Charles Martinet

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Charles Martinet
Martinet at the 2020 GalaxyCon Richmond
Born (1955-09-17) September 17, 1955 (age 68)[1]
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
Occupations
  • Actor
  • voice actor
Years active1986–present
Known forVoice of Mario and Luigi
Notable workMario series, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Websitewww.charlesmartinet.com
Signature

Charles Martinet (/ˈmɑːrtɪn/,[2] French: [maʁtinɛ]; born September 17, 1955) is an American actor and voice actor, known for his portrayal of both Mario and Luigi in the Super Mario video game series since 1992. He is also the voice of other characters in the series such as Wario and Waluigi.[3]

Early life

Martinet is of French descent and speaks fluent French[4] and Spanish. His family moved to Barcelona when he was 12 years old, and later to Paris.[5] He attended the American School of Paris and graduated in 1974.[6]

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".[7] 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.[8] 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,[8] where among other skills, he discovered his talent for accents and dialects.[5] 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.[8]

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.[7] This system was called Mario in Real-Time or MIRT and was developed by Pasadena based SimGraphics.[7] 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.[9]

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, The Adventures of 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.[10] He says that Petruchio from William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew was an inspiration for his portrayal of Mario.[7]

Martinet's official debut as Mario was in the 1992 Super Mario Bros. pinball machine, despite being uncredited for the role. 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 in the final game, Mario says "night nighty. Ahhh spaghetti, ahhh ravioli, ahhh mamma mia" when in his second sleeping position.[11] Following Super Mario 64, he would go on to additionally voice Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Metal Mario, Shadow Mario, 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.[12]

Martinet at SacAnime 2014

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.[13]

In addition to video game voiceovers, 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.[14] Martinet did Mario's voice as the announcer for Pac-Man Vs. on the Nintendo GameCube.[15]

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.[3] 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[16] and Runner3, appearing as a hidden playable character in the latter. Martinet also narrated for the 2020 Netflix docuseries High Score.[17] Martinet provided the voice of Magenta in the English dub of the 2022 anime film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.[18]

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.[19]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1986 Hard Traveling Dist. Atty. Cobb
1988 The Dead Pool Police Station Reporter #1 [20]
1991 Mom Mr. Hernandez Credited as Charles Martinez
1995 Nine Months Arnie [21] 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 [21]
1998 Sheer Passion Lou Credited as Charles Martinez
2004 Little Angels: The Brightest Christmas (voice) Direct-to-video
2005 The Californians City Councilman
2022 Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Magenta (voice) English dub[18]
2023 The Super Mario Bros. Movie TBA Cameo roles[citation needed]

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1986 Brotherhood of Justice Deputy [20] TV Movie
1989 Matlock Bo Edmunds Episode: "The Captain"
Credited as Charles Martinez
1989 Midnight Caller Mark Heller [21] Episode: "Blood Red"
1992 The Last of His Tribe Assistant Museum Director [21] TV Movie
1992 Reasonable Doubts Bartender Episode: "Lifelines: Part 1"
1992 Bay City Story Art Ronstadt TV Movie
1994 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Senator Wilson Philips, Speedwagon Foundation Pilot (voice) 2 episodes
1995 Compromising Situations Sal Episode: "Vegas"Credited as Charles Martinez
1996–1998 Nash Bridges Jean-Yves / Tony / Hermsdorf [21] 3 Episodes
1997 A Thousand Men and a Baby Seattle cab driver TV Movie as Charles Martinez
1998 Air America David Dixon Episode: "Fever"
2020 High Score Narrator 6 episodes

Video games

Year Series Role Notes Source
1992 Super Mario Bros. Mario Pinball game, uncredited [22][23]
1993 Police Quest: Open Season Prostitute, Billy Bob, Janitor [24]
1994 Super Punch-Out!! Announcer, Referee, Boxers
Mario Teaches Typing Mario CD-ROM version only
1995 Mario's Game Gallery Mario
Solar Eclipse Spinner
Space Quest 6 Pa Conshohocken, Ray Trace, PiTooie
1996 Super Mario 64 Mario, Bowser (vocal effects)[25] [22]
Mario Teaches Typing 2 Mario Uncredited
Mario Kart 64 Mario, Luigi, Wario All versions (for Mario)
North American/European versions (for Luigi and Wario)
Credited as Charles Martinee
1997 Grossology: The Science of Really Gross Things Additional Voices
1998 Mario Party Mario Credited as Charles Martinee
1999 The ClueFinders Math Adventures The Guide
Super Smash Bros. Mario, Luigi Credited as Charles Martinee [26]
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 [22]
Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman Master Suzuki [22]
2000 Mario Tennis Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario
Skies of Arcadia Vigoro English Dub [22]
Mario Party 3 Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
2001 Super Mario Advance Mario, Luigi, Clawgrip, Triclyde, Mouser, Fryguy, Wart, Announcer Uncredited
Dr. Mario 64 Dr. Mario/Metal Mario, Wario/Vampire Wario
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
Super Smash Bros. Melee Mario, Luigi, Dr. Mario [27]
Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 Mario, Luigi, Announcer Uncredited
The ClueFinders: The Incredible Toy Store Adventure! Pericles Lear
Shadow of Memories Homunculus [22]
2002 Jet Set Radio Future Gouji Rokkaku [28]
Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast Bespin Cop 2, Civilian Male, Imperial Officer 2, Rebel Shock Troop 3
Super Mario Sunshine Mario, Isle Delfino Commercial
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 Baby Mario Uncredited
Mario Party 4 Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Shinobi Additional voices English Dub [29]
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 [30]
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 [22]
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Mario, Doopliss (when impersonating Mario)
Mario Pinball Land Mario [22]
WarioWare: Twisted! Wario
Mario Power Tennis Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
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
2005 Virtua Quest Announcer, Snake Eyes, Lau Chan, Shun Di English Dub [31]
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
Mario Tennis: Power Tour Mario, Luigi, Waluigi
SSX on Tour Mario
Super Princess Peach
Mario Party 7 Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi 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
2006 New Super Mario Bros. Mario, Luigi
Mario Hoops 3-on-3 Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis Mario, Mini Mario Uncredited
Yoshi's Island DS Baby Mario, Baby Wario
WarioWare: Smooth Moves Wario
2007 Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 Mario Uncredited
Wario: Master of Disguise Wario
Super Paper Mario Mario, Luigi
Mario Strikers Charged Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Mario Party 8 Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Big Top
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
2008 Super Smash Bros. Brawl Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Mario Kart Wii Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi
Mario Super Sluggers Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi
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 [22]
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 [22]
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 [22]
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
Mario Tennis Open Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario
New Super Mario Bros. 2 Mario, Luigi Uncredited
New Super Mario Bros. U
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 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
Mario Party: Island Tour Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Yoshi's New Island Baby Mario 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 [22]
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 [22]
Super Mario Odyssey [22]
2018 Runner3 Narrator, playable character [32]
WarioWare Gold Wario [22]
Super Mario Party Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Mario, Luigi, Dr. Mario, Wario, Waluigi [22]
2019 Super Mario Maker 2 Mario, Luigi [22]
Mario Kart Tour Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi Includes variants of said characters
Luigi's Mansion 3 Mario, Luigi, Gooigi [22]
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
2020 Paper Mario: The Origami King Mario, Luigi
Super Mario 3D All-Stars Mario, Luigi, Isle Delfino Commercial
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit Mario, Luigi
2021 Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Mario Golf: Super Rush Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
WarioWare: Get It Together! Wario
2022 Mario Strikers: Battle League Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi [22]
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Mario, Luigi

References

  1. ^ @CharlesMartinet (September 2, 2018). "Eyippee! Thank you so much!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2022-05-07 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "It's-a Me, Mario!" on YouTube
  3. ^ a b "Charles Martinet--Voice Over". www.charlesmartinet.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  4. ^ Interview in French for Express magazine on YouTube
  5. ^ a b "CHARLES MARTINET". SacAnime. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  6. ^ "American School of Paris Aspire". 1974.
  7. ^ a b c d Savage, Mark (October 1, 2012). "The actors hiding inside your video games". BBC. Archived from the original on April 22, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c Regina, Steven. "Super Martinet Sunshine". The Swerve Magazine. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  9. ^ Ryan, Jeff (2012). Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America. London, England: Portfolio / Penguin. p. 137. ISBN 978-1-59184-563-8.
  10. ^ The Voice of Mario - Charles Martinet Interview on YouTube (at 2:20 mark)
  11. ^ "Super Mario 64: Mario Sleeping". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Worthington, Thomas (November 20, 2009). "An Interview with Charles Martinet". That Gaming Site. p. 2. Archived from the original on November 20, 2009. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  14. ^ Theobald, Phil (May 18, 2005). "GameSpy: Animal Crossing DS". ds.gamespy.com. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  15. ^ "Pac-Man Vs". IGN. November 13, 2003. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  16. ^ Roush, Mike. "What a Flavor!". Runner2 Blog. Gaijin Games. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  17. ^ Friscia, John (August 6, 2020). "High Score Netflix documentary about games is narrated by Charles Martinet". Nintendo Enthusiast. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  18. ^ a b Mateo, Alex (June 14, 2022). "Crunchyroll Reveals Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Film's Worldwide Screening Dates, English Dub Cast". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  19. ^ Purchese, Robert (June 3, 2010). "Martinet to appear at SMG2 launch event". Eurogamer. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  20. ^ a b "Charles Martinet--Resume". www.charlesmartinet.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  21. ^ a b c d e "Charles Martinet--Actor". www.charlesmartinet.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Charles Martinet (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
  23. ^ "Nintendo/Pinball Mystery SOLVED - Voice of Mario in Super Mario Bros. | Gottlieb | Pinside.com". pinside.com. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  24. ^ "The Sierra Chest - Charles Martinet: Biography". sierrachest.com.
  25. ^ "The secret origin of Bowser's voice". YouTube. Thomas Game Docs. May 19, 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020.
  26. ^ HAL Laboratory. Super Smash Bros. Nintendo. Scene: Ending credits, 0:49 in, Voice Actors.
  27. ^ HAL Laboratory. Super Smash Bros. Melee. Nintendo. Scene: Ending credits, 0:24.
  28. ^ Smilebit (February 25, 2002). Jet Set Radio Future (Xbox). Sega. Level/area: Credits.
  29. ^ "Shinobi (2002 Video Game)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved September 9, 2021. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  30. ^ Harris, Craig (December 9, 2003). "Pac-Man Vs. - GameCube Review". IGN. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  31. ^ "Virtua Quest voice cast". Album on Imgur. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  32. ^ @CharlesMartinet (May 3, 2018). "I'm Charles Martinet, and I'M PLAYABLE!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

External links