Charles Martinet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Martinet
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Martinet at GalaxyCon Richmond in 2024
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Charles Andre Martinet
September 17, 1955 San Jose, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Title | Mario Ambassador |
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Charles Andre Martinet (born September 17, 1955) is an American actor famous for being the voice of Mario from Nintendo's Super Mario games. He voiced the character from 1991 until 2023.
For over 30 years, his voice brought Mario to life with famous catchphrases like "It's-a me, Mario!" and "Wahoo!" He also voiced other popular characters like Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi. In 2023, he retired from voice acting and became a "Mario Ambassador," traveling the world to meet fans.
Besides the Mario games, Martinet voiced the dragon Paarthurnax in the popular game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Charles Martinet was born in California. His father's family was from Paris, France, which makes him French-American. Because his family moved around, he grew up speaking French and Spanish fluently.
When he was 12, his family moved to Barcelona, Spain, and later to Paris. He graduated from the American School of Paris in 1974.
In college at the University of California, Berkeley, he studied history. However, he grew bored with his studies. A friend suggested he take acting classes to help with his fear of public speaking. He discovered he loved acting and decided to make it his career. He trained at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and later at the Drama Studio London in England, where he became skilled at doing different accents.
The Voice of Mario
How He Got the Famous Role
In 1991, Martinet heard about an unusual audition. He was told to act like "an Italian plumber from Brooklyn." At first, he planned to use a deep, rough voice. But then he worried that voice would be too scary for children.
Instead, he decided to use a softer, friendlier, high-pitched voice. He imagined how Mario would talk and just kept speaking in that voice until the audition tape ran out. The directors loved it, and he got the job. That happy, energetic voice became the one millions of fans know today.
His first job was for a system called "Mario in Real-Time." At events, people could talk to a 3D Mario head on a screen. Martinet was in another room, using a special camera to make Mario's face move as he talked to the fans.
Famous Video Game Roles
Most people first heard Martinet's voice in the classic 1996 game Super Mario 64. He not only voiced Mario but also came up with some of his funny lines. For example, when Mario falls asleep in the game, he dreams about pasta, saying, "Ahhh spaghetti, ahhh ravioli." This was Martinet's idea.
After Super Mario 64, he became the voice for many other characters in the series, including:
He holds the Guinness World Record for the most video game voice-overs as the same character. He voiced Mario in over 100 different games.
While he did not voice Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (that role went to Chris Pratt), he did have small cameo roles. He played Mario's father and another character named Giuseppe.
A New Role: Mario Ambassador
On August 21, 2023, Nintendo announced that Martinet would step back from voicing characters. He was given a new, special title: Mario Ambassador.
In this role, he travels to gaming events all over the world. He gets to meet fans, sign autographs, and share the joy of the Mario universe. Martinet said he was very excited about this new chapter and looked forward to meeting fans everywhere.
The last game released with his original voice recordings was Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Starting with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a new actor, Kevin Afghani, took over the roles of Mario and Luigi.
Selected Roles
Martinet has been in many movies, TV shows, and games. Here are some of his most well-known roles.
Famous Video Games
- The Super Mario series (1994–2023) as Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and others
- Super Punch-Out!! (1994) as the Announcer and Boxers
- Skies of Arcadia (2000) as Vigoro
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) as Paarthurnax
- Runner2 (2013) as the Narrator
- Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022) as Magenta (English version)
Movies and TV
- The Game (1997) as Nicholas' Father
- Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022) as Magenta (voice)
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) as Mario's Father and Giuseppe (cameo voices)
- High Score (2020) as the Narrator
See also
In Spanish: Charles Martinet para niños
