Stellar Snippets
Mario's iconic voice, Charles Martinet, bids farewell after 30 years.
Martinet has stepped down as the beloved plumber Mario's voice, but will become a Mario ambassador.
Martinet plans on "sharing the joy of Mario" at events held all over the world.
In Monday's announcement, Nintendo said, “It has been an honor working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years and we want to thank and celebrate him.”
Martinet's voice has been an iconic part of Mario's journey, from 'Super Mario 64' to 'Mario Party Superstars.'
In a Guinness World Records interview, Martinet revealed how he landed the role of Mario. Given a prompt to create a voice for an Italian plumber named Mario, he came up with something on-the-spot.
His impromptu performance caught the attention of Mario's creator Miyamoto, leading to Martinet's debut as Mario in the 1994 game 'Mario Teaches Typing.'
Martinet also shared that voicing Mario never got old, which is perhaps the reason he holds a world record - most video game voiceover performances as the same character.