‘It’s-a not me, Mario!’ Charles Martinet, longtime voice of Mario, retires after 27 years

American voice actor also played Luigi and Wario in the video game series

Charles Martinet, the voice actor behind Nintendo’s video game character Super Mario, is retiring after 27 years.

The American voice actor, 67, first appeared in the role of the plucky Italian plumber in the 1996 instalment Super Mario 64, and also provided the voices for Mario’s twin brother Luigi and villain Wario.

Nintendo said in a statement: “Charles is now moving into the brand-new role of Mario ambassador.

“With this transition, he will be stepping back from recording character voices for our games, but he’ll continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario and interacting with you all!

“It has been an honour working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years and we want to thank and celebrate him.

“Please keep an eye out for a special video message from (video game designer and Mario creator) Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles himself, which we will post at a future date.”

Martinet reshared the post, adding: “My new Adventure begins! You are all Numba One in my heart! £woohoo !!!!!!!”

In the replies, fans shared their gratitude for the actor’s long service to the genre.

“Your work has inspired me since I was a child,” wrote fellow voice actor Gianni Matragrano. “As a kid I was inspired by Mario’s fun loving and determined adventures, and as an adult you’ve inspired me in what it means to be a voice actor, and more importantly, a good person. Thank you. And enjoy this new adventure!”

“You know, there's something kind of beautiful about @CharlesMartinet concluding his time as Mario's voice actor with his final performance literally being the FATHER of Mario,” wrote another, referencing Martinet’s role in the recent animated film adaptation, The Super Mario Bros Movie.

Guardians Of The Galaxy star Chris Pratt voiced the title character in the film opposite It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia actor Charlie Day as Luigi.

However, Martinet did play Luigi and Mario’s father Giuseppe in the Universal Pictures movie, which grossed more than $1bn (£795m), according to studio estimates.

The next game in the series from Nintendo is set to be Super Mario Bros Wonder.

Martinet has also appeared in games The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time, as well as the film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.

Additional reporting from the Press Association