Steve Irwin

TV Personality

Steve Irwin was the enthusiastic host of the TV wildlife show The Crocodile Hunter until he was killed by a stingray in 2006. Irwin's on-screen antics with dangerous animals, and his Australian-accented cries of "Crikey!", made him an international celebrity and spawned television specials, board games, action figures and a feature film, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002). Irwin grew up around wildlife at his parents' reptile park in Queensland, Australia. An experienced trapper of crocodiles, he took over direction of the park in 1991 and renamed it the Australia Zoo. In 1992 he married Terri Raines, a cougar wrangler from the United States. The pair created The Crocodile Hunter TV show in 1992 and it became a hit on American cable television. Irwin and his wife were soon regulars on televisions worldwide, hosting shows that blended their personal lives with wildlife education. Irwin's shows included Croc Files (2000), The Crocodile Hunter Diaries (2002), Confessions of the Crocodile Hunter (2004), and New Breed Vets (2006). On 4 September 2006 he was killed by a stingray barb to the chest while swimming with a cameraman near Port Douglas, Australia, where he was filming a documentary titled Ocean's Deadliest.

Extra credit: Irwin had two children with his wife Terri: Bindi Sue (b. 1998) and Robert (b. 2003).... In 2004 Irwin was criticized for feeding crocodiles at his wildlife park while holding his infant son Robert; Irwin was unapologetic and proclaimed that his child was never in danger.