Robert Irwin has opened up for the first time about his special bond with Russell Crowe and how the Hollywood star has supported him since the death of his father, Steve Irwin.

Robert Irwin has shared heartfelt insight into his bond with Russell Crowe and the profound role the actor has played in his family’s life since the death of his father, Steve Irwin.

The 21-year-old Wildlife Warrior attended the premiere of Crowe’s new film Nuremberg alongside his mother Terri, 61, at the 2025 AFI Fest in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Currently based in the US while competing on Dancing With the Stars, Robert told PEOPLE he feels “really grateful” to have someone like Crowe, 61, in his life.

Robert Irwin has shared heartfelt insight into his bond with Russell Crowe and the profound role the actor has played in his family’s life since the death of his father, Steve Irwin. Picture: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
“I’ve known him for as long as I’ve been alive,” he said.

“I have some very early memories, actually. Some of the earliest memories of me with my dad were also with Russell, which is really special.”

Robert added that the Academy Award winner has helped him stay connected to his late father, who tragically died in 2006 after being fatally wounded by a short-tail stingray’s barb while filming in the Great Barrier Reef.

“I’m really grateful that I have someone in my life who … he’s actually been there to, in a way, keep my dad alive in my life. He has so many stories to share of him and dad, and I feel like I build an even better picture of my dad when I’m around Russell.”

(L-R) Robert Irwin and Terri Irwin attend the “Nuremberg” premiere during 2025 AFI FEST at TCL Chinese Theater on October 24, 2025 in Hollywood, California. Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
The young conservationist went on to say that Crowe is someone he “looks up to” and who has “truly inspired” him.

Terri Irwin, dressed in a chic plaid suit and metallic flats for the event, also praised the Gladiator star for the way he embraced the family after Steve’s death.

“Russell was friends with Steve first, and then when Steve passed, he really took our family under his wing and looked after us, took care of us, and helped me with advice about my kids,” she told Hello!.

Russell Crowe and Steve Irwin appear on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” at the NBC Studios on November 6, 2003 in Burbank, California. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
“We’ve been friends for about 30 years.”

Crowe, who shares sons Charles, 21, and Tennyson, 19, with ex-wife Danielle Spencer, has also been a pillar of encouragement for Terri over the years.

“Sometimes when you think you can’t do it and you don’t know if you can be mum and dad, [he reminded me], ‘You’ll do it one step at a time’. He’s amazing,” she added.

Russell Crowe and Terri Irwin during 2007 Australia Week Gala – Arrivals in Los Angeles, California, United States. Picture: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
While rumours of romance between Terri and Russell have circulated for years, both have repeatedly shut them down, insisting their friendship is purely platonic.

In 2017, Crowe described Terri as “one of the greatest women I’ve ever met in my life, without there being implication of intimacy or whatever.”

Terri echoed that sentiment, telling Access Hollywood: “In all honesty, he and Steve became friends many years ago, and after Steve passed, you find out who your true friends are. And Russell has been very loyal as a great friend.”

Russell Crowe and his fiancé, Britney Theriot at the AFI Fest premiere of the film on Friday, October 24, 2025, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. Picture: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
Crowe is now engaged to American actress Britney Theriot, 33, whom he met on the set of Broken City in 2013.

The pair, who went public in 2022, appeared to confirm their engagement in July when Theriot was seen wearing a dazzling diamond ring at Wimbledon.

Theriot joined Crowe on the red carpet for Nuremberg’s premiere, glowing in a sleek black gown paired with a diamond tennis necklace.