Scott Burns
Scott Burns is the voice actor who provided the voice of Bowser as well as the Piantas starting with Super Mario Sunshine in 2002 and continuing until Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games in 2007. Nearly a year following this release, Burns stopped voicing Bowser for unknown reasons, but he then returned to the role for Mario Super Sluggers in 2008. Despite no longer being the voice of Bowser, Burns has kept in touch with the series as one of the announcer voices in Mario Tennis Open.
In addition to the Mario series, Scott Burns worked for Nintendo to voice Slippy Toad's father, Beltino Toad, in Star Fox Assault.[1] Aside from Nintendo, Burns has also worked for Microsoft, McDonald's, and Boeing. Scott Burns considers himself most suited for characters between the ages of twenty-nine and forty-nine, but claims to be able to voice young adult, middle aged, and senior male characters.[2]
History with the Mario series
Voicing Bowser
Scott Burns began his career at the suggestion of another voice actor and gained notability through his ability to impersonate people and characters such as Clint Eastwood and Popeye.[2] Nintendo hired Burns first to voice Bowser in Super Mario Sunshine, the first video game in which Bowser was given a speaking role beyond his growls and roars. However, the title's voice acting panned by many, including Gamespot reviewer Jeff Gerstmann, who criticized the title as having "some of the lousiest voice-over work to be found on the GameCube. None of the voices fit particularly well.... [Bowser and Bowser Jr.] are completely miscast and downright disappointing."[3] Despite such criticism, Nintendo continued to hire the voice actors from Super Mario Sunshine. Following this role, Scott began voicing Bowser without fail, giving him a series of throaty grunts, laughs, and exclamations new to the character who had previously simply roared and growled.
Absence and Return
Kenny James took on the role in Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart Wii and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, and now voices him constantly. In 2008, Scott returned to voice Bowser in Mario Super Sluggers. In 2010 he shared the role with fellow Bowser subsitute Kenny James in Super Mario Galaxy 2.
Portrayals
- Super Mario Sunshine – Bowser
- Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour – Bowser
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! – Bowser
- Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga – Bowser
- Mario Golf: Advance Tour – Bowser
- Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door – Bowser
- Mario Power Tennis – Bowser
- Mario Party 6 – Bowser
- Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix – Bowser
- Mario Superstar Baseball – Bowser
- Mario Tennis: Power Tour – Bowser
- Super Princess Peach – Bowser
- Mario Party 7 – Bowser
- Mario Kart DS – Bowser
- Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time – Bowser
- Mario Hoops 3-on-3 – Bowser
- Super Paper Mario – Bowser
- Mario Party 8 – Bowser
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games – Bowser
- Mario Party DS – Bowser
- Mario Super Sluggers – Bowser
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games – Bowser
- Super Mario Galaxy 2
- Mario Sports Mix
- Mario Tennis Open – Announcer
Trivia
- When performing Bowser's voice, Burns' voice has been slowed down in games like Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Super Sluggers to make it sound deeper. However, in games like Mario Kart DS and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, his voice has been left unaltered.
- Despite the fact that Mario Superstar Baseball, Mario Hoops 3-on-3, Mario Party 8 and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games all have Bowser voiced by Burns, his name is left unmentioned in the credits of these titles due to his clips being reused from earlier games.
- Some keyboard brands have modes that give off random noises when different keys are pressed. Some of these keyboards have a specific row of keys that play Burns' "Bowser Growl" in different pitches. It is unknown whether or not he has been consulted, or whether it is coincidental.
References
- ^ Star Fox Assault (2005) (VG). The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
- ^ a b Character, Offbeat, Dad, Guy Next Door. Voice123. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff. Super Mario Sunshine Review. GameSpot. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
