Charles Martinet, the Voice of Mario, Retired

Charles Martinet, the iconic voice of Mario, retired from performing as Mario. Martinet brought to life Mario's unforgettable catchphrases. Nintendo announced this late in August last year. Martinet started at Nintendo in 1991, and his first major performance as the mustachioed plumber was in 1996’s Super Mario 64, the landmark 3D platformer that introduced much of the world to Mario’s enthusiastic Italian intonation. He’s voiced Mario — and a handful of other Mushroom Kingdom adventurers including Luigi, Wario and Waluigi — in over 150 Nintendo games. He brought to life Mario’s unforgettable catchphrases like “Mamma mia,” “Wahoo!” and “Let’s-a go!” Martinet left his mark on some of Nintendo’s biggest properties, including Mario Kart, Super Mario Galaxy, and Mario Party.

The reason for retirement has not been announced yet but is most likely because of age, as Charles Martin is 68 years old and it has been getting harder for him to do the voices. "It's been a privilege working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years, and we want to thank and celebrate him," Nintendo said. Before he worked at Nintendo, Charles was a professional actor. The reason he joined Nintendo is about as interesting as the games he's voiced in. You see, in 1990, his friend dared him to crash the audition of Nintendo. Charles arrived right as the person was leaving. The producer had him audition for a Brooklyn plumber and viola, Super Mario was born. Charles Martinet also had a cameo in the Mario movie voicing Mario and Luigi's dad.