Fanboys Anonymous

The actor who played Luigi in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! died at age 72. The actor, Danny Wells, whose real name is Jack Westelman, was a successful actor who played many comedic roles during the '80s.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! hit a high score- Luigi (Danny Wells) and Mario (Lou Albano) were the live-action stars of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show.

Born in Montreal, Canada on April 7, 1941, Wells (Westelman) was beloved by his family members as "A very funny and talented man." His career launched with his role as Luigi, the sidekick—or co-star—of Mario in the live-action segments of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! The television show was broadcast for 65 episodes between September and December 1989. Wells also did the voiceover for Luigi in the animated series of The Super Mario Bros.

Besides his role as Luigi, Wells also made guest appearances on other TV shows such as Sanford and Son, The A-Team, Starsky and Hutch, and The Jeffersons. For any Punky Brewster fans out there, you might like to know that Wells played the manager in the 1987 "Reading, Writing, and Rock and Roll" episode of Punky Brewster. He also did many other voiceovers for animated series or video games such as Batman: The Animated Series, Heathcliff and the Cadillac Cats, Winx Club, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, and Mario Land.

Unfortunately, on November 28, 2013 the person who brought life to the character of Luigi said his last farewell to the videogame world in Toronto, Canada. There are no statements as to the reason of his death. We can only assume that he died from natural causes. What is interesting is that 2013 marks the 30th anniversary of Luigi's first appearance as a character in the Super Mario Bros. game. Known as the "Year of Luigi," this was going to be the year to celebrate the character through the sharing of Luigi items, games, and other memorabilia. In his four decades of acting, Wells will always be remembered by fans of video games and gamers alike as Luigi, the brother of Mario!