Charles Martinet
Charles Martinet | |
---|---|
![]() Martinet at Game World 2010 | |
Born | |
Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
Occupation(s) | Actor, voice actor |
Years active | 1986–present |
Known for | The voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario and Waluigi for Nintendo also Paarthurnax in "Skyrim" |
Notable work | Mario series Super Mario (series) Mario & Luigi (series) Mario Kart (series) Mario Party (series) Mario Sports games Wario Series Super Smash Bros. (series) |
Website | Official website |
Charles Martinet (born September 17, 1955) (English: /m[invalid input: 'ar']tɪˈneɪ/; French: [maʁtinɛ]) is an American actor and voice actor. He has voiced Mario, the titular character in Nintendo's flagship video game franchise since 1995. He also voices Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and a few other characters from the series.
Career
Working for Nintendo since 1994, 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.[1] This system was called Mario in Real-Time or MIRT and was developed by Pasadena based SimGraphics.[1] 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.[citation needed]
Martinet was told by his friend that there was going to be an audition at a trade show in which you "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.[2] He says that Petruchio from William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew was an inspiration for his portrayal of Mario.[1]
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. He has voiced Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, Metal Mario, Shadow Mario, Donkey Kong,[3] MC Ballyhoo, Mini-Mario Toy, 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, although his work is always in English .
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 addition to video game voice overs, Martinet has worked as a voice actor in commercials, cartoons, and promotions. At the E3 trade show in 2005, Charles (as an Animal Crossing character) could be found roaming the virtual village featured in the playable demo of Animal Crossing: Wild World. Martinet did Mario's voice as the voice announcer for Pac-Man Vs. on the Nintendo GameCube.
Other than the Mario series, Charles 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, and narrated the cutscenes and menus for the 2013 video game Bit.Trip Presents... Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien.[4]
Public appearances
As 'the voice of Mario', he has become a well-known personality among fans of video games. As such, he has made several public appearances at several video game related events. Besides performing his well-known Mario voice, fans can meet him and take pictures with him, or ask for his autograph. He has made regular appearances at game events such as E3, Gamescom, and the Eurogamer Expo, as well at launch events of games like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2.
Personal life
Martinet is of French descent and speaks fluent French[5] and Spanish. His family moved to Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain when he was 12 years old, and later his family moved to Paris, France.[6] He attended the American School of Paris and graduated in 1974.[7]
Martinet attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he originally intended to study international law. 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 him to take acting classes to combat his fear of public speaking. His first role was a monologue from the Spoon River Anthology.[6] Eventually, Martinet earned an apprenticeship at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. After training with the Berkeley Rep for several years, Martinet went to London to attended the Drama Studio London, where among other skills, he discovered his talent for accents and dialects.[6] Upon returning to California he joined the Berkeley Reparatory Theatre. He went on to become a founding member of the San Jose Repertory Theatre for four years.[6]
Filmography
Film
- Brotherhood of Justice (1986) (TV) .... Deputy
- Hard Traveling (1986) .... Dist, Atty, Cobb
- The Dead Pool (1988) .... Police Station Reporter #1
- Mom (1990) .... Mr. Hernandez
- The Last of His Tribe (1992) (TV) .... Assistant Museum Director
- Criminal Hearts (1995) (as Charles Martinez) .... Juan
- Nine Months (1995) .... Arnie
- Death in Granada (1997) .... Gravedigger
- The Game (1997) .... Nicholas' Father
- A Thousand Men and a Baby (1997) (TV) .... Seattle cab driver
- Sheer Passion (1998) .... Lou
- The Californians (2005) .... City Councilman
Television
- Midnight Caller .... Mark Heller (1 episode, 1989)
- Matlock .... Bo Edmunds (1 episode, 1989)
- Reasonable Doubts .... Bartender (1 episode, 1992)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (1993) .... Pilot B
- Fourways Farm (1994) .... US Narrator
- Compromising Situations .... Sal (1 episode, 1995)
- Nash Bridges .... Hermsdorf (1 episode, 1996)
- Air America .... David Dixon (1 episode, 1998)
- ER .... Eddy (1 episode, 2002)
- NYPD Blue .... Court Officer (1 episode, 2003)
Video games
- Super Punch-Out!! (1994, 1995, 1998) .... Announcer, Referee, Boxers
- Mario's Game Gallery (earlier released as Mario's FUNdamentals) (1995, 1996, 1997) .... Mario
- Space Quest 6: The Spinal Frontier (1995) .... Pa Conshohocken, Ray Trace/P'Tooie
- Solar Eclipse (1995) .... Spinner
- Super Mario 64 (1996, 1997) .... Mario
- Mario Kart 64 (1996, 1997) .... Mario, Luigi (Overseas version), Wario (Overseas version), Donkey Kong
- The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures: Puzzle of the Pyramid (1998) .... Sir Alistar Loveless III
- Mario Party (1998, 1999) .... Mario, Donkey Kong
- Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman (1999) .... Master Suzuki
- Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance (1999) .... Adm. Holtz
- Super Smash Bros. (1999) .... Mario, Luigi
- Mario Golf (1999) .... Mario/Baby Mario, Luigi, Wario, Donkey Kong
- Carmen Sandiego's Great Chase Through Time (1999) .... William Shakespeare, Ludwig van Beethoven
- Dr. Seuss Toddler (1999) .... The Cat in the Hat
- Dr. Seuss Preschool (1999) .... The Cat in the Hat, Yertle the Turtle
- Dr. Seuss Kindergarten (1999) .... The Cat in the Hat
- Slave Zero (1999, 2000) .... Old One, Sangonar
- Mario Party 2 (1999, 2000) .... Mario, Donkey Kong
- Mario Tennis (2000) .... Mario/Baby Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong
- Skies of Arcadia Legends (2000) .... Vigoro
- Mario Party 3 (2000, 2001) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong
- Shadow of Destiny (2001) .... Homunculus
- Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds (2001) .... 2-1B, AT-AT driver, OOM-9
- Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) .... Mario, Donkey Kong
- Wario Land 4 (2001) .... Wario
- Super Mario Advance (2001) .... Mario, Luigi, Wart, Clawgrip, Tryclyde, Fryguy, Mouser
- Forever Kingdom (2001, 2002) .... Darsul
- Luigi's Mansion (2001, 2002) .... Luigi, Mario
- Mad Dash Racing (2001, 2002)
- Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001, 2002) .... Mario/Dr. Mario and Luigi
- Cel Damage (2001) .... Fowl Mouth, Various
- Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (2002) .... Mario, Luigi
- Jet Set Radio Future (2002) .... Gouji Rokkaku
- Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (2002) .... Bespin guard 2, Civilian Male, Imperial Officer 2, Rebel Shock Trooper 3 .... Voice
- Super Mario Sunshine (2002) .... Mario, Toadsworth, some Piantas
- Mario Party 4 (2002) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong
- Shinobi (2002) .... Voice
- WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! (2003) .... Wario
- Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (2003, 2004) .... Mario/Shadow Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Gladius (2003) (voice) .... Additional Voices
- WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! (2003) .... Wario
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003, 2004) .... Mario/Baby Mario, Luigi/Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Wario World (2003, 2004) .... Wario
- Mario Party 5 (2003) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong
- Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003) .... Mario and Luigi
- Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (2003) .... Mario and Luigi
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) .... Easterling Soldiers
- Mario Golf: Advance Tour (2004) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2004) .... Mario/Mini-Mario Toys
- Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004) .... Paper Mario/Paper Shadow Mario, Doopliss Mario
- Mario Pinball Land (2004) .... Mario
- Mario Power Tennis (2004) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Super Mario 64 DS (2004) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario
- Mario Party 6 (2004) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong
- Virtua Quest (2005) .... Announcer, Snake Eyes, Lau Chan, Shun Di
- WarioWare: Touched! (2005) .... Wario
- Yoshi Touch & Go (2005) .... Baby Mario and Luigi
- WarioWare: Twisted! (2005) .... Wario
- Mario Superstar Baseball (2005) .... Mario/Baby Mario, Luigi/Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth
- SSX on Tour (2005) .... Mario, Luigi
- Mario Kart DS (2005) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Mario Kart Arcade GP (2005) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (2005, 2006) .... Mario/Baby Mario and Luigi/Baby Luigi
- Super Mario Strikers (2005) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Mario Party 7 (2005) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, Donkey Kong
- Super Princess Peach (2006) (voice) .... Mario, Luigi
- New Super Mario Bros. (2006) (voice) .... Mario, Luigi
- Yoshi's Island DS (2006) - Baby Mario and Wario
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis (2006, 2007) .... Mario/Mini-Mario Toys
- WarioWare: Smooth Moves (2007) .... Wario
- Super Paper Mario (2007) .... Paper Mario, Paper Luigi/Mr. L
- Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (2007) (voice)
- Mario Strikers Charged (2007) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Wario: Master of Disguise (2007) .... Wario
- Mario Party 8 (2007) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, MC Ballyhoo
- World in Conflict (2007) (voice)
- Super Mario Galaxy (2007) .... Mario and Luigi
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007, 2008) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Mario Party DS (2007) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 (2008) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Mario Kart Wii (2008) .... Mario/Baby Mario, Luigi/Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Mario Super Sluggers (2008) .... Mario/Baby Mario, Luigi/Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth
- Wario Land: Shake It! (2008) .... Wario
- Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (2009) .... Mario, Luigi
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again (2009) .... Mario/Mini-Mario Toys
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time (2009) .... Orvus
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009) .... Mario and Luigi
- Resonance of Fate (2010) .... Lagerfeld
- WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase (2010) .... Wario
- Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010) .... Mario and Luigi
- Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010) .... Cranky Kong
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem (2010) .... Mario/Mini-Mario Toys
- Mario Sports Mix (2011) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Super Mario 3D Land (2011) .... Mario and Luigi
- Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2011, 2012) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Mario Kart 7 (2011) .... Mario/Metal Mario, Luigi, Wario
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) .... Paarthurnax
- Mario Party 9 (2012) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Mario Tennis Open (2012) .... Mario (Baby/Metal Mario), Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- New Super Mario Bros. 2 (2012) .... Mario, Luigi
- New Super Mario Bros. U (2012) .... Mario, Luigi
- Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (2013) .... Luigi, Mario
- Game & Wario (2013) .... Wario
- Bit.Trip Presents... Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (2013) .... Narrator
- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (2013) .... Mario, Luigi/Dreamy Luigi
- Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move (2013) .... Mario
- Super Mario 3D World (2013) .... Mario, Luigi
- Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (2013) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- New Super Luigi U .... Luigi
- Mario Party: Island Tour (2013) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2014) .... Cranky Kong
- Mario Kart 8 (2014) .... Mario (Baby/Metal Mario), Luigi/Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Mario Golf: World Tour (2014) .... Mario/Gold Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (2014) .... Mario/Dr. Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Mario Party 10 (2015) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Super Mario Maker (2015) .... Mario, Luigi
- Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (2015, 2016) .... Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
- Paper Mario & Luigi (2016) .... Mario/Paper Mario and Luigi/Paper Luigi
References
- ^ a b c 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)
- ^ a b charlesmartinet.com - Charles Martinet Voice Over
- ^ http://gaijingames.com/blog-post/what-flavor
- ^ Interview in French for Express magazine on YouTube
- ^ a b c d "CHARLES MARTINET". SacAnime. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
- ^ "American School of Paris Aspire". 1974.
External links
- CharlesMartinet.com
- Charles Martinet at IMDb
- Charles Martinet on X
- Charles Martinet on Instagram
- Charles Martinet on Facebook
- The Sun Online interview and podcast. (Accessed 26-Jan-07. Note, second paragraph is erroneous paraphrasing of audio interview.)
- Interview in French for Express magazine on YouTube
- Short clip of Martinet's Mario voice acting
- Charles Martinet plays and comments Mario Kart 8 at GamesCom 2013 on YouTube
- Podcast Interview for Scene World Magazine
- Ill-formatted IPAc-en transclusions
- 1955 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American male video game actors
- American male voice actors
- Theatre practitioners
- Nintendo people
- Male actors from San Jose, California
- Male actors from San Francisco, California
- American expatriates in France
- American expatriates in Spain
- American people of French descent
- University of California, Berkeley alumni