Original Mario voice actor Charles Martinet retires, to become 'Mario Ambassador'
MANILA, Philippines — Charles Martinet, the voice actor of the titular character in Nintendo's long-running "Mario Bros." franchise, will be stepping down from his role after over 30 years.
The move was made official when Martinet was not involved in the upcoming "Super Mario Bros. Wonder" game for the Nintendo Switch, which comes out on October 20; no replacement has been announced as of writing.
This means Martinet's last outings as Mario were the 2022 games "Mario Strikers: Battles League" and " Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope."
Martinet will become a "Mario Ambassador" for Nintendo, traveling and interacting with fans on behalf of the gaming company.
"We're excited to honor his legacy and contributions, including looking ahead to what he'll be doing as a Mario Ambassador," Nintendo said in a statement.
My new Adventure begins! You are all Numba One in my heart! #woohoo !!!!!!! https://t.co/3YWYewlnXt
— Charles Martinet (@CharlesMartinet) August 21, 2023
The 67-year-old voice actor reposted Nintendo's statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying "My new Adventure begins! You are all Numba One in my heart! #woohoo !!!!!!!"
The voice actor has been at Nintendo since 1991, also lending his voice to characters Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and all their baby versions in more than 150 games including "Super Mario 64," "Mario Kart," "Super Mario Galaxy," and "Mario Party."
Gamers will no doubt recognize Martinet's voice for famous Mario catchphrases like "Let’s-a go!," "Mamma mia" and "Wahoo!"
Such a legacy led to Martinet being awarded in 2019 the Guinnes World Record for "Most videogame voiceover performances as the same character."
The late Bob Hoskins starred as Mario in the critically panned live-action "Super Mario Bros." movie in 1993 while Chris Pratt voiced the iconic plumber in Universal's recent animated hit "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" wherein Martinet voices two characters, including Mario and Luigi's father.
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