigi
 * Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Male Piantas (shared with Scott Burns)
 * Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge – Mini Mario / Mini Luigi
 * Paper Mario: Color Splash – Luigi
 * Mario Party: Star Rush – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS – Mario
 * Super Mario Run – Mario / Luigi
 * Mario Sports Superstars – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Baby Mario / Baby Luigi / Metal Mario
 * Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Baby Mario / Baby Luigi / Metal Mario / Gold Mario / Tanooki Mario / Male Piantas (shared with Scott Burns)
 * Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle – Mario / Luigi
 * Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions – Mario / Luigi
 * Super Mario Odyssey – Mario / Luigi
 * Mario Party: The Top 100 – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Mario Tennis Aces – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * WarioWare Gold – Wario (English) / Wario Deluxe (English)
 * Super Mario Party – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Luigi's Mansion (Nintendo 3DS) – Luigi / Mario / Gooigi
 * Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Mario / Luigi / Dr. Mario / Wario / Wario-Man / Waluigi
 * Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey – Mario / Luigi
 * New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – Mario / Luigi
 * Super Mario Maker 2 – Mario / Luigi
 * Mario Kart Tour – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi / Baby Mario / Baby Luigi / all corresponding variants
 * Luigi's Mansion 3 – Luigi / Mario / Gooigi
 * Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Paper Mario: The Origami King – Luigi
 * LEGO Super Mario – Mario / Luigi
 * Super Mario 3D All-Stars – Mario / Mario's face / Luigi / Isle Delfino commercial narrator / Male Piantas (shared with Scott Burns) / Cosmic Mario / Cosmic Luigi
 * Super Mario Sunshine Original Soundtrack – Mario
 * Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit – Mario / Luigi
 * Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury – Mario / Luigi / Fury Shadow
 * Super Nintendo World (meet-and-greet, Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge) – Mario / Luigi
 * Mario Golf: Super Rush – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * WarioWare: Get It Together! – Wario (English) / Wario Bug (English) / The Supreme Developer (English)
 * Mario Party Superstars – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Mario Strikers: Battle League – Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi
 * Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope – Mario / Luigi
 * The Super Mario Bros. Movie – Mario & Luigi's father (English, Catalan, European French, German, Italian, and European Spanish) / Giuseppe (English, Catalan, Croatian, Danish, Dutch (including Flemish ), Finnish, French (Canadian and European), German, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese (voice clip re-used from the English version), Lithuanian, Taiwanese Mandarin, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian and European ), Romanian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish (European and Latin American), Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese)
 * Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) – Mario
 * Luigi's Mansion 2 HD – Luigi / Mario
 * Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) – Mario

Sampled voices

 * In Super Mario 64, part of Mario's "Here we go" line is referenced and altered for the Bob-omb Buddies' "speaking" sound.
 * In Mario Kart 64, a pitched-down version of Wario's laugh is used for the Thwomps.
 * Charles Martinet was behind the "Human, Laugh - Comical Laugh: Male" voice from The General Series 6000 Sound Effects Library. A sped-up version of this laugh has been used for Boos (as early as Super Mario 64), Dry Bones (as early as Super Mario Galaxy), Six-Face Sal, and Chortlebot, while a slowed-down version was used for Bowser's laugh (Super Mario 64 and 64 DS).

Trivia

 * In Mario Party, Super Smash Bros., Mario Golf, and Mario Party 2, as well as the Japanese version of Mario Kart 64, his surname is misspelled as "Martinee", like how it is pronounced.
 * In 1994's , Charles Martinet voiced the majority of the boxers. In addition to this, in the same year, he offered to voice Link before being turned down by Shigeru Miyamoto.