Robert Irwin

Robert Irwin is the son of conservationists Steve Irwin and Terri Irwin and the younger brother of television personality and conservationist Bindi Irwin. He is also close to Bindi's husband, Chandler Powell, and their daughter, Grace. The family has worked together at Australia Zoo and promoted the Wildlife Warriors charity.

Irwin's father died after a stingray barb struck his heart while he was filming an underwater documentary. Because Robert was very young at the time, he has described keeping Steve's memory alive through photographs, television footage and home videos. He has also spoken about anxiety, complicated grief and imposter syndrome, and identifies as a spiritual person.

Irwin was in a relationship with Rorie Buckey, the niece of actor Heath Ledger, from 2022 to 2024. After their separation, he said he was single and open to meeting a future partner.

Born in Buderim, Queensland, Irwin grew up at Australia Zoo, which was founded by his grandfather Bob Irwin and later operated by Steve and Terri Irwin. His education was homeschooled at the zoo, giving him flexibility to take part in wildlife work and television commitments.

When he was four weeks old, his father held him near a large saltwater crocodile while feeding the animal. The incident caused international controversy and contributed to changes in Queensland's crocodile-handling laws. After extensive training, Robert began feeding alligators and freshwater crocodiles at eight, and fed his first large saltwater crocodile, Monty, on his tenth birthday under the supervision of zoo director Wes Mannion.

Irwin later took over his father's former role of conducting daily crocodile-feeding demonstrations. He remains involved in Australia Zoo's management and serves on the board of directors of Wildlife Warriors.

Irwin began taking photographs at six, initially using a point-and-shoot camera before receiving a Canon EOS 700D. His wildlife photography has been recognised in Australian and international competitions, with his images exhibited at institutions including the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., and the Natural History Museum in London.

His honours include recognition in the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition, the 2018 Nature's Best Windland Smith Rice International Photography Awards and the 2018 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards. In 2020, he won the People's Choice Award at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards for an image of a bushfire near the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve.

Irwin published Robert Irwin's Australia, his first photography book, in 2022, with proceeds directed towards wildlife conservation. He has also taken part in conservation campaigns, photography expeditions and projects supported by Wildlife Warriors. In 2024, he became a global ambassador for the Earthshot Prize alongside Nomzamo Mbatha.

Irwin made his first television appearance as an infant during his parents' appearance on Enough Rope with Andrew Denton. He later appeared on Bindi the Jungle Girl and made a cameo in Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove. In 2012, he appeared with Bindi and Terri on Steve Irwin's Wildlife Warriors, earning a Logie nomination for Most Popular New Male Talent in 2013.

He co-hosted the science programme Wild But True from 2014 to 2015, and became a recurring guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from 2017. His segments frequently involved presenting animals to Jimmy Fallon and other guests. From 2018 to 2022, he starred in and co-produced the Animal Planet series Crikey! It's the Irwins with Terri and Bindi.

In 2020, Irwin voiced Alfie, a dingo retail clerk, in the animated series Bluey. He made his feature-film voice debut as the koala Robert Furwin in Zootopia 2.

In 2024, Irwin replaced Chris Brown as co-host of Network 10's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, presenting the programme alongside Julia Morris. His performance led to nominations for major Logie awards, and he later won the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter.

Irwin competed on the thirty-fourth season of the American Dancing with the Stars with professional dancer Witney Carson. Their foxtrot to Leona Lewis's "Footprints in the Sand" received the season's first perfect score for an individual couple. Despite suffering a rib-cage injury before the finale, Irwin and Carson won the competition.

The victory made Irwin the first Australian male contestant to win the series and, at 21, its youngest male winner at that point. He and Bindi became the first celebrity siblings to win the programme after Bindi's victory in season 21. Irwin later hosted Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro.