Charles Martinet
Charles Andre Martinet (/ˈmɑːrtɪneɪ/;[1] French: [maʁtinɛ]; born September 17, 1955) is an American actor and voice actor. He is best known for voicing Mario in the Super Mario video game series. Martinet has voiced this title character of Nintendo's flagship video game franchise since 1990, and he also voices related characters such as Baby Mario, Luigi, Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and Toadsworth.
Charles Martinet | |
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Martinet at the 2020 GalaxyCon Richmond | |
Born | Charles Andre Martinet September 17, 1955 |
Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
Occupation | Actor Voice actor |
Years active | 1986–present |
Known for | The voice of Mario and Luigi |
Notable work | Mario series, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim |
Website | CharlesMartinet.com |
Signature | |
Early life
Martinet is of French descent and speaks fluent French[2] and Spanish. His family moved to Barcelona when he was 12 years old, and later to Paris.[3] He attended the American School of Paris and graduated in 1974.[4]
Martinet attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he originally intended to study international law. In his senior year he decided to discontinue his studies after a tutor told him to "regurgitate information he'd written in his book, chapter-by-chapter". A friend suggested to him to take acting classes to combat his fear of public speaking. His first role was a monologue from the Spoon River Anthology.[3] Eventually, Martinet earned an apprenticeship at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. After training with the Berkeley Rep for several years, Martinet went to London to attend the Drama Studio London, where among other skills, he discovered his talent for accents and dialects.[3] Upon returning to California he joined the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. He went on to become a founding member of the San Jose Repertory Theatre for four years.[3]
Career
Working for Nintendo since 1990, Martinet started voicing Mario at video game trade shows in which attendees would walk up to a TV screen displaying a 3-D Mario head that moved around the screen and talked.[5] This system was called Mario in Real-Time or MIRT and was developed by Pasadena based SimGraphics.[5] 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 earned the job when, one day, he was told by his friend that there was going to be an audition at a trade show in which auditioneers "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.[6] He says that Petruchio from William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew was an inspiration for his portrayal of Mario.[5]
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. During the recording session, he and a few developers wondered what Mario would do when the player leaves him alone. In the end, Martinet came up with the idea that Mario would dream of pasta during his sleep and Mario says "night nighty. Ahhh spaghetti, ahhh ravioli, ahhh mamma mia."[7] when Mario is in his second sleeping position.[8] He has voiced Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, Metal Mario, Shadow Mario,[9] Piantas (Male), Mini-Mario Toys, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and Baby Wario in most games wherein these characters speak. He also voiced the enemies Wart, Mouser, Tryclyde, and Clawgrip in Super Mario Advance. His voice work appears in the English and Japanese language versions of the games. With his work as Mario in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized Martinet for having performed the same character in one hundred different titles, the most of any video game voice actor.[10]
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 Dreamcast and 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 2009, Martinet told That Gaming Site that he wanted to voice Link in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but Shigeru Miyamoto told him that Link would remain without a voice. However Link's grunts have been voiced by various Japanese voice actors.[11][12]
In addition to video game voice overs, Martinet has worked as a voice actor in commercials, cartoons, and promotions. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) trade show in 2005, Martinet remotely interacted with players from his New York apartment in a playable demo of Animal Crossing: Wild World.[13] Martinet did Mario's voice as the announcer for Pac-Man Vs. on the Nintendo GameCube.[14]
Other than the Mario series, Martinet 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.[9] He also voiced the dragon Paarthurnax in the 2011 video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Orvus in 2009's Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, and narrated the cutscenes and menus for the 2013 video game Runner2[15] and Runner3, appearing as a hidden playable character in the latter. Martinet also narrated for the 2020 Netflix docuseries High Score.[16]
Public appearances
As the voice of Mario, Martinet has become a well-known personality and has made public appearances at several video game related events where he meets fans for chat, photographs, and autographs. He has made regular appearances at game events such as Electronic Entertainment Expo, Gamescom, and the Eurogamer Expo, and at launch events of games like Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Hard Traveling | Dist. Atty. Cobb | |
1988 | The Dead Pool | Police Station Reporter #1 | [17] |
1991 | Mom | Mr. Hernandez | Credited as Charles Martinez |
1995 | Nine Months | Arnie | [18] Credited as Charles A. Martinet |
1996 | Criminal Hearts | Juan | Credited as Charles Martinez |
1996 | The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca | Gravedigger | Credited as Charles Martinez |
1997 | Beauty and the Beast | Red-Suited Ghost (voice) | Direct-to-video |
1997 | Anastasia | Yellow Bird / Pierre / General / Rasputin's Dog (voice) | Direct-to-video (uncredited) Also screenplay |
1997 | The Game | Nicholas' Father | [18] |
1998 | Sheer Passion | Lou | Credited as Charles Martinez |
2004 | Little Angels: The Brightest Christmas | (Voice) | Direct-to-video |
2005 | The Californians | City Councilman | |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Brotherhood of Justice | Deputy | [17] TV Movie |
1989 | Matlock | Bo Edmunds | Episode: "The Captain" Credited as Charles Martinez |
1989 | Midnight Caller | Mark Heller | [18] Episode: "Blood Red" |
1992 | The Last of His Tribe | Assistant Museum Director | [18] TV Movie |
1992 | Reasonable Doubts | Bartender | Episode: "Lifelines: Part 1" |
1992 | Bay City Story | Art Ronstadt | TV Movie |
1995 | Compromising Situations | Sal | Episode: "Vegas"Credited as Charles Martinez |
1996–1998 | Nash Bridges | Jean-Yves / Tony / Hermsdorf | [18] 3 Episodes |
1997 | A Thousand Men and a Baby | Seattle cab driver | TV Movie as Charles Martinez |
1998 | Air America | David Dixon | Episode: "Fever" |
2004 | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure | Senator Wilson Philips, Speedwagon Foundation Pilot | 2 episodes |
2020 | High Score | Narrator | 6 episodes |
Video games
Year | Series | Role | Notes | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | Mario Teaches Typing | Mario | CD-ROM version only | |
1993 | Police Quest: Open Season | Prostitute, Billy Bob, Janitor | [19] | |
1994 | Super Punch-Out!! | Announcer, Referee, Boxers | ||
1995 | Mario's Game Gallery | Mario | ||
Solar Eclipse | Spinner | |||
Space Quest 6 | Pa Conshohocken, Ray Trace, PiTooie | |||
1996 | Super Mario 64 | Mario, Metal Mario | [20] | |
Mario Teaches Typing 2 | Mario | Uncredited | ||
Mario Kart 64 | Mario, Luigi, Wario | English Dub Credited as Charles Martinee | ||
1998 | Mario Party | Mario | Credited as Charles Martinee | |
1999 | The ClueFinders Math Adventures | The Guide | ||
Super Smash Bros. | Mario, Luigi | Credited as Charles Martinee | ||
Mario Golf | Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Wario, Metal Mario | |||
Carmen Sandiego's Great Chase Through Time | William Shakespeare, Ludwig van Beethoven | |||
Slave Zero | Old One, Sangonar | |||
Mario Party 2 | Mario | |||
Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance | Admiral Holtz, Rebel Pilot | [20] | ||
Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman | Master Suzuki | |||
2000 | Mario Tennis | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario (voice) | ||
Skies of Arcadia | Vigoro (voice) | English Dub | [20] | |
Mario Party 3 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi (voice) | |||
2001 | Super Mario Advance | Mario, Luigi, Clawgrip, Triclyde, Mouser, Fryguy, Wart (voice) | Uncredited | |
Dr. Mario 64 | Dr. Mario/Metal Mario, Wario/Vampire Wario (voice) | |||
Forever Kingdom | Darsul | English Dub | ||
Wario Land 4 | Wario | |||
Luigi's Mansion | Luigi, Mario | |||
Cel Damage | Various | |||
Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds | 2-1B , AT-AT Driver, OOM-9 | |||
Mad Dash Racing | ||||
Super Smash Bros. Melee | Mario, Luigi, Dr. Mario | |||
Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 | Mario, Luigi | Uncredited | ||
The ClueFinders: The Incredible Toy Store Adventure! | Pericles Lear | |||
Shadow of Memories | Homunculus (voice) | [20] | ||
2002 | Jet Set Radio Future | Gouji Rokkaku (voice) | [21] | |
Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast | Bespin Cop 2 / Civilian Male / Imperial Officer 2 / Rebel Shock Troop 3 (voice) | |||
Super Mario Sunshine | Mario, Toadsworth, Isle Delfino Commercial, Male Piantas, Pianta Attorney (voice) | |||
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 | Baby Mario | Uncredited | ||
Mario Party 4 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
Shinobi | Additional voices | English Dub | [20] | |
2003 | WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! | Wario | Uncredited | |
Wario World | ||||
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 | Mario, Luigi | Uncredited | ||
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Shadow Mario | |||
Gladius | Additional Voices | |||
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games! | Wario | |||
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Easterlings | |||
Mario Kart: Double Dash | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi | |||
Pac-Man Vs. | Mario | [22] | ||
Mario Party 5 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | Uncredited | ||
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga | Mario, Luigi | |||
2004 | Mario Golf: Advance Tour | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
Mario vs. Donkey Kong | Mario, Mini Mario | [20] | ||
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | Mario, Doopliss | |||
Mario Pinball Land | Mario | [20] | ||
WarioWare: Twisted! | Wario | |||
Mario Power Tennis | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth | |||
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age | Eaoden, Gimli | |||
Mario Party 6 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | Uncredited | ||
Super Mario 64 DS | Mario, Luigi, Wario | |||
WarioWare: Touched! | Wario (voice) | |||
2005 | Virtua Quest | Announcer, Snake Eyes, Lau Chan, Shun Di (voice) | English Dub | [23] |
Yoshi Touch & Go | Baby Mario | |||
Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix | Mario, Luigi, Waluigi, Wario | Uncredited | ||
Mario Superstar Baseball | Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, Piantas | |||
Mario Tennis Advance | Mario, Luigi, Waluigi | |||
SSX on Tour | Mario | |||
Super Princess Peach | ||||
Mario Party 7 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth | Uncredited | ||
Mario Kart DS | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
Mario Kart Arcade GP | ||||
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time | Mario / Luigi / Baby Mario / Baby Luigi | |||
Super Mario Strikers | Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi (voice) | |||
2006 | New Super Mario Bros. | Mario / Luigi (voice) | ||
Mario Hoops 3-on-3 | Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi (voice) | |||
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis | Mario / Mini Mario (voice) | Uncredited | ||
Yoshi's Island DS | Baby Mario / Baby Wario (voice) | |||
WarioWare: Smooth Moves | Wario (voice) | |||
2007 | Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 | Mario (voice) | Uncredited | |
Wario: Master of Disguise | Wario (voice) | |||
Super Paper Mario | Mario, Luigi | |||
Mario Strikers Charged | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
Mario Party 8 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Big Top, Piantas | |||
World in Conflict | ||||
Super Mario Galaxy | Mario, Luigi | |||
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
Mario Party DS | ||||
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men | The Elder Brother / Vaultbreaker (voice) | |||
2008 | Super Smash Bros. Brawl | Mario / Luigi / Wario / Waluigi (voice) | ||
Mario Kart Wii | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi | |||
Mario Super Sluggers | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Toadsworth. Piantas | |||
Hellboy: The Science of Evil | Additional Voices | |||
Wario Land: Shake It! | Wario | |||
Aion: The Tower of Eternity | ||||
WarioWare: Snapped! | Wario | |||
2009 | Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story | Mario, Luigi | ||
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! | Mario, Mini Mario | Uncredited | ||
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time | Orvus | [20] | ||
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
New Super Mario Bros. Wii | Mario, Luigi | |||
2010 | Resonance of Fate | Cardinal Lagerfeld | English Dub | [20] |
Super Mario Galaxy 2 | Mario, Luigi | |||
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! | Mario, Mini Mario | Uncredited | ||
Mario Sports Mix | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
WarioWare D.I.Y. | Wario | |||
2011 | Super Mario 3D Land | Mario, Luigi | Uncredited | |
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | Paarthurnax | [20] | ||
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
Mario Kart 7 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Metal Mario | Uncredited | ||
Fortune Street | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
2012 | Mario Party 9 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Pianta | ||
Mario Tennis Open | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario | |||
New Super Mario Bros. 2 | Mario | Uncredited | ||
New Super Mario Bros. U | Mario, Luigi | |||
2013 | Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon | Luigi, Mario | ||
Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move | Mario, Mini Mario | Uncredited | ||
New Super Luigi U | Luigi | |||
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. | Mario, Luigi | |||
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games | ||||
Super Mario 3D World | Mario, Luigi (voice) | |||
Mario Party: Island Tour | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
Yoshi's New Island | Baby Mario (voice) | Uncredited | ||
Runner2 | Narrator | |||
2014 | Mario Golf: World Tour | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Gold Mario | ||
Mario Kart 8 | Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Metal Mario | Uncredited | ||
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U | Mario, Luigi, Dr. Mario, Wario, Waluigi | |||
2015 | Mario Party 10 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
Luigi's Mansion Arcade | Luigi | |||
Super Mario Maker | Mario, Luigi, Waluigi | [20] | ||
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam | Mario, Luigi | |||
2016 | Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | ||
Paper Mario: Color Splash | Mario, Luigi | |||
Mario Party: Star Rush | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS | Mario | |||
2017 | Mario Sports Superstars | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi | ||
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Metal Mario, Gold Mario | |||
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle | Mario, Luigi | [20] | ||
Super Mario Odyssey | [20] | |||
2018 | Runner3 | Narrator, playable character | [24] | |
WarioWare Gold | Wario | |||
Super Mario Party | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Mario, Luigi, Dr. Mario, Wario, Waluigi | [20] | ||
2019 | Super Mario Maker 2 | Mario, Luigi | [20] | |
Dr. Mario World | Dr. Mario, Dr. Luigi, Dr. Wario, Dr. Waluigi | |||
Mario Kart Tour | Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi | |||
Luigi's Mansion 3 | Mario, Luigi | [20] | ||
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 | Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi |
References
- "It's-a Me, Mario!" on YouTube
- Interview in French for Express magazine on YouTube
- "CHARLES MARTINET". SacAnime. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
- "American School of Paris Aspire". 1974.
- Savage, Mark (30 September 2012). "The actors hiding inside your video games". BBC. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
- The Voice of Mario - Charles Martinet Interview on YouTube (at 2:20 mark)
- Super Mario 64: Mario Sleeping, retrieved 2019-09-15
- "Mario 64 - Mario Sleeping". YouTube. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- "Charles Martinet--Voice Over". www.charlesmartinet.com.
- Barsanti, Sam (December 15, 2018). "Charles Martinet now holds a Guinness record for voicing Super Mario 100 times". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
- Worthington, Thomas (November 20, 2009). "An Interview with Charles Martinet". That Gaming Site. p. 2. Archived from the original on November 20, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- Bramwell, Tom (November 17, 2009). "Martinet wanted to voice Link". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- Theobald, Phil (May 18, 2005). "GameSpy: Animal Crossing DS". ds.gamespy.com. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- "Pac-Man Vs". IGN. November 13, 2003. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2013-03-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Friscia, John (August 6, 2020). "High Score Netflix documentary about games is narrated by Charles Martinet". Nintendo Enthusiast. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- "Charles Martinet--Resume". charlesmartinet.com.
- "Charles Martinet--Actor". charlesmartinet.com.
- "The Sierra Chest - Charles Martinet: Biography". sierrachest.com.
- "Behind The Voice Actors – Charles Martinet". Behind The Voice Actors. – green check mark indicates roles that have been verified by BTVA through closing credits
- Smilebit (February 25, 2002). Jet Set Radio Future (Xbox). Sega. Level/area: Credits.
- Harris, Craig (9 December 2003). "Pac-Man Vs. - GameCube Review". IGN. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- "Virtua Quest voice cast". Album on Imgur. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- "Charles Martinet on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-05-04.