Peach and Bowser's voices: the faces in the shadows

AnalysisVoice actingPrincess Peach

Samantha Kelly voiced Peach for eighteen years, until 2025. This analysis tells the story of the actors behind two icons: Samantha Kelly, the voice of Peach but also of Toad and Toadette from 2007 to 2025, replaced by Courtney Lin; and Kenny James, Koopa king for some twenty years. It also looks back at Jen Taylor, the pre-2007 Peach.

Behind Princess Peach and Bowser ("The voices of Peach and Bowser" in the original version), there is more than pixels: there are two American actors whose voices shaped the Mario universe for nearly twenty years.

On one side, Samantha Kelly, princess and Toad from 2007 to 2025; on the other, Kenny James, the near-uninterrupted Koopa king since Super Mario Galaxy. Crossed portraits of two very real voices.

Contents

• Two icons, two flesh-and-blood actors
• Samantha Kelly, the voice of Peach for eighteen years
• June 2025: the replacement that moved the fans
• Kenny James, Koopa king for twenty years
• The game voices are not the movie voices
• What these voices say about the voice acting craft
• Recap sheet
• FAQ

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Two icons, two flesh-and-blood actors

Peach and Bowser do not just have a design: they have a timbre. Ever since the series moved to spoken voice acting, Nintendo records its voices in the United States, with a small troupe of actors whose names stay the same all over the world.

It is the same principle as for Charles Martinet, the legendary voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario and Waluigi until he stepped back in 2023. Behind the princess and the Koopa king there are, likewise, two very specific people, long kept in the shadow of the Nintendo logo.

What they share: a rare longevity. Where many games change their cast with every installment, Peach and Bowser kept the same voice for nearly two decades, until the twist of summer 2025.

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Samantha Kelly, the voice of Peach for eighteen years

Samantha Kelly lends her voice to Princess Peach starting with Mario Strikers Charged Football (2007), taking over a role held until then by other actresses.

Her schedule does not stop at the princess. As early as Mario Party 8 (2007), she also voices Toad and Toadette, then Baby Peach starting with Mario Kart Wii (2008). One and the same artist for four characters emblematic of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Over the years, her voice has turned up in more than seventy Nintendo games, from the mushroom Toad squeaking "Mario!" to Peach's playful lines. For a whole generation of players, Kelly is literally the sound of the princess.

Before her, it was mainly Jen Taylor who played Peach, Toad and Toadette as far back as the days of the Nintendo 64, notably in the series Mario Party. Even earlier, Peach had been voiced by Leslie Swan in Super Mario 64.

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June 2025: the replacement that moved the fans

On June 6, 2025, the day after the release of Mario Kart World, Samantha Kelly announced on her social media that she was no longer voicing Peach or Toad. Nintendo, she pointed out, told her only the day before.

The studio had in fact recast all of her roles: Courtney Lin takes over Peach and Baby Peach, Laila Berzins becomes Toad and Laura Stahl inherits Toadette.

Her final recordings will remain Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023) for Toad and Toadette, and Princess Peach: Showtime! (2024) for the princess, one last title role before handing over the torch.

True to her image, Kelly reacted with grace, expressing her sadness but above all wishing that "these characters keep on living." A farewell without bitterness that deeply moved the community.

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Kenny James, Koopa king for twenty years

Kenny James lends his roar to Bowser for the first time in Super Mario Strikers (2005, "Mario Smash Football" in Europe), before settling in for good from Super Mario Galaxy (2007).

Since then, he has been the continuous and exclusive voice of the Koopa king in the games: from New Super Mario Bros. Wii to Super Mario Odyssey, by way of the Mario Kart, it is always his growl that you hear.

Beware of one misconception, though: James is not the very first Bowser. He succeeded Scott Burns, heard in Super Mario Sunshine (2002) and several Mario Party. Kenny James is therefore the uninterrupted voice since 2007, not the only one in the character's entire history.

His repertoire goes well beyond Bowser alone: he also lends his voice to Dry Bowser (the skeletal version of the Koopa king) and to various giant or feline forms of the character. One man alone for a whole bestiary of monsters.

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The game voices are not the movie voices

A classic trap since 2023: the voices in the games have nothing to do with those of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Illumination's feature film made its own casting choices.

On screen, Bowser is played by Jack Black, who even gives him a now-famous musical number, while Peach takes on the voice of Anya Taylor-Joy and Mario the voice of Chris Pratt.

In the games, however, neither Jack Black nor Anya Taylor-Joy is credited: Kenny James remains the playable Bowser and, since 2025, Courtney Lin the voice of Peach. Two universes, two casts you must never mix up.

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What these voices say about the voice acting craft

The longevity of Kelly and James illustrates a truth about video game voice acting: a good voice ends up becoming inseparable from the character. Changing actors means risking a jarring note for millions of players.

That is why the 2025 Peach recast caused such a stir: it was not a technical detail, but the disappearance of a familiar timbre, one that filled the childhood of an entire generation.

Nintendo has never publicly disclosed the reasons behind the change, which fuels speculation. For Bowser, on the other hand, the stability of Kenny James over twenty years remains a reassuring landmark.

One thing is certain: whether they are called Kelly, James, Lin or Taylor, these actors are the invisible guardians of a sound heritage you can recognize from a single line.

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Who voices who?

Peach (games, 2007-2025)	Samantha Kelly
Peach (games, since 2025)	Courtney Lin
Peach (before 2007)	Jen Taylor
Toad and Toadette (2007-2025)	Samantha Kelly
Bowser (games, since 2005/2007)	Kenny James
Bowser's predecessor	Scott Burns
Bowser (movie, 2023)	Jack Black
Peach (movie, 2023)	Anya Taylor-Joy

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FAQ

• Who voices Princess Peach in the Mario games?
  Samantha Kelly was the voice of Peach from 2007 to 2025. Since June 2025, Courtney Lin has taken over the role, along with that of Baby Peach.
• Why does Samantha Kelly no longer voice Peach?
  Nintendo recast her roles in June 2025 and only told her the day before her announcement. The studio has not publicly explained the reasons for the change.
• Who is the voice of Bowser in the games?
  Kenny James, since Super Mario Strikers in 2005, and regularly from Super Mario Galaxy in 2007. He also voices Dry Bowser.
• Has Kenny James always been the only voice of Bowser?
  No. He succeeded Scott Burns, heard notably in Super Mario Sunshine. James is, however, the continuous and sole voice of Bowser since 2007.
• Are the game voices the same as in the 2023 movie?
  No. In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Bowser is played by Jack Black and Peach by Anya Taylor-Joy, a cast distinct from the one in the games.

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