History Creator / CharlesMartinet

* StarMakingRole: Charles had acting experience prior to his role as the voice actor of Mario; however, it wasn't until after his stint as Nintendo's famous mascot for ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' that his name ''really'' took off. While other Nintendo characters had their voice actors [[TheOtherDarrin changed]] every so often, Charles is the only one who has been in the same role for more than two decades. In this time, Martinet has voiced Mario in ''over 100 games'', more than any other voice actor in a single role according to ''Literature/GuinnessWorldRecords'', reaching this record by the time he voiced him in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''. By the time he retired from voicing the characters, he had been playing Mario and Luigi for
'''31 years''' (1992 - 2023).

* StarMakingRole: Charles had acting experience prior to his role as the voice actor of Mario; however, it wasn't until after his stint as Nintendo's famous mascot for ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' that his name ''really'' took off. While other Nintendo characters had their voice actors [[TheOtherDarrin changed]] every so often, Charles is the only one who has been in the same role for more than two decades. In this time, Martinet has voiced Mario in ''over 100 games'', more than any other voice actor in a single role according to ''Literature/GuinnessWorldRecords'', reaching this record by the time he voiced him in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.

* ManOfAThousandVoices: His voices for Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi are all very distinct and unique from one another. On the other end of the pitch spectrum, he can also drop his voice down very low, as demonstrated with [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Paarthurnax]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cmartinet.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros It's-a me!]]'']]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Charles_Martinet_5211.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros It's-a me!]]'']]

** While he does '''not''' lend his voice to Mario or Luigi in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' (those characters instead respectively being voiced by Creator/ChrisPratt and Creator/CharlieDay this time around), [[RemakeCameo he appears as the Mario brothers' dad and Giuseppe]] in the English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and German dubs.

* Sir Alistair Loveless III, Jacques Ramone, and Pericles Lear in ''VideoGame/TheClueFinders'' series
* Ash the Dragon and Spanx in ''VideoGame/MadDashRacing''
* The Cat in the Hat and Yertle the Turtle in ''Creator/DrSeuss Kindergarten''
* Eaoden in ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsTheThirdAge''
* ''[[ManOfAThousandVoices Everyone]]'' (the announcer, player character, and all the opponents) in ''[[VideoGame/PunchOut Super Punch Out!]]''
* Fowl Mouth, Flemming, and Brian the Brain in ''VideoGame/CelDamage''
* [[BigBad Gouji Rokaku]] in ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio''
* Homunculus in ''VideoGame/ShadowOfDestiny''
* Irvin the Inventor, Ratbeard, Monstrous Mirror, and Sir Drayson Dragon in the ''VideoGame/ReaderRabbit'' series
* Lagerfeld in ''VideoGame/ResonanceOfFate''
* A male prostitute in ''VideoGame/PoliceQuest: Open Season''
* [[TheHero Mario]], [[TheLancer Luigi]], [[EvilCounterpart Wario, Waluigi]], and [[SpinoffBabies their baby counterparts]] in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series from 1990 to 2023 (as well as Franchise/DonkeyKong in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcdkFsVFzMI this Real Time animation from VSDA Expo '94]] and both Bowser and the Boo species in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'') and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. While he does '''not''' lend his voice to Mario or Luigi in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' (those characters instead respectively being voiced by Creator/ChrisPratt and Creator/CharlieDay this time around), [[RemakeCameo he appears as the brothers' dad and Giuseppe]] in the English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and German dubs.
* Magenta in ''Anime/DragonBallSuperSuperHero''
* A Marshal in ''VideoGame/MagicPengel''
* The {{Narrator}} and [[CreatorCameo himself]] in ''VideoGame/BitTrip Presents: [=Runner2=]: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien'' and ''[=Runner3=]''
* Paarthurnax in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''
* Orvus in ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime''
* Sanguinar and the Old One in ''VideoGame/SlaveZero''
* Spinner in ''VideoGame/SolarEclipse''
* Vigoro in ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia''
* Creator/WilliamShakespeare and Music/LudwigVanBeethoven in ''[[VideoGame/WhereInTimeIsCarmenSandiego1997 Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?]]''
* Senator Wilson Phillips in the 1993 ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'' OVA
* The Yellow Bird, Pierre, the General, and Rasputin's Dog in the Creator/GoldenFilms version of ''Anastasia''

* CreatorBacklash: He asked to remain uncredited in ''Mad Dash Racing'' and tends to avoid mentioning it at all. Fans believe the likely reasons for this was the game's crude humor and the similarities of Ash's voice to Luigi's, as Nintendo likely wouldn't appreciate hearing crass dialogue and humour coming from a character from a child-friendly game in a non family-friendly Xbox game.

* FakeNationality: He is so well-known for voicing Mario the Italian plumber that many people believe Charles Martinet to actually be an Italian-American. In reality he is of French descent.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Martinet's first plan for his rendition of Mario was to provide a gruff Brooklynite voice in the vein of Walker Boone's portrayal of the character in ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3'' and ''WesternAnimation/SuperMarioWorld1991''. However, he very quickly shifted to the now-iconic high-pitched Italian voice upon realizing that it would be more appealing to the young children that comprised the majority of the ''Mario'' series's audience. This choice ended up being what got Martinet the role; he was the only person who ''didn't'' try to imitate Wrestling/CaptainLouAlbano's portrayal from ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow''.

* The {{Narrator}} and [[CreatorCameo himself]] in ''VideoGame/BitTrip [[ColonCancer Presents: Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien]]'' and ''[=Runner3=]''

* CreatorBacklash: He asked to remain uncredited in ''Mad Dash Racing'' and tends to avoid mentioning it at all. Fans believe the likely reasons for this was the game's crude humor and the similarities of Ash's voice to Luigi's, as Nintendo likely wouldn't appreciate hearing crass dialogue and humour coming from a character from a child game in an Xbox game.

* IAmNotSpock: As far as the [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] fans are concerned, Charles and Mario are the same person. Regardless, Charles doesn't seem to mind since he loves doing his Mario (or any other Mario character requested) voice for fans.

->''[[Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily Want some more voice overs?]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcdTwhcO-B8 Too Bad. Waluigi Time.]]''[[note]]As Waluigi, he does say "Waluigi time!" in ''VideoGame/MarioKartDoubleDash'' whenever the player switches him to the supporting (i.e., non-driving) character.[[/note]]

He is best known as the voices of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series, starting with ''VideoGame/MariosGameGallery'' in 1995. Martinet is from a Franco-American background, and is fluent in Spanish and French but, ironically, not so fluent in Italian[[note]]Though he did voice act for ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' Italian as well as German dub[[/note]].

On August 21, 2023, Nintendo announced that Martinet will be [[https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1693624002982314108 retiring from the role as Mario's full time voice actor]]; he had previously made public comments suggesting that his age was making it increasingly difficult to keep up the voice. He isn't done with the franchise for good however, as he has moved into the role as a ''Mario'' brand ambassador for Nintendo.

!!Charles Martinet has provided these voice overs of:

* AchievementsInIgnorance: This played a huge part in getting him the role of Mario. Martinet had never actually heard of the ''Mario'' series or of Nintendo when he was first told about the audition for the role in 1990, and consequently didn't know what people's expectations for the Mario character were. Because of this, he was unfamiliar with the precedent that Wrestling/CaptainLouAlbano set with his portrayal of Mario in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow'', and went for a high-pitched Italian voice that allowed him to stand out from the large swath of Captain Lou imitators[[note]]he did initially consider a gruff Brooklynite voice, but quickly abandoned it in favor of something that'd more readily appeal towards younger audiences[[/note]]. His MotorMouth and improv skills also played a role, as Nintendo was seeking an actor who could play Mario via mocap at conventions for potentially hours at a time without sounding tired or bored of the role. Martinet's tape was the only one sent to Nintendo, and they accepted it almost immediately.

* StarMakingRole: Charles had acting experience prior to his role as voice actor of Mario; however, it wasn't until after his stint as Nintendo's famous mascot for ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' that his name ''really'' took off. While other Nintendo characters had their voice actors [[TheOtherDarrin changed]] every so often, Charles is the only one who has been in the same role for more than two decades. In this time, Martinet has voiced Mario in ''over 100 games'', more than any other voice actor in a single role according to ''Literature/GuinnessWorldRecords'', reaching this record by the time he voiced him in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.

On August 21, 2023, Nintendo announced that Martinet will be [[https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1693624002982314108 retiring from the role as Mario's full time voice actor]]. He isn't done with the franchise for good however, as he has moved into the role as a ''Mario'' brand ambassador for Nintendo.

* [[TheHero Mario]], [[TheLancer Luigi]], [[EvilCounterpart Wario, Waluigi]], and [[SpinoffBabies their baby counterparts]] in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series (as well as Franchise/DonkeyKong in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcdkFsVFzMI this Real Time animation from VSDA Expo '94]] and both Bowser and the Boo species in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'') and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. While he does '''not''' lend his voice to Mario or Luigi in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' (those characters instead respectively being voiced by Creator/ChrisPratt and Creator/CharlieDay this time around), [[RemakeCameo he appears as the brothers' dad and Giuseppe]] in the English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and German dubs.

* ManOfAThousandVoices: His voices for Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi are all very distinct and unique from one another. On the other end of the pitch spectrum, he can also drop his voice [[BadassBaritone down very low]], as demonstrated with [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Paarthurnax]].

->"Ah, that Charles Martinet. Nice Italian boy."

He is best known as the voices of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series, starting with ''VideoGame/MariosGameGallery'' in 1995. Martinet is from a Franco-American background, and is fluent in Spanish and French but, ironically, not so fluent in Italian[[note]]Though he did voice act for ''The Super Mario Bros. Movie'' Italian as well as German dub[[/note]].

He is best known as the voices of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series, starting with ''VideoGame/MariosGameGallery'' in 1995. Martinet is from a Franco-American background, and is fluent in Spanish and French but, ironically, not so fluent in Italian.

* [[TheHero Mario]], [[TheLancer Luigi]], [[EvilCounterpart Wario, Waluigi]], and [[SpinoffBabies their baby counterparts]] in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series (as well as Franchise/DonkeyKong in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcdkFsVFzMI this Real Time animation from VSDA Expo '94]] and both Bowser and the Boo species in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'') and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. While he does '''not''' lend his voice to Mario or Luigi in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' (those characters instead respectively being voiced by Creator/ChrisPratt and Creator/CharlieDay this time around), [[RemakeCameo and appears as the brothers' dad and Giuseppe]] in the English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and German dubs.

He is best known as the voices of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series, starting with ''Mario's Game Gallery'' (later rebranded ''Mario's [=FUNdamentals=]'') in 1995. Martinet is from a Franco-American background, and is fluent in Spanish and French but, ironically, not so fluent in Italian.

* [[TheHero Mario]], [[TheLancer Luigi]], [[EvilCounterpart Wario, Waluigi]], and [[SpinoffBabies their baby counterparts]] in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series (as well as Franchise/DonkeyKong in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcdkFsVFzMI this Real Time animation from VSDA Expo '94]] and both Bowser and the Boo species in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'') and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. While he does '''not''' lend his voice to Mario or Luigi in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' (those characters instead respectively being voiced by Creator/ChrisPratt and Creator/CharlieDay this time around), [[RemakeCameo and appears as the brothers' dad and Giuseppe]] in the English, Italian, Spanish and German dubs.

* [[TheHero Mario]], [[TheLancer Luigi]], [[EvilCounterpart Wario, Waluigi]], and [[SpinoffBabies their baby counterparts]] in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series (as well as Franchise/DonkeyKong in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcdkFsVFzMI this Real Time animation from VSDA Expo '94]] and both Bowser and the Boo species in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'') and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. While he does '''not''' lend his voice to Mario or Luigi in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' (those characters instead respectively being voiced by Creator/ChrisPratt and Creator/CharlieDay this time around), [[RemakeCameo and appears as the brothers' dad and Gisseppe]] in the English and German dubs.

* [[TheHero Mario]], [[TheLancer Luigi]], [[EvilCounterpart Wario, Waluigi]], and [[SpinoffBabies their baby counterparts]] in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series (as well as Franchise/DonkeyKong in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcdkFsVFzMI this Real Time animation from VSDA Expo '94]] and both Bowser and the Boo species in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'') and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. While he does '''not''' lend his voice to Mario or Luigi in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' (those characters instead respectively being voiced by Creator/ChrisPratt and Creator/CharlieDay this time around), [[RemakeCameo and appears as the brothers' dad and Gisseppe]].

* [[TheHero Mario]], [[TheLancer Luigi]], [[EvilCounterpart Wario, Waluigi]], and [[SpinoffBabies their baby counterparts]] in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series (as well as Franchise/DonkeyKong in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcdkFsVFzMI this Real Time animation from VSDA Expo '94]] and both Bowser and the Boo species in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'') and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. While he does '''not''' lend his voice to Mario or Luigi in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' (those characters instead respectively being voiced by Creator/ChrisPratt and Creator/CharlieDay this time around), [[RemakeCameo he is set to appear in the movie in various unspecified cameo roles]].

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Martinet's first plan for his rendition of Mario was to provide a gruff Brooklynite voice in the vein of Walker Boone's portrayal of the character in ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3'' and ''WesternAnimation/SuperMarioWorld''. However, he very quickly shifted to the now-iconic high-pitched Italian voice upon realizing that it would be more appealing to the young children that comprised the majority of the ''Mario'' series's audience. This choice ended up being what got Martinet the role; he was the only person who ''didn't'' try to imitate Wrestling/CaptainLouAlbano's portrayal from ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow''.

->''[[Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily Want some more voice overs?]] [[BeamMeUpScotty Too]] [[MemeticMutation Bad.]] [[http://brawlinthefamily.keenspot.com/forum/showthread.php?8741-I-got-Charles-Martinet-to-say-quot-Too-bad-Waluigi-Time-quot Waluigi Time.]]''[[note]]As Waluigi, he does say "Waluigi time!" in ''VideoGame/MarioKartDoubleDash'' whenever the player switches him to the supporting (i.e., non-driving) character.[[/note]]

* [[TheHero Mario]], [[TheLancer Luigi]], [[EvilCounterpart Wario, Waluigi]], and [[SpinoffBabies their baby counterparts]] in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series (as well as Franchise/DonkeyKong in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcdkFsVFzMI this Real Time animation from VSDA Expo '94]]) and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. While he does '''not''' lend his voice to Mario or Luigi in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' (those characters instead respectively being voiced by Creator/ChrisPratt and Creator/CharlieDay this time around), [[RemakeCameo he is set to appear in the movie in various unspecified cameo roles]].

* [[TheHero Mario]], [[TheLancer Luigi]], [[EvilCounterpart Wario, Waluigi]], and [[SpinoffBabies their baby counterparts]] in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series (as well as Franchise/DonkeyKong in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcdkFsVFzMI this Real Time animation from VSDA Expo '94]] and both Bowser and the Boo species in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'') and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. While he does '''not''' lend his voice to Mario or Luigi in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' (those characters instead respectively being voiced by Creator/ChrisPratt and Creator/CharlieDay this time around), [[RemakeCameo he is set to appear in the movie in various unspecified cameo roles]].

* [[TheHero Mario]], [[TheLancer Luigi]], [[EvilCounterpart Wario, Waluigi]], and [[SpinoffBabies their baby counterparts]] in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series (as well as Franchise/DonkeyKong in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcdkFsVFzMI this Real Time animation from VSDA Expo '94]] and both Bowser and the Boo species in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'') and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. While he does '''not''' lend his voice to Mario or Luigi in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' (those instead being voiced by Creator/ChrisPratt and Creator/CharlieDay respectively), [[RemakeCameo he is set to appear in the movie in various unspecified cameo roles]].

* [[TheHero Mario]], [[TheLancer Luigi]], [[EvilCounterpart Wario, Waluigi]], and [[SpinoffBabies their baby counterparts]] in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series (as well as Franchise/DonkeyKong in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcdkFsVFzMI this Real Time animation from VSDA Expo '94]] and both Bowser and the Boo species in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'') and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series.
** A to-be-announced character in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie''.