History Creator / SteveIrwin

* NeverMyFault: Inverted; whenever Steve was attacked or injured by an animal, he always stressed that the blame was his, as they were only behaving the way they were supposed to. He also took the responsibility for ''nearly getting himself and Terri killed on their honeymoon'': they went mountain climbing, her tied to him as a safetey measure, but she slipped and began to drag them both down. Literally the only thing which prevented their deaths was that Steve had a fist hold[[note]](Placing a hand into a crevice and making a fist, thus ensuring your hand is too large to be pulled out)[[/note]] on the slope. After they made it to safety, he admitted it was a mistake to take Terri (a novice) on an unfamiliar ascent.

* DarkSkinnedBlond: Fulfilled the Australian stereotype here, with sun-bleached hair and a strong tan from working outdoors.

* MemeticBadass: He has his own list of Chuck Norris Facts.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When the MemeticBadass who regularly wrangle crocodiles say that crossing a river full of hippos for 5 minutes is the scariest moment in his film career, [[AngryAngryHippos you better listen]].

!!Tropes

Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 1962 – 4 September 2006), nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, television personality, wildlife expert, environmentalist, and conservationist. He achieved worldwide fame with his television series ''Series/CrocodileHunter'', which documented his generally giddy interactions with the frequently dangerous wildlife of Australia and helped him fill the shoes left open after the death of fellow conservationist Creator/JacquesCousteau. He and his wife, Terri, co-owned and operated the Australia Zoo, and his children Robert and Bindi Sue have been eagerly following in their father’s footsteps in their love of and respect for wild animals of all kinds.

* NeverMyFault: Inverted; whenever Steve was attacked or injured by an animal, he always stressed that the blame was his, as they were only behaving the way they were supposed to.

* StoutStrength: He was solidly built, and ''very'' strong. One of his friends even said that if Steve got hold of you, there would be no getting away from him.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: He caught a whole lot of flack in 2004 for feeding a crocodile while holding his son Bob. His wife Terri acknowledged the headline, [[UsefulNotes/BeerCommercials "Steve Irwin: Australian For 'Stupid,'"]] but said her favorite was [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow "Crocky Horror Picture Show."]]

* DentedIron: Later in life, all his animal encounters started to take a visible toll on his body. Then again, for him this meant giving up surfing in favor of wrestling.

* FatalMethodActing: He [[DiedDuringProduction died while filming a documentary]] in 2006, though the footage was never released to the public.

* {{Irony}}: Everyone (including Steve, himself) assumed he'd get killed by a wild animal, and ultimately he did--in a freak accident involving an animal that was usually harmless rather than by one of the crocodiles or venomous snakes.

* TaughtByExperience: All of his animal handling skills have been learned in the field.
* WeNamedTheMonkeyJack: Bindi Sue Irwin was named for a crocodile named Bindi and a family dog named Sui.

* {{Keet}}: Steve was excitable and jolly both on- and off-camera. He frequently got bored and ran off to find wildlife during lulls in shooting, and was dreaming up new projects for both his conservation and filming careers even before he finished the ones he was already working on. Not surprisingly, Steve's parents said in "The Steve Irwin Story" that as a child, he bordered on hyperactive, was never where he was supposed to be, and was always running off to climb trees, or catch snakes and lizards.

* StoutStrength: He was solidly built, and ''very'' strong.

** His family continue to lean into that controversial moment; Robert feeding that very crocodile is a popular attraction at the show, and when Bindi's daughter Grace was a few days old, the family jokingly exposed her early on to some "crocs" (the shoes).

He died in 2006 after being stung in the chest by a stingray during the filming of ''Ocean's Deadliest''. Reportedly, his last words were that the stingray didn’t mean to sting him. The documentary was aired later, but without the footage of Irwin’s death.

* FriendToAllLivingThings: To the point where he even excused the stingray that fatally wounded him, stating that it didn’t mean to injure him so badly.

* GreatWhiteHunter: Approaches this from the conservationist angle, treating every rescue and wild animal with infectious enthusiasm.

* {{Irony}}: Everyone (Steve himself included) assumed he'd get killed by a wild animal, and ultimately he did--in a freak accident involving an animal that was usually harmless rather than by one of the crocodiles or venomous snakes.
* {{Keet}}: Steve was excitable and jovial both on and off-camera. He frequently got bored and ran off to find wildlife during lulls in shooting, and was dreaming up new projects for both his conservation and filming careers even before he finished the ones he was already working on. To the surprise of no one, Steve's parents said in "The Steve Irwin Story" that as a child, he bordered on hyperactive, was never where he was supposed to be, and was always running off to climb trees, or catch snakes and lizards.

* BigFun: He was a bit overweight, but everything he did, he did with his whole heart.

* GenerationXerox: Robert and Bindi Sue are both the spitting image of their dad and share his love of animals.

* TheInsomniac: According to ''Steve and Me'', Steve was a workaholic that only slept about four hours a night. He would work on the zoo from sunup to well after dark, and even during family vacations he would get up at the crack of dawn to go on walks and scope out places to visit.

* StoutStrength: While he was a bit overweight, he was physically ''very'' strong.

* DentedIron: Later in life, all his animal encounters started to take a visible toll on his body.

* {{Irony}}: Everyone assumed he'd get killed by a wild animal, and ultimately he did--in a freak accident involving an animal that was usually harmless rather than by one of the crocodiles or venomous snakes.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Died in 2006, but his legacy lives on.

* FatalMethodActing: He died while filming a documentary, though the footage was never released to the public.

* {{Irony}}: Everyone assumed he'd get killed by a wild animal, and ultimately he did--in a freak accident involving an animal that that usually harmless rather than by one of the crocodiles or venomous snakes.

He died in 2006 after being stung in the chest by a stingray during the filming of ''Series/OceansDeadliest''. Reportedly, his last words were that the stingray didn’t mean to sting him. The documentary was aired later, but without the footage of Irwin’s death.

Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 1962 – 4 September 2006), nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, television personality, wildlife expert, environmentalist, and conservationist. He achieved worldwide fame with his television series Series/CrocodileHunter, which documented his generally giddy interactions with the frequently dangerous wildlife of Australia and helped him fill the shoes left open after the death of fellow conservationist Creator/JacquesCousteau. He and his wife, Terri, co-owned and operated the Australia Zoo, and his children Robert and Bindi Sue have been eagerly following in their father’s footsteps in their love of and respect for wild animals of all kinds.

He died in 2006 after being stung in the chest by a stingray during the filming of Series/OceansDeadliest. Reportedly, his last words were that the stingray didn’t mean to sting him. The documentary was aired later, but without the footage of Irwin’s death.