Robert Clarence Irwin (born 1 December 2003)
is an Australian television personality, actor,
conservationist,
zookeeper
A zookeeper, sometimes referred as animal keeper, is a person who manages zoo animals that are kept in captivity for conservation or to be displayed to the public.Hurwitz, Jane. Choosing a Career in Animal Care (World of Work). New York: Rosen Gr ...
, and
wildlife photographer. He is the son of
Steve Irwin, and is often noted by fans to share similarities with his late father.
Irwin hosts ''Robert's Real Life Adventures'', a program on his family zoo's internal television network. He co-hosted the Discovery Kids Channel television series ''Wild But True'' and co-created the book series ''Robert Irwin: Dinosaur Hunter.'' He currently stars on the
Animal Planet
Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily ...
series ''
Crikey! It's the Irwins
''Crikey! It's the Irwins'' is an Australian reality television series starring Robert, Bindi and Terri Irwin. The series follows the family of Steve Irwin, and their work at the Australia Zoo. It premiered on 28 October 2018, on Animal Planet. ...
'' with his mother,
Terri
Terri is an alternative spelling of Terry. It is a common feminine given name and is also a diminutive for Teresa.
Notable people with the name include:
*Terri Allard (born 1962), American country/folk singer/songwriter
*Terri S. Armstrong, Amer ...
, and sister,
Bindi.
Irwin works at the
Australia Zoo
Australia Zoo is a zoo located in the Australian state of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast near Beerwah/Glass House Mountains. It is a member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA), and is owned by Terri Irwin, the widow of Steve Irwin, w ...
, where he is involved in activities that Steve originally did, such as wrestling crocodiles, handling snakes and feeding the zoo's animals.
Early life
Robert Clarence Irwin was born on 1 December 2003 in
Buderim
Buderim ( ) is an urban centre on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. It sits on a mountain which overlooks the southern Sunshine Coast communities. In the , the urban area of Buderim had a population of 54,483.
The name "Buderim" i ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
, the younger of two children and the only son of
Steve
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
and
Terri Irwin. His father
died from a stingray injury to the heart while
filming an underwater documentary when Robert was two years old. Robert and his sister,
Bindi, were homeschooled at
Australia Zoo
Australia Zoo is a zoo located in the Australian state of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast near Beerwah/Glass House Mountains. It is a member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA), and is owned by Terri Irwin, the widow of Steve Irwin, w ...
following their father's death. He is a
dual citizen of Australia (through his birth) and the United States (through his mother). His ancestry is
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
and abundance of
Irish on his father's side.
During a public show one month after Robert was born, his father carried him in his arm while hand-feeding a chicken carcass to a
saltwater crocodile
The saltwater crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'') is a crocodilian native to saltwater habitats and brackish wetlands from India's east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaic region to northern Australia and Micronesia. It has been l ...
. Robert was close to the crocodile and the incident sparked comparisons in the press to
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
's dangling of his son, Prince Michael Jackson II, outside a German hotel window.
The incident prompted the
Queensland Government
The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended f ...
to change its crocodile-handling laws, banning children and untrained adults from entering crocodile enclosures.
Career
In 2009, Irwin had a cameo appearance in ''
Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove''.
In 2012, Irwin appeared alongside his mother and sister in a television series entitled ''
Steve Irwin's Wildlife Warriors'', which earned him a
2013 Logie Award nomination for Most Popular New Male Talent. In 2014 and 2015, Irwin co-hosted a television series named ''Wild But True'' on
Discovery Kids Channel.
The show was later nominated for an
International Emmy Kids Award in the factual category in 2016.
In 2013, Irwin released a series of books, titled ''Dinosaur Hunter'', which he co-authored with Lachlan Creag and Jack Wells.
In 2015, he appeared as a guest on the British wildlife series ''
Ten Deadliest Snakes'' in the episode focused on Australia's venomous snakes. He guided presenter
Nigel Marven
Nigel Alan Marven (born 27 November 1960) is a British wildlife TV presenter, naturalist, conservationist, author, and television producer. He is best known as presenter of the BBC miniseries '' Chased by Dinosaurs'', its sequel, '' Sea Monsters ...
in the billabong of Australia Zoo to look for a
red-bellied black snake
The red-bellied black snake (''Pseudechis porphyriacus'') is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae, indigenous to Australia. Originally described by George Shaw in 1794 as a species new to science, it is one of eastern Australi ...
.
Irwin was runner-up in the junior category of the 2016
Australian Geographic
Australian Geographic is a media business that produces the ''Australian Geographic'' magazine, ''DMag'' magazine, specialist book titles, travel guides, diaries and calendars and online media. It published editions of the Australian Encyclopa ...
Nature Photographer
Nature photography is a wide range of photography taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures. Nature photography tends to put a stronger emphasis o ...
of the Year competition. Irwin is also a photography contributor to the Australia Zoo ''Crikey'' magazine.
He uses his love for photography to help raise awareness about wildlife conservation. He has also raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Irwins' non-profit organization ''Wildlife Warriors'' by auctioning canvas prints of his work at events around the world. He has also met with world leaders such as His Royal Highness
Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
to discuss the protection of natural habitat.
On 16 February 2017, Irwin made his
late-night television
Late night television is one of the dayparts in television broadcast programming. It follows prime time and precedes the overnight television show graveyard slot. The slot generally runs from about 11:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. ET, with variations a ...
debut when he appeared on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...
''. He presented an African
dwarf crocodile
The dwarf crocodile (''Osteolaemus tetraspis''), also known as the African dwarf crocodile, broad-snouted crocodile (a name more often used for the Asian mugger crocodile) or bony crocodile, is an African crocodile that is also the smallest exta ...
, a
screaming armadillo, a
red-tailed boa
The boa constrictor (scientific name also ''Boa constrictor''), also called the red-tailed boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the family B ...
, and a
sloth
Sloths are a group of Neotropical xenarthran mammals constituting the suborder Folivora, including the extant arboreal tree sloths and extinct terrestrial ground sloths. Noted for their slowness of movement, tree sloths spend most of their l ...
to the host,
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an American comedian, television host, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television as a cast member on '' Saturday Night Live'' and as the host of the late-night talk show ''The To ...
.
Irwin subsequently went back to appear on ''The Tonight Show'' on multiple occasions, showcasing a different selection of animals each time. As of April 2019, Irwin has appeared on the show eleven times.
Irwin is also an avid photographer and is also the leading photography contributor to the Australia Zoo ''Crikey'' magazine. He has also embarked upon many photography expeditions around the globe, from the savannah of Africa to the mountains of New Zealand, the wilderness of Europe and everywhere in between.
On 6 April 2017, Irwin was invested as a member and ambassador of
Scouts Australia, formalizing a partnership between the organization and Australia Zoo. The aim of the partnership is to encourage Australia's young people to become involved with wilderness and conservation.
He has also given various interviews to magazines for teenagers as a current reference, such as
Vanity
Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant ''futility''. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic ...
[Robert Irwin: usa tu voz para hacer el bien. https://www.vanityteen.com/robert-irwin-use-your-voice-for-doing-good/]
On Australia Zoo TV, Irwin appears on his own channel.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
Robert Irwin PhotosRobert Irwinat IMDB
Wild Life WarriorsAustralia Zoo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin, Robert
2003 births
Living people
21st-century Australian male actors
Australian male child actors
Australian male film actors
Australian male television actors
Australian male voice actors
Australian people of American descent
Australian people of English descent
Australian people of Irish descent
Australian people of Swedish descent
Australian television personalities
Australian television presenters
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...
Male actors from Queensland
People from Nambour, Queensland
People from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Steve Irwin