Steve Irwin

His great-great-grandfather Joseph Irwin from Dublin settled in Tasmania, Australia in the 1870s.

He has 2 sisters named Joy and Mandy.

Stephen Robert Irwin was born on his mother's 20th birthday to Lynette "Lyn" Hakainsson (1942–2000) and Bob Irwin in Upper Ferntree Gully, a suburb of Melbourne.

His parents were both of English and Irish descent, with some Swedish on his mother's side.

Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 19624 September 2006), known as "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist.

Irwin grew up around crocodiles and other reptiles and was educated regarding them by his father, Bob.

He moved with his parents as a child to 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.

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.

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".

American satellite and cable television channel Animal Planet ended The Crocodile Hunter with a series finale titled 'Steve's Last Adventure'.

The last Crocodile Hunter documentary spanned three hours with footage of Irwin's across-the-world adventure in locations including the Himalayas, the Yangtze River, Borneo, and the Kruger National Park.

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.

After The Crocodile Hunter, Irwin went on to star in other Animal Planet documentaries, including Croc Files, The Crocodile Hunter Diaries and New Breed Vets. Animal Planet also created the annual Croc Week marathon, which lasted a full week in the middle of June, every year from 2000 to 2007.

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.

Under Irwin's leadership, the operations grew to include the zoo, the television series, the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation (later renamed Wildlife Warriors), and the International Crocodile Rescue.

Improvements to the Australia Zoo include the Animal Planet Crocoseum, the rainforest aviary and Tiger Temple.

Irwin mentioned that he was considering opening an Australia Zoo in Las Vegas, Nevada, and possibly at other sites around the world.

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.

In 2006, Irwin died from an injury caused by a stingray while filming an underwater documentary in the Great Barrier Reef.

His death became international news and was met with expressions of shock and grief by fans, the media, governments, and non-profit organizations.

Numerous parks, zoos, streets, the vessel MY Steve Irwin, the snail species Crikey steveirwini, and the asteroid have been named in his honour.

The Irwin family continues to operate Australia Zoo.

During a January 2006 interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Irwin announced that Discovery Kids would be developing a show for his daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin – a plan realised after his death as the series Bindi the Jungle Girl.