Charles Martinet
Charles Andre Martinet is an American actor and voice actor. He is best known for voicing Mario in the Super Mario video game series. Martinet has voiced this title character of Nintendo's flagship video game franchise since 1990, and he also voices related characters such as Baby Mario, Luigi, Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and Toadsworth.
Early life
Martinet is of French descent and speaks fluent French and Spanish. His family moved to Barcelona when he was 12 years old, and later to Paris. He attended the American School of Paris and graduated in 1974.Martinet attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he originally intended to study international law. In his senior year he decided to discontinue his studies after a tutor told him to "regurgitate information he'd written in his book, chapter-by-chapter". A friend suggested to him to take acting classes to combat his fear of public speaking. His first role was a monologue from the Spoon River Anthology. Eventually, Martinet earned an apprenticeship at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. After training with the Berkeley Rep for several years, Martinet went to London to attend the Drama Studio London, where among other skills, he discovered his talent for accents and dialects. Upon returning to California he joined the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. He went on to become a founding member of the San Jose Repertory Theatre for four years.
Career
Working for Nintendo since 1990, Martinet started voicing Mario at video game trade shows in which attendees would walk up to a TV screen displaying a 3-D Mario head that moved around the screen and talked. This system was called Mario in Real-Time or MIRT and was developed by Pasadena based SimGraphics. Martinet could see the attendees by means of a hidden camera setup, and a facial motion capture rig recorded his mouth movements in order to synchronize Martinet's mouth movement with the on-screen Mario mouth movement. This digital puppetry, with Martinet's comic performance, was a novelty at the time.Martinet earned the job when, one day, he was told by his friend that there was going to be an audition at a trade show in which auditioneers "talk to people as a plumber". He went to the audition at the last minute as the casting directors were already putting away their equipment. Charles Martinet walked in and asked, "Can I please read for this?". The directors let him audition and told him, "You're an Italian plumber from Brooklyn". At first Martinet planned to talk like a stereotypical Italian American with a deep, raspy voice. He then thought to himself that it would be too harsh for children to hear, so he made it more soft-hearted and friendly, resulting in what Mario's voice is today. Martinet has also stated that he kept on talking with his Mario voice until the audition tape ran out. He says that Petruchio from William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew was an inspiration for his portrayal of Mario.
Martinet's video game voice over debut was as Mario in the 1995 Windows release of Interplay's game Mario's FUNdamentals. However, most were first exposed to Mario's voice in the landmark 1996 game Super Mario 64. During the recording session, he and a few developers wondered what Mario would do when the player leaves him alone. In the end, Martinet came up with the idea that Mario would dream of pasta during his sleep and Mario says "night nighty. Ahhh spaghetti, ahhh ravioli, ahhh mamma mia." when Mario is in his second sleeping position. He has voiced Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, Metal Mario, Shadow Mario, Piantas, Mini-Mario Toys, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and Baby Wario in most games wherein these characters speak. He also voiced the enemies Wart, Mouser, Tryclyde, and Clawgrip in Super Mario Advance. His voice work appears in the English and Japanese language versions of the games. With his work as Mario in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized Martinet for having performed the same character in one hundred different titles, the most of any video game voice actor.
2014
Martinet provided voiceover acting for the boxers and the announcer in the Super NES title Super Punch-Out!!. He voiced the character Vigoro in Sega's Dreamcast and Nintendo GameCube role-playing video game, Skies of Arcadia. He did the voice of Homunculus in the Konami PlayStation 2, Xbox and Windows game Shadow of Destiny, and provided voices for Reader Rabbit and The ClueFinders games. Charles Martinet wanted to voice Link in ', but Shigeru Miyamoto told him that Link would remain without a voice. However Link's grunts have been voiced by various Japanese voice actors.
In addition to video game voice overs, Martinet has worked as a voice actor in commercials, cartoons, and promotions. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show in 2005, Charles could be found roaming the virtual village featured in the playable demo of '. Martinet did Mario's voice as the announcer for Pac-Man Vs. on the Nintendo GameCube.
Other than the Mario series, Charles has also done work for the video game Cel Damage as the voice of Fowl Mouth, as well as the primary voice work in several educational game series such as LeapFrog. He also voiced the dragon Paarthurnax in the 2011 video game ', Orvus in 2009's ', and narrated the cutscenes and menus for the 2013 video game Runner2 and Runner3, appearing as a hidden playable character in the latter.
Public appearances
As the voice of Mario, Martinet has become a well-known personality and has made public appearances at several video game related events where he meets fans for chat, photographs, and autographs. He has made regular appearances at game events such as Electronic Entertainment Expo, Gamescom, and the Eurogamer Expo, and at launch events of games like Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel.Filmography
Film
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1986 | Brotherhood of Justice | Deputy | TV Movie |
| 1989 | Matlock | Bo Edmunds | Episode: "The Captain" Credited as Charles Martinez |
| 1989 | Midnight Caller | Mark Heller | Episode: "Blood Red" |
| 1992 | The Last of His Tribe | Assistant Museum Director | TV Movie |
| 1992 | Reasonable Doubts | Bartender | Episode: "Lifelines: Part 1" |
| 1992 | Bay City Story | Art Ronstadt | TV Movie |
| 1995 | Compromising Situations | Sal | Episode: "Vegas"Credited as Charles Martinez |
| 1996–1998 | Nash Bridges | Jean-Yves / Tony / Hermsdorf | 3 Episodes |
| 1997 | A Thousand Men and a Baby | Seattle cab driver | TV Movie as Charles Martinez |
| 1998 | Air America | David Dixon | Episode: "Fever" |
| 2004 | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure | Senator Wilson Philips, Speedwagon Foundation Pilot | 2 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Series | Role | Notes | Source |
| 1992 | Mario Teaches Typing | Mario | CD-ROM version only | |
| 1993 | ' | Prostitute, Billy Bob, Janitor | ||
| 1994 | Super Punch-Out!! | Announcer, Referee, Boxers | ||
| 1995 | Mario's Game Gallery | Mario | ||
| 1995 | Solar Eclipse | Spinner | ||
| 1995 | Space Quest 6 | Pa Conshohocken, Ray Trace, PiTooie | ||
| 1996 | Super Mario 64 | Mario, Metal Mario | ||
| 1996 | Mario Teaches Typing 2 | Mario | Uncredited | |
| 1996 | Mario Kart 64 | Mario, Luigi, Wario | English Dub Credited as Charles Martinee | |
| 1998 | Mario Party | Mario | Credited as Charles Martinee | |
| 1999 | The ClueFinders Math Adventures | The Guide | ||
| 1999 | Super Smash Bros. | Mario, Luigi | Credited as Charles Martinee | |
| 1999 | Mario Golf | Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Wario, Metal Mario | Credited as Charles Martinee | |
| 1999 | Carmen Sandiego's Great Chase Through Time | William Shakespeare, Ludwig van Beethoven | ||
| 1999 | Slave Zero | Old One, Sangonar | ||
| 1999 | Mario Party 2 | Mario | ||
| 1999 | ' | Admiral Holtz, Rebel Pilot | ||
| 1999 | ' | Master Suzuki | ||
| 2000 | Mario Tennis | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario | ||
| 2000 | Skies of Arcadia | Vigoro | English Dub | |
| 2000 | Mario Party 3 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2001 | Super Mario Advance | Mario, Luigi, Clawgrip, Triclyde, Mouser, Fryguy, Wart | Uncredited | |
| 2001 | Dr. Mario 64 | Dr. Mario/Metal Mario, Wario/Vampire Wario | ||
| 2001 | Forever Kingdom | Darsul | English Dub | |
| 2001 | Wario Land 4 | Wario | ||
| 2001 | Luigi's Mansion | Luigi, Mario | ||
| 2001 | Cel Damage | Various | ||
| 2001 | ' | 2-1B, AT-AT Driver, OOM-9 | ||
| 2001 | Mad Dash Racing | |||
| 2001 | Super Smash Bros. Melee | Mario, Luigi, Dr. Mario | ||
| 2001 | ' | Mario, Luigi | Uncredited | |
| 2001 | ' | Pericles Lear | ||
| 2001 | Shadow of Memories | Homunculus | ||
| 2002 | Jet Set Radio Future | Gouji Rokkaku | ||
| 2002 | ' | Bespin Cop 2 / Civilian Male / Imperial Officer 2 / Rebel Shock Troop 3 | ||
| 2002 | Super Mario Sunshine | Mario, Toadsworth, Isle Delfino Commercial, Male Piantas, Pianta Attorney | ||
| 2002 | ' | Baby Mario | Uncredited | |
| 2002 | Mario Party 4 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | Uncredited | |
| 2002 | Shinobi | Additional voices | English Dub | |
| 2003 | ' | Wario | Uncredited | |
| 2003 | Wario World | Wario | ||
| 2003 | ' | Mario, Luigi | Uncredited | |
| 2003 | ' | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Shadow Mario | ||
| 2003 | Gladius | Additional Voices | ||
| 2003 | ' | Wario | ||
| 2003 | ' | Easterlings | ||
| 2003 | ' | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi | ||
| 2003 | Pac-Man Vs. | Mario | ||
| 2003 | Mario Party 5 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | Uncredited | |
| 2003 | ' | Mario, Luigi | ||
| 2004 | ' | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2004 | Mario vs. Donkey Kong | Mario, Mini Mario | ||
| 2004 | ' | Mario, Doopliss | ||
| 2004 | Mario Pinball Land | Mario | ||
| 2004 | ' | Wario | ||
| 2004 | Mario Power Tennis | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth | ||
| 2004 | ' | Eaoden, Gimli | ||
| 2004 | Mario Party 6 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | Uncredited | |
| 2004 | Super Mario 64 DS | Mario, Luigi, Wario | ||
| 2004 | ' | Wario | ||
| 2005 | Virtua Quest | Announcer, Snake Eyes, Lau Chan, Shun Di | English Dub | |
| 2005 | Yoshi Touch & Go | Baby Mario | ||
| 2005 | Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix | Mario, Luigi, Waluigi, Wario | Uncredited | |
| 2005 | Mario Superstar Baseball | Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, Piantas | ||
| 2005 | Mario Tennis Advance | Mario, Luigi, Waluigi | ||
| 2005 | SSX on Tour | Mario | ||
| 2005 | Super Princess Peach | Mario | ||
| 2005 | Mario Party 7 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth | Uncredited | |
| 2005 | Mario Kart DS | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2005 | Mario Kart Arcade GP | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2005 | ' | Mario / Luigi / Baby Mario / Baby Luigi | ||
| 2005 | Super Mario Strikers | Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi | ||
| 2006 | New Super Mario Bros. | Mario / Luigi | ||
| 2006 | Mario Hoops 3-on-3 | Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi | ||
| 2006 | ' | Mario / Mini Mario | Uncredited | |
| 2006 | Yoshi's Island DS | Baby Mario / Baby Wario | Uncredited | |
| 2006 | ' | Wario | ||
| 2007 | Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 | Mario | Uncredited | |
| 2007 | ' | Wario | Uncredited | |
| 2007 | Super Paper Mario | Mario, Luigi | Uncredited | |
| 2007 | Mario Strikers Charged | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2007 | Mario Party 8 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Big Top, Piantas | ||
| 2007 | World in Conflict | |||
| 2007 | Super Mario Galaxy | Mario, Luigi | ||
| 2007 | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2007 | Mario Party DS | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2007 | ' | The Elder Brother / Vaultbreaker | ||
| 2008 | Super Smash Bros. Brawl | Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi | ||
| 2008 | Mario Kart Wii | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi | ||
| 2008 | Mario Super Sluggers | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Toadsworth. Piantas | ||
| 2008 | ' | Additional Voices | ||
| 2008 | ' | Wario | ||
| 2008 | ' | |||
| 2008 | ' | Wario | ||
| 2009 | ' | Mario, Luigi | ||
| 2009 | ' | Mario, Mini Mario | Uncredited | |
| 2009 | ' | Orvus | ||
| 2009 | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2009 | New Super Mario Bros. Wii | Mario, Luigi | ||
| 2010 | Resonance of Fate | Cardinal Lagerfeld | English Dub | |
| 2010 | Super Mario Galaxy 2 | Mario, Luigi | ||
| 2010 | ' | Mario, Mini Mario | Uncredited | |
| 2010 | Mario Sports Mix | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2010 | WarioWare D.I.Y. | Wario | ||
| 2011 | Super Mario 3D Land | Mario, Luigi | Uncredited | |
| 2011 | ' | Paarthurnax | ||
| 2011 | Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2011 | Mario Kart 7 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Metal Mario | Uncredited | |
| 2011 | Fortune Street | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | Uncredited | |
| 2012 | Mario Party 9 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Pianta | ||
| 2012 | Mario Tennis Open | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario | ||
| 2012 | New Super Mario Bros. 2 | Mario | Uncredited | |
| 2012 | New Super Mario Bros. U | Mario, Luigi | ||
| 2013 | ' | Luigi, Mario | ||
| 2013 | ' | Mario, Mini Mario | Uncredited | |
| 2013 | New Super Luigi U | Luigi | Uncredited | |
| 2013 | ' | Mario, Luigi | ||
| 2013 | Mario Kart Arcade GP DX | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2013 | Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2013 | Super Mario 3D World | Mario, Luigi | ||
| 2013 | ' | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2013 | Yoshi's New Island | Baby Mario | Uncredited | |
| 2013 | Runner2 | Narrator | ||
| 2014 | ' | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Gold Mario | ||
| 2014 | Mario Kart 8 | Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Metal Mario | Uncredited | |
| 2014 | Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U | Mario, Luigi, Dr. Mario, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2015 | Mario Party 10 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2015 | Luigi's Mansion Arcade | Luigi | ||
| 2015 | Super Mario Maker | Mario, Luigi, Waluigi | ||
| 2015 | ' | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2015 | ' | Mario, Luigi | ||
| 2016 | Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2016 | ' | Mario, Luigi | ||
| 2016 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
| 2016 | Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS | Mario | ||
| 2017 | Mario Sports Superstars | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi | ||
| 2017 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Metal Mario, Gold Mario | ||
| 2017 | Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle | Mario, Luigi | ||
| 2017 | Super Mario Odyssey | Mario, Luigi | ||
| 2018 | Runner3 | Narrator, playable character | ||
| 2018 | WarioWare Gold | Wario | ||
| 2018 | Super Mario Party | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2018 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Mario, Luigi, Dr. Mario, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2019 | Super Mario Maker 2 | Mario, Luigi | ||
| 2019 | Dr. Mario World | Dr. Mario, Dr. Luigi, Dr. Wario, Dr. Waluigi | ||
| 2019 | Mario Kart Tour | Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
| 2019 | Luigi's Mansion 3 | Mario, Luigi | ||
| 2019 | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi |