My Take
Honestly, Charles Martinet might be the most quietly legendary voice in the history of video games. The man from San Jose stepped into a recording booth in the early '90s and conjured an Italian plumber from Brooklyn out of thin air — and that cheerful, slightly unhinged "It's-a me, Mario!" became one of the most recognized sounds on the planet. What gets me is the sheer consistency: for over three decades he voiced Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and their baby selves, keeping that infectious energy alive across countless titles. When he retired from the role in 2023 and transitioned to brand ambassador, it genuinely felt like the end of an era. No shade to whoever comes next, but Martinet didn't just read lines — he was the soul of those characters, and that's not something you can simply replace.
Overview
Charles Andre Martinet (born September 17, 1955) is an American actor. From 1991 to 2023, Martinet was the voice of Mario in the Mario franchise. He also voiced other characters in the series such as Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and the baby equivalents of Mario and Luigi, prior to retiring as voice actor to become an official brand ambassador for the series.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Charles Martinet
- Name (Japanese)
- チャールズ・マーティネー
- Reading
- ちゃーるず・まーてぃねー
- Born
- September 17, 1955 (age 70)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Goat
- Origin
- San Jose, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 2 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- voice actor / television actor / writer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.