For decades, Charles Martinet’s voice has been inseparable from one of the most iconic characters in video game history: Mario. The American actor voiced Nintendo’s legendary mascot for many years, while also bringing to life other beloved characters from the Mushroom Kingdom, including Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi.
His journey as Mario began in the early 1990s in an unusual way. Martinet attended an audition for a performer who would portray a plumber interacting directly with visitors at a trade show. Rather than using a deep, stereotypical Italian accent, he created a cheerful, warm, and friendly voice. That creative decision would go on to become one of the most recognizable voices in gaming.
Before millions of players heard him in Super Mario 64 in 1996, Martinet had already been performing as Mario through Mario in Real-Time (MIRT), a system developed by SimGraphics that allowed a digital version of Mario to interact live with audiences. Using hidden cameras and facial motion-capture technology, Martinet could speak with attendees while Mario mimicked his expressions and movements on screen.
His video game debut as Mario came in Mario’s FUNdamentals, released for Windows in 1995, but it was Super Mario 64 that introduced his performance to players around the world. From that point on, Martinet became the voice of Mario across countless Nintendo titles, also portraying characters such as Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, and Baby Luigi, among many others.
His video game career extends well beyond the Mario franchise. Martinet voiced multiple characters in Super Punch-Out!!, portrayed Vigoro in Skies of Arcadia, and played Homunculus in Shadow of Destiny. He has also lent his voice to educational games and to one of his most celebrated non-Nintendo roles: the dragon Paarthurnax in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
In addition to his work in video games, Charles Martinet has enjoyed a long career as a voice actor in commercials, animation, and promotional projects, becoming one of the industry’s most recognizable performers.
At San Diego Comic-Con Málaga 2026, you’ll have the opportunity to meet a true video game legend and the actor behind a voice that has accompanied generations of players around the world.