Background and career
Bindi Sue Irwin (/bɪn.di/; born 24 July 1998) is an Australian conservationist, zookeeper, actress, and television presenter. The daughter of conservationists Steve and Terri Irwin, she is regarded as an influential figure in Australian popular culture. Time magazine named her and her younger brother, Robert, one of the 100 most influential emerging leaders in the world on its inaugural list in 2019. Born and raised on the Sunshine Coast, Irwin started working at her family's Australia Zoo when she was a child. She made regular appearances in her parents' wildlife documentary programs The Crocodile Hunter (1996–2004) and The Crocodile Hunter Diaries (2002–2006). Irwin had a brief career as a singer and released four studio albums; two of them appeared on the ARIA Charts. She made her hosting debut with the Discovery Kids series Bindi the Jungle Girl (2007–2008), for which she won the Logie Award for Most Popular New Female Talent and became the youngest performer to win a Daytime Emmy Award, winning for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming. As an actress, Irwin starred in the American family film Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove (2010) and the Australian fantasy film Return to Nim's Island (2013). She won the twenty-first season of the ABC competition program Dancing with the Stars with professional dancer Derek Hough. She then starred in the Animal Planet series Crikey! It's the Irwins (2018–2022) alongside her family. Irwin currently serves as the chief executive officer of Australia Zoo and is on the board of directors of its non-profit organisation, Wildlife Warriors. She is married to retired wakeboarder Chandler Powell, with whom she has one daughter.
Bindi Sue Irwin was born on 24 July 1998 in Buderim, a suburb in the Sunshine Coast region of Queensland. She is the eldest child and only daughter of Australian conservationist Steve Irwin (1962–2006) and American naturalist Terri Irwin (née Raines; b. 1964). Her parents owned and operated Australia Zoo together and rose to international prominence with their wildlife documentary series The Crocodile Hunter (1996–2004). Irwin's given name means "young girl" in Nyungar, an Aboriginal Australian language. She was jointly named after two of her father's favourite animals: Bindi, a saltwater crocodile, and Sui, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier (1988–2004). Her younger brother, Robert (b. 2003), is also a conservationist and television presenter. The siblings are dual citizens of Australia and the United States, and are of English, Irish, and Swedish descent. Irwin was eight years old when her father was killed by a stingray barb while filming an underwater documentary. She was homeschooled at Australia Zoo for the majority of her education, allowing flexibility for her wildlife and media commitments. In 2014, she enrolled at TAFE Queensland East Coast and completed a Certificate III in business and tourism. In June 2021, Irwin claimed that her paternal grandfather, the naturalist Bob Irwin, was psychologically abusive and had shown no interest in spending time with her or her family. He denied her accusations through his biographer, Amanda French, not long after.
Irwin made her television debut before she was six months old through an Animal Planet commercial with her father. She made regular appearances in her parents' television programs, including The Crocodile Hunter and The Crocodile Hunter Diaries (2002–2006). She had a credited role in the children's music film The Wiggles: Wiggly Safari (2002). Following her father's death, Irwin vowed to continue his conservation and television work. She delivered a eulogy at her father's public memorial service at Australia Zoo's Crocoseum, in front of a crowd of over 5,000 people and a worldwide television audience of over 300 million viewers. Apart from some typing assistance, Irwin wrote the eulogy herself. She received a standing ovation from the in-person attendees and praise from the media, who commended her poise and strength. Irwin made her first public appearance since her father's memorial service at the 2006 Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards in October. She released her first studio album and exercise video, Bindi Kid Fitness, on 27 November. The album featured appearances from her father and her accompanying band, The Crocmen.
In January 2007, Irwin was appointed a tourism ambassador for Australia, attended a gala dinner with actors Russell Crowe and Naomi Watts, and appeared on several talk shows, including Larry King Live, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the Late Show with David Letterman. She presented alongside comedian George Lopez and actor Tyler James Williams at the 2007 Kids' Choice Awards, and with actor Glenn Robbins at the Logie Awards of 2007. Irwin made her television hosting debut with her wildlife program Bindi the Jungle Girl, which premiered on Discovery Kids on in June 2007. Her father played a central role in her series; he was filming for the series until his death, which prompted production to be temporarily put on hold. Irwin also presented an American television special about her father, My Daddy the Crocodile Hunter, for Animal Planet. She committed 10 percent of her wages from Bindi the Jungle Girl to her family's non-profit conservationist organisation, Wildlife Warriors. In November 2007, Irwin released her debut single "Trouble in the Jungle" and appeared with her mother at the 81st annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She won Most Popular New Female Talent at the Logie Awards of 2008. At the 35th Daytime Emmy Awards, Irwin won Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series for Bindi the Jungle Girl. She became the youngest performer to win a Daytime Emmy, breaking Camryn Grimes' eight-year record for the soap drama The Young and the Restless. Irwin released her second studio album and exercise video, Bindi Kid Fitness Vol 2: Jungle Dance Party, on 11 October 2008. She started performing with a new accompanying group, The Jungle Girls, by 2009.
Irwin earned a second nomination for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series at the 36th Daytime Emmy Awards. She made her feature film debut as Kirra, an orphan living with her grandfather in South Africa, in the American family film Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove (2010). One month later, Irwin launched a children's book series, titled Bindi Wildlife Adventures, through Penguin Books. She was named an ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour initiative in March 2012. Her children's game show Bindi's Bootcamp, which put contestants through "adventure challenges" to educate and test their wildlife knowledge, premiered in July through ABC3. Irwin starred alongside Matthew Lillard, Toby Wallace and John Waters in Brendan Maher's adventure fantasy film Return to Nim's Island (2013), the sequel to Nim's Island (2008). Irwin's performance received positive reviews from critics; Frank Hatherley of Screen International thought that she proved herself to be a "confident" and "appealing" actress. She additionally released her third studio album, Bindi and The Jungle Girls: African Dance Party, and had a minor role in the second season of the Canadian television series My Babysitter's a Vampire. Irwin was involved in a six-year campaign, led by her mother, to prevent bauxite strip mining at the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve on the Cape York Peninsula. The Queensland Government passed legislation to protect the reserve from mining in November 2013. Irwin sparked controversy in March 2014 when she announced a partnership with the animal theme park company SeaWorld. The endorsement came in the aftermath of the release of Blackfish (2013), a documentary film concerning SeaWorld's treatment of orcas in captivity. In October, Irwin was named Young Conservationist of the Year by the Australian Geographic Society.
In August 2015, Irwin was announced as a contestant on twenty-first season of the American reality competition series Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with professional dancer Derek Hough. Since Irwin was a minor during the competition, she required special permission from the Los Angeles County Superior Court to perform. She also won the inaugural Young Achiever Award at the Queensland Premier's Sustainability Awards while she was competing. Irwin and Hough won the competition on 24 November 2015, making Irwin the first Australian contestant to win the series. The couple set the record for the most perfect scores earned in a single season, with eight; actor Jordan Fisher and professional dancer Lindsay Arnold broke their record during the twenty-fifth season. Ten years after her win, Irwin's brother won the thirty-fourth season with professional dancer Witney Carson. His win made them the first celebrity sibling duo to be crowned champions.
