Voice Of ‘Super Mario’ Retires From The Iconic Role After Almost Three Decades
For those who spent their childhoods with Mario, here’s some sad news: voice actor Charles Martinet will no longer be playing the iconic game character, with Nintendo recently announcing he will be hanging up the red hat after 27 years.
“It has been an honor working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years, and we want to thank and celebrate him,” the company said in a tweet.
Thankfully, it appears that the beloved voice behind the animation will not be leaving the franchise entirely but will be moved on to a new “Mario Ambassador” role where he will “continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario.”
We have a message for fans of the Mushroom Kingdom. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/U1ASicOuTO
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 21, 2023
At the moment, the company has yet to unveil the incoming replacement, who will no doubt have to live up to exacting standards left behind by the maestro after nearly three decades of work. He first began voicing the portly plumber in 1991 for Mario 64.
Throughout the years, the actor breathed life into the persona for the myriad games inspired by the series and even lent his voice to Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and other characters over the years.
While it’s not known if Martinet will feature in upcoming projects, Nintendo confirmed to Kotaku that he will not be involved in the upcoming Super Mario Bros Wonder, scheduled for release on October 20, 2023.
If there’s any consolation, Martinet will soon greet fans in a special video message together with the creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto.
[via Engadget and Kotaku, cover image via Citalliance| Dreamstime.com]
