Star biographies make dictionary

Ledger died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs

Late Hollywood actor Heath Ledger and crocodile hunter Steve Irwin have been included in the latest edition of the Collins Concise English Dictionary.

Their mini-biographies are joined by entries describing celebrities including comedian Russell Brand.

This latest edition is available online for the first time.

A Collins dictionary spokesman said: "We cannot put in every celebrity or sportsman or politician - they have to be very well known."

He added: "Heath Ledger and Steve Irwin were included because they have been in the news so much since they died."

Ledger, whose films include Brokeback Mountain, died in January from an accidental overdose of six different types of prescription drugs in his New York apartment.

TV personality and conservationist Irwin was killed by a stingray in 2006 while filming a documentary.

Brand, who recently starred in Hollywood film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, is joined in the dictionary by Muriel's Wedding actress Toni Collette, and Australian-born author and broadcaster Clive James.

Sports stars on the list include Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe, Formula 1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton and yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur.

New definitions in the word list include carbon-neutral and green tax, e-card, norovirus, non-dom and Skype.