Martinet will become “Mario Ambassador” and continue to “travel the world sharing the joy of Mario,” Nintendo said in a social media post, adding, “It has been an honor working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years.” A message from Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Martinet is forthcoming, the company said.
Martinet celebrated the move on social media, writing: “My new Adventure begins! You are all Numba One in my heart!”
Over the decades, the California native’s excited yelps have become a feature of the Mushroom Kingdom, as fundamental as gold coins and Super Stars. Martinet has played several major characters in the Mario universe, including Luigi, Wario, Waluigi and Toadsworth.
The news sparked an outpouring of appreciation from fans. Some posted audio of Martinet’s most memorable sound bites, and many thanked him for being the “voice of my childhood.”
Martinet has played Mario in more than 150 games, according to GamesRadar, dating back to the little-known “Mario Teaches Typing.” His career playing the character took off with the acclaimed “Super Mario 64,” which is credited with revolutionizing 3D gaming. Ever since, Martinet has given life to Mario as he’s dodged Goombas and Koopas, cruised along Rainbow Road and jumped his way through forests, castles and more to save Princess Peach.
Most recently, Martinet has voiced Mario in games such as “Mario Strikers: Battle League” and “Mario Party Superstars.” But that wasn’t him in this year’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which has raked in more than $1.3 billion at the global box office — Martinet played Mario’s father, while Chris Pratt played the titular character. It’s not clear who will voice the adventurous plumber next.
Martinet has long spoken fondly of his role as Mario. “He’s so full of joy and optimism,” Martinet told Nintendo Life in a 2012 interview. “He faces challenges in life with a ‘Wahoo!’”
Martinet got into acting by facing one of his own challenges: a fear of public speaking. After he left college, a friend had encouraged him to take an acting class, and he was so nervous in one of his early performances that he recalled his teeth chattering.
“Somehow I got through my ultimate terror in life,” he told the BBC in 2012. And he kept going — landing roles in theater, corporate videos, film and television.
Then, in 1990, Martinet showed up late and unprepared to an audition. After persuading the producer to set up the camera again, he was told: “You’re an Italian plumber from Brooklyn named Mario.”
Martinet thought to himself, “I don’t want a character that’s mean or gruff or has edges,” he recalled in a 2003 interview. “I want it to be someone who’s lovable, a sort of everyman character,” he said, and out of his mouth came that high-pitched, enthusiastic voice that would eventually fill living rooms around the world.
“The character, for me, brings out the best in me,” he said in a 2017 video.