Charles Martinet: The Voice of Mario
The man who’s been the voice of Mario for so long that you forget it’s not actually Mario talking, Charles Martinet has been with the plumber since the days of the NES. While it’s not uncommon for video game characters to get new voice actors, there are some characters whose voices fans simply don’t want changed. With Mario set to make his debut on the Switch, here’s how Charles Martinet came to be the go-to voice for Mario.
While Mario has been around since the days of Donkey Kong, it wasn’t until Mario Teaches Typing that we got our first taste of what would become the iconic voice of Mario. To be fair, Mario didn’t speak in games for many years after his introduction, but Martinet’s run as Mario has been one of the longest in gaming history.
Martinet claims he actually acquired the role in 1991, with his first official game as Mario being Mario Teaches Typing in 1994. Some dispute whether Martinet first voiced Mario in a 1992 pinball machine, but Martinet claims that game was an unofficial fan-made homage. Martinet says he got the role in 1991, though, so we’ll give him that one.
In any case, Martinet’s run as Mario lasted for 32 years from when he first got the role or 29 years if you consider it from his first official game as the character. That puts Martinet’s Mario ahead of Nolan North as the voice of Assassin’s Creed, and it’s also longer than Mel Blanc’s run as the voice of Bugs Bunny.
While Martinet is the most associated actor with Mario, there have been many others to voice the character in commercials, the animated series, and even in the various Mario movies.
