Charles Martinet Retires As The Voice of Mario In Video Game Series, Will Continue Working With Nintendo As Brand Ambassador

The voice of the iconic Super Mario Brothers franchise, Charles Martinet, is retiring from voicing the Nintendo mascot.

In a statement by Nintendo posted on X, Martinet will move into the new role of “Mario Ambassador,” a brand ambassador role where he will continue to travel around the world interacting with fans of the beloved video game series. Martinet has voiced the iconic character for nearly 30 years.

Martinet’s retirement comes months after the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which grossed over $1 billion at the box office. In the film, Mario was voiced by Chris Pratt in place of Martinet. Despite this, Martinet plays two roles in the movie: the father of Mario and Luigi and Giuseppe, a Brooklyn man who appears at the beginning of the film.

Martinet also voiced the characters Luigi and Wario for the franchise, where he will be stepping down from those roles. Outside of working with Nintendo, he also lent his voice to the role-playing video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Martinet has been working for Nintendo since 1991. He started voicing Mario at video game trade shows when attendees would walk to a TV screen displaying a 3D Mario head. Martinet would talk as Mario through the screen and have conversations with fans.

Martinet’s first video game appearance as Nintendo’s mascot was via Mario Teaches Typing in 1994. His big break with the character came two years later with Super Mario 64; after that success, Martinet would voice additional characters along with Mario for the franchise.

In a fan expo in Canada two years ago, Martinet held a Q&A for fans. When asked how long he would keep doing Mario, he responded, “I want to voice Mario until I drop dead,” but added. “If someday I think I am no longer capable of doing it, I will tell Nintendo to look into finding someone else.”

It has yet to be announced who will replace Martinet’s in the role of Mario.