Charles Martinet

Charles Martinet
Charles Martinet
	Martinet in 2010
Born	Charles Andre Martinet; September 17, 1955 (age 68); San Jose, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actor, voice artist
Years active	1986–present
Known for	The voice of Mario
Notable work	Mario series; Super Mario (series); Mario & Luigi (series); Mario Kart series; Mario Party (series); Mario Sports games; Wario series; Super Smash Bros. (series)
Website	Official website

Charles Andre Martinet (born September 17, 1955) is an American actor and voice artist. He is best known as being the voice of Mario in the Mario series of video games since 1995.^[1] He also voices Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, and others.

Career[change | change source]

Working for Nintendo since 1994, Martinet started voicing Mario at video game trade shows in which attendees would walk up to a television screen displaying a 3-D Mario head that moved around the screen and talked. This system was called "Mario in Real-Time" or "MIRT". 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 was told by his friend that there was going to be an audition at a trade show in which you "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 (which is how Mario sounded in the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World cartoons). 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.^[1]

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. He has voiced Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, Metal Mario, Shadow Mario, Donkey Kong,^[2] MC Ballyhoo, Mini-Mario Toy, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and Baby Wario in most games wherein these characters speak. He also voiced the enemiesWart, Mouser, Tryclyde, and Clawgrip in Super Mario Advance. His voice work appears in the English and Japanese-language versions of the games, although his work is always in English (regardless of the Italian references whenever he voices Mario and related characters).

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 Dreamcastand 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.

In addition to videogame voice overs, Martinet has worked as a voice actor in commercials, cartoons, and promotions. At the E3 trade show in 2005, Charles (as anAnimal Crossing character) could be found roaming the virtual village featured in the playable demo of Animal Crossing: Wild World. Martinet did Mario's voice as the voice 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.^[2] He also voiced the dragon Paarthurnax in the 2011 video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and narrated the cutscenes and menus for the 2013 video game Bit.Trip Presents Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien.^[3]

Filmography[change | change source]

Film[change | change source]

Brotherhood of Justice (1986) (TV) .... Deputy
Hard Traveling (1986) .... Dist. Atty. Cobb
The Dead Pool (1988) .... Police Station Reporter #1
Mom (1990) .... Mr. Hernandez
The Last of His Tribe (1992) (TV) .... Assistant Museum Director
Criminal Hearts (1995) (as Charles Martinez) .... Juan
Nine Months (1995) .... Arnie
Death in Granada (1997) .... Gravedigger
The Game (1997) .... Nicholas' Father
A Thousand Men and a Baby (1997) (TV) .... Seattle cab driver
Sheer Passion (1998) .... Lou
The Californians (2005) .... City Councilman

Television[change | change source]

Midnight Caller .... Mark Heller (1 episode, 1989)
Matlock .... Bo Edmunds (1 episode, 1989)
Reasonable Doubts .... Bartender (1 episode, 1992)
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (1993) .... Pilot B
Fourways Farm (1994) .... US Narrator
Compromising Situations .... Sal (1 episode, 1995)
Nash Bridges .... Hermsdorf (1 episode, 1996)
Air America .... David Dixon (1 episode, 1998)
ER .... Eddy (1 episode, 2002)
NYPD Blue .... Court Officer (1 episode, 2003)

Video games[change | change source]

Super Punch-Out!! (1994) .... Announcer, Referee, Boxers
Mario's Game Gallery (earlier released as Mario's FUNdamentals) (1995) .... Mario
Space Quest 6: The Spinal Frontier (1995) .... Pa Conshohocken/Ray Trace/P'Tooie
Solar Eclipse (1995) .... Spinner
Super Mario 64 (1996) .... Mario
Mario Kart 64 (1997) .... Mario, Luigi (Overseas version), Wario (Overseas version), Donkey Kong
The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures: Puzzle of the Pyramid (1998) .... Sir Alistar Loveless III
Mario Party (1999) .... Mario, Donkey Kong
Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman (1999) .... Master Suzuki
Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance (1999) .... Adm. Holtz
Super Smash Bros. (1999) .... Mario, Luigi
Mario Golf (1999) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Baby Mario, Donkey Kong
Carmen Sandiego's Great Chase Through Time (1999) .... William Shakespeare/Ludwig van Beethoven
Dr. Seuss Toddler (1999) .... The Cat in the Hat
Dr. Seuss Preschool (1999) .... The Cat in the Hat, Yertle the Turtle
Dr. Seuss Kindergarten (1999) .... The Cat in the Hat
Slave Zero (1999) .... Old One, Sangonar
Mario Party 2 (1999). Mario, Donkey Kong
Mario Tennis (2000) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Donkey Kong
Skies of Arcadia Legends (2000) .... Vigoro
Mario Party 3 (2000) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong
Shadow of Destiny (2001) .... Homunculus
Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds (2001) .... 2-1B, AT-AT driver/OOM-9
Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) .... Mario, Donkey Kong
Wario Land 4 (2001) .... Wario
Super Mario Advance (2001) .... Mario, Luigi, Wart, Clawgrip, Tryclyde, Fryguy, Mouser
Forever Kingdom (2001) .... Darsul
Luigi's Mansion (2001) .... Luigi, Mario
Mad Dash Racing (2001)
Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001) .... Mario, Luigi, Dr. Mario
Cel Damage (2001) .... Fowl Mouth, Various
Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (2002) .... Mario, Luigi
Jet Set Radio Future (2002) .... Gouji Rokkaku
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (2002) .... Bespin guard 2/Civilian Male/Imperial Officer 2/Rebel Shock Trooper 3 .... Voice
Super Mario Sunshine (2002) .... Mario, Toadsworth, some Piantas
Mario Party 4 (2002) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong
Shinobi (2002) .... Voice
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! (2003) .... Wario
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (2003) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Shadow Mario
Gladius (2003) (voice) .... Additional Voices
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! (2003) .... Wario
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi
Wario World (2003) .... Wario
Mario Party 5 (2003) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003) .... Mario, Luigi
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (2003) .... Mario, Luigi
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) .... Easterling Soldiers
Mario Golf: Advance Tour (2004) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2004) .... Mario, Mini-Mario Toy
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004) .... Mario
Mario Pinball Land (2004) .... Mario
Mario Power Tennis (2004) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Super Mario 64 DS (2004) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario
Mario Party 6 (2004) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong
WarioWare: Touched! (2005) .... Wario
Yoshi Touch & Go (2005) .... Baby Mario, Baby Luigi
WarioWare: Twisted! (2005) .... Wario
Mario Superstar Baseball (2005) .... Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth
SSX on Tour (2005) .... Mario, Luigi
Mario Kart DS (2005) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Mario Kart Arcade GP (2005) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (2005) .... Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi
Super Mario Strikers (2005) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Mario Party 7 (2005) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, Donkey Kong
Super Princess Peach (2006) (voice) .... Mario, Luigi
New Super Mario Bros. (2006) (voice) .... Mario, Luigi
Yoshi's Island DS (2006) - Baby Mario, Baby Wario
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis (2006) .... Mario, Mini-Mario Toy
WarioWare: Smooth Moves (2007) .... Wario
Super Paper Mario (2007) .... Mario, Luigi
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (2007) (voice)
Mario Strikers Charged (2007) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Wario: Master of Disguise (2007) .... Wario
Mario Party 8 (2007) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, MC Ballyhoo
World in Conflict (2007) (voice)
Super Mario Galaxy (2007) .... Mario, Luigi
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007, 2008) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Mario Party DS (2007) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 (2008) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Mario Kart Wii (2008) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi
Mario Super Sluggers (2008) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Toadsworth
Wario Land: Shake It! (2008) .... Wario
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (2009) .... Mario, Luigi
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again (2009) .... Mario, Mini-Mario Toy
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time (2009) .... Orvus
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009) .... Mario, Luigi
Resonance of Fate (2010) .... Lagerfeld
WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase (2010) .... Wario
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010) .... Mario, Luigi
Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010) .... Cranky Kong
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem (2010) .... Mario, Mini-Mario Toy
Mario Sports Mix (2011) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Super Mario 3D Land (2011) .... Mario, Luigi
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2011, 2012) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Mario Kart 7 (2011) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Metal Mario
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) .... Paarthurnax
Mario Party 9 (2012) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Mario Tennis Open (2012) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Metal Mario
New Super Mario Bros. 2 (2012) .... Mario, Luigi
New Super Mario Bros. U (2012) .... Mario, Luigi
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (2013) .... Luigi, Mario
Game & Wario (2013) .... Wario
Bit.Trip Presents Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (2013) .... Narrator (himself)
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (2013) .... Mario, Luigi
Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move (2013) .... Mario
Super Mario 3D World (2013) .... Mario, Luigi
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (2013) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Mario Party: Island Tour (2013) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2014) .... Cranky Kong
Mario Kart 8 (2014) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Metal Mario
Mario Golf: World Tour (2014) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Gold Mario
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (2014) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Dr.Mario, Waluigi
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Dr. Mario