Age, Biography, and Wiki
Steve Irwin was born on February 22, 1962, in Essendon, Victoria, Australia. He grew up surrounded by wildlife, as his parents were animal naturalists who founded the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, later known as the Australia Zoo. Irwin's enthusiasm for wildlife began at a young age, and he became a prominent figure in wildlife conservation and television.
| Occupation | Conservationist |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 22 February 1962 |
| Age | 63 Years |
| Birth Place | Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Country | Australia |
| Date of death | 4 September, 2006 |
| Died Place | Batt Reef, Queensland, Australia |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Steve Irwin stood at a height of 5 ft 10 in (1.8 m). There is no specific information available about his weight.
Irwin died on 4 September 2006, after being pierced in the chest by a short-tail stingray barb while filming in the Great Barrier Reef with Philippe Cousteau Jr. The stinger penetrated his thoracic wall, causing massive trauma. He was at Batt Reef, near Port Douglas, Queensland, taking part in the production of the documentary series Ocean's Deadliest. Irwin's death is believed to be the only fatality from a stingray captured on video. His death was met with shock and grief by fans, the media, governments, and non-profit organisations.
| Height | 8 m |
| Weight | |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Steve Irwin was married to Terri Baines Irwin, and they had two children together, Bindi and Robert. Terri and the children continue to manage the Australia Zoo and carry on Steve's conservation legacy.
Irwin grew up around crocodiles and other types of reptiles and was educated regarding them by his father, Bob. He achieved international fame in the late 1990s from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series that he co-hosted with his wife, Terri. The couple also hosted the series Croc Files, The Crocodile Hunter Diaries, and New Breed Vets. They also co-owned and operated Australia Zoo, founded by Steve's parents in Beerwah, Queensland. They had two children, Bindi and Robert.
2000) and Bob Irwin (b. 1939) in Upper Ferntree Gully, a suburb of Melbourne. His parents were both of Irish descent. His great-grandfather on his father's side, Joseph Irwin, a carpenter born in Dublin, immigrated to Australia in 1876, where he married Theresa Byrne, who was also from Dublin. Lynn was a maternity nurse and Bob is a former plumber and amateur herpetologist who collected reptiles. Irwin developed an early interest in reptiles, particularly venomous snakes and lizards, often collecting them despite his father's advice. On one occasion, he reportedly brought a red-bellied black snake home on a public bus, transporting it in the driver's esky.
He moved with his parents as a child to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland in 1970, where he attended Landsborough State School and Caloundra State High School. Irwin described his father as a wildlife expert interested in herpetology, while his mother Lyn was a wildlife rehabilitator. After moving to Queensland, Bob and Lyn Irwin started the small Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, where Steve grew up around crocodiles and other reptiles.
Irwin became involved with the park in a number of ways, including taking part in daily animal feeding, as well as care and maintenance activities. On his sixth birthday, he was given a 12 ft scrub python. He began handling crocodiles at the age of nine after his father had educated him on reptiles from an early age. Also at age nine, he wrestled his first crocodile, again under his father's supervision. He worked as a volunteer for Queensland's East Coast Crocodile Management program and captured over 100 crocodiles, some of which were relocated, while others were housed at the family park. Irwin took over the management of the park in 1991 and renamed it Australia Zoo in 1998.
Steve and his wife Terri spent their honeymoon trapping crocodiles together. Film footage of their honeymoon, taken by John Stainton, became the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter. The series debuted on Australian TV screens in 1996 and made its way onto North American television the following year. The Crocodile Hunter became successful in the United States, the UK, and over 130 other countries, reaching 500 million people. Irwin's exuberant and enthusiastic presenting style, broad Australian accent, signature khaki shorts, and catchphrase 'Crikey!' became known internationally. Sir David Attenborough praised Irwin for introducing many to the natural world, saying "He taught them how wonderful and exciting it was. He was a born communicator".
Irwin founded the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation, which became an independent charity and was later renamed 'Wildlife Warriors Worldwide'. He also helped found International Crocodile Rescue, the Lyn Irwin Memorial Fund (named in memory of his mother, who died in an automobile crash in 2000), and the Iron Bark Station Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility.
Sir David Attenborough was an inspiration to Irwin, according to his widow. When presenting a Lifetime Achievement Award to Attenborough after Irwin's death at the British National Television Awards on 31 October 2006, Terri Irwin said, 'If there's one person who directly inspired my husband it's the person being honoured tonight.... [Steve's] real, true love was conservation – and the influence of tonight's recipient in preserving the natural world has been immense'. Attenborough reciprocated by praising Irwin for introducing many to the natural world, saying, 'He taught them how wonderful and exciting it was[;] he was a born communicator'.
In 1991, Irwin met Terri Raines, an American naturalist from Eugene, Oregon, who was visiting wildlife rehabilitation facilities in Australia and had decided to visit the zoo. According to the couple, it was love at first sight. Terri said at the time, 'I thought there was no one like this anywhere in the world. He sounded like an environmental Tarzan, a larger-than-life superhero guy'. They were engaged four months later and were married in Eugene on 4 June 1992. Together they had two children: a daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin (born 24 July 1998), and a son, Robert Clarence Irwin (born 1 December 2003). Bindi Sue is jointly named after two of Steve Irwin's favourite animals: Bindi, a saltwater crocodile, and Sui, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Robert is named after Irwin's father Bob and Terri's father Clarence.
Irwin once described his daughter Bindi as 'the reason [he] was put on the Earth'. His wife once said, 'The only thing that could ever keep him away from the animals he loves are the people he loves even more'. Although the Irwins were happily married, they did not wear wedding rings; they believed that in their line of work, wearing jewellery could pose a hazard to them or the animals. Irwin frequently said that if he was to be remembered for anything, he hoped that it would be for being a good father.
On 11 February 2000, Irwin's mother Lyn was killed in a car accident. In an online tribute, he called her 'the most beautiful, loving, nurturing, and caring person to have ever blessed this world'.
On 2 January 2004, Irwin carried his one-month-old son, Robert, in his arm while hand-feeding a chicken carcass to Murray, a 3.8 m saltwater crocodile. The infant was close to the crocodile, and comparisons were made in the press to Michael Jackson dangling his son outside a German hotel window. In addition, some child welfare groups, animal rights groups, and some of Irwin's television viewers criticised his actions as irresponsible and tantamount to child abuse. Irwin apologised on the US NBC show Today. Both he and his wife publicly stated that Irwin was in complete control of the situation, as he had dealt with crocodiles since he was a small child, and based on his lifetime of experience neither he nor his son was in any danger. He also showed footage of the event shot from a different angle, demonstrating that they were much farther from the crocodile than they had appeared in the publicised clip. Terri said their child was in no more danger than one being taught to swim. No charges were filed; according to one journalist, Irwin told officials he would not repeat the action. The incident prompted the Queensland Government to change its crocodile-handling laws, banning children and untrained adults from entering crocodile enclosures.
In 1997, while on a fishing trip on the coast of Queensland with his father, Irwin discovered a new species of turtle. Herpetologist John Cann named it Irwin's turtle (Elseya irwini) in honour of Steve Irwin. Another newly discovered Australian animal – a species of air-breathing land snail, Crikey steveirwini, was named after Irwin in 2009.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Terri Raines (m. 1992) |
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Net Worth and Salary
Estimates of Steve Irwin's net worth at the time of his death in 2006 vary significantly. According to some sources, he had a net worth of $10 million, while others suggest it was as high as $40 million. His wealth was largely due to his successful television shows and business ventures, including the Australia Zoo.
Career, Business, and Investments
Steve Irwin's career was marked by his passion for wildlife conservation and television. Some of his notable shows include "The Crocodile Hunter," "Croc Files," "The Crocodile Hunter Diaries," and "New Breed Vets". He also co-owned and managed the Australia Zoo with his wife Terri. His business ventures extended to real estate, with reports suggesting he and Terri owned over AUD$20 million in real estate before his passing.
In 1998, Irwin continued his television career, working with director Mark Strickson to present The Ten Deadliest Snakes in the World. He appeared on several episodes of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. A 2000 FedEx commercial with Irwin lightheartedly dealt with the possibility of occupational death from snakebite and the fanciful notion that FedEx would have saved him, if only FedEx were used.
Having grown up in Essendon, Irwin was a fan of the Essendon Bombers, an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. Irwin took part in an Australian Rules football promotion in Los Angeles as part of 'Australia Week' in early 2006. After his death, a picture of Irwin wearing a Bombers guernsey was shown by ESPN.com in their Bottom 10 ranking of the worst Division I FBS college football teams after Week 1 of the season in tribute to him.
After questions arose in 2003 about Irwin being paid $175,000 worth of taxpayers' money to appear in a television advertisement and his possible political ties, Irwin told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that he was a conservationist and did not choose sides in politics. His comments describing Australian Prime Minister John Howard as the 'greatest leader in the world' earned him scorn in the media.
Irwin, after his death, was described by Mark Townend, CEO of RSPCA Queensland, as a 'modern-day Noah'. British naturalist David Bellamy lauded his skills as a natural historian and media performer. Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki paid tribute to Irwin, noting that '[h]umanity will not protect that which we fear or do not understand. Steve Irwin helped us understand those things that many people thought were a nuisance at best, a horror at worst. That made him a great educator and conservationist'.
Irwin was inducted in 2009 into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame, recognised for international entrepreneurship both in business and wildlife conservation, significantly contributing to Queensland and its international reputation and in 2015, Irwin was a posthumous recipient of the Queensland Greats Awards. In 2017 it was announced that Irwin would be posthumously honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star was unveiled on 26 April 2018. On 22 February 2019, the 57th anniversary of Irwin's birth, the search engine Google released a Google Doodle commemorating him, in the form of a slideshow.
In 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, some Australians voiced support for the nation's currency to feature Irwin instead of King Charles III, with two citizens filing separate petitions to gather support for the cause. When asked by the press on the matter, prime minister Anthony Albanese declined to take a position, offering that it wasn't the right time to discuss who would be on the currency in the immediate wake of the Queen's death.
Social Network
Although Steve Irwin is no longer with us, his legacy lives on through his family's social media presence. His children, Bindi and Robert, are active on platforms like Instagram and Twitter, sharing updates about their conservation work and the Australia Zoo.
Irwin was a passionate conservationist and believed in promoting environmentalism by sharing his excitement about the natural world rather than preaching to people. He was concerned with conservation of endangered animals and land clearing leading to loss of habitat. He considered conservation to be the most important part of his work: 'I consider myself a wildlife warrior. My mission is to save the world's endangered species'. Irwin bought 'large tracts of land' in Australia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and the United States, which he described as 'like national parks' and stressed the importance of people realising that they could each make a difference.
Having lived in Queensland most of his life, Irwin was also a fan of rugby league. As a teenager, he played for the Caloundra Sharks as a second-rower, and as an adult he was known to be a passionate Brisbane Broncos fan and was involved with the club on several occasions. On one occasion after turning up to training he asked if he could tackle the largest player, Shane Webcke. Despite being thrown to the ground and looking like he'd been crushed he was jovial about the experience.
Irwin provided his voice for the animated film Happy Feet, as an elephant seal named Trev. The film was posthumously released in November 2006, and it was dedicated to Irwin, as he died during post-production two months prior. Another, previously incomplete scene, featuring Irwin providing the voice of an albatross and essentially playing himself, was restored to the DVD release.
Education
Steve Irwin attended Landsborough State School and Caloundra State High School in Queensland, Australia. His education was complemented by hands-on experience with wildlife, thanks to his upbringing at the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park.
In summary, Steve Irwin's impact on wildlife conservation and television continues to inspire new generations. His family remains active in the field, ensuring his legacy endures.
In 2001, Irwin appeared in a cameo role in the Eddie Murphy film Dr. Dolittle 2, in which an alligator warns Dolittle that he knows Irwin is going to grab him and is prepared to attack when he does, but Dolittle fails to warn Irwin in time. Irwin's only starring feature film role was in 2002's The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, which was released to mixed reviews. In the film, Irwin (who portrayed himself and performed numerous stunts) mistakes some CIA agents for poachers. He sets out to stop them from capturing a crocodile, which, unknown to him, has actually swallowed a tracking transmitter. The film won the Best Family Feature Film award for a comedy film at the Young Artist Awards. The film was produced on a budget of about US$12 million, and has grossed $33 million. To promote the film, Irwin was featured in an animated short produced by Animax Entertainment for Intermix.
In 2002, Irwin and his family appeared in the Wiggles video/DVD release Wiggly Safari, which was set in Australia Zoo and featured singing and dancing inspired by Australian wildlife. Irwin fronted an advertising campaign for The Ghan in 2003, a passenger train operating between Adelaide, Alice Springs, and Darwin. A Pacific National NR class locomotive was named Steve Irwin as part of the campaign.
Irwin was awarded the Centenary Medal by the Australian government in 2001 for his 'service to global conservation and to Australian tourism'. In 2004, he was recognised as Tourism Export of the Year. He was also nominated in 2004 for Australian of the Year but it was awarded to Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh, while Irwin was named 2004 Queensland Australian of the Year. Shortly before his death, Irwin was to be named an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland's School of Integrative Biology. On 14 November 2007, Irwin was awarded the adjunct professorship posthumously. In 2007, Irwin was posthumously inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame.
