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.
Four Good Links
The Crocodile Hunter
Official site of his long-running show
News.com.au: Steve Irwin
Special report, with many stories about his death and life
Animal Planet: The Crocodile Hunter
Find out about his show still in syndication
Interview with Steve Irwin
Long 2001 chat about conservation with Scientific American
Vital Stats
Birth
Birthplace
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Death
4 September 2006
(barbed by a stingray, age 44)
Best Known As
"The Crocodile Hunter" on TV

