Doug Robbie is an Australian businessman best known as the father of actress Margot Robbie. While his daughter became famous around the world through movies such as Barbie and I, Tonya, Doug has mostly stayed away from public attention. He has been linked to farming and business in Queensland, Australia.
Interest in Doug often comes from questions about Margot Robbie’s childhood and family. Her parents separated when she was young, and Margot was mainly raised by her mother, Sarie Kessler. Margot has spoken openly about her close bond with her mother, while her relationship with her father appears to have been more complicated. However, reports about complete estrangement have also been challenged by members of the Robbie family.
Who Is Doug Robbie?
Doug Robbie, also known as Douglas Robbie, is the father of Margot Robbie and her three siblings. He is Australian and has spent much of his life in Queensland.
Unlike his famous daughter, Doug has kept most details about himself private. His exact date of birth and age have not been clearly established in dependable public information. There is also little confirmed information about his education or early family background.
He became publicly known mainly because of Margot’s success in Hollywood. Before her rise to fame, however, Doug had his own business interests in Australia.
Doug Robbie’s Career and Business Life
Doug Robbie has been described as a former farm owner with connections to Australia’s agricultural industry. His best known business link is sugarcane farming.
Several reports describe him as a successful sugarcane businessman. Later information has also connected him with property investment on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Some stories have used words such as wealthy or powerful when describing him. However, there is not enough public financial information to give a dependable figure for Doug Robbie’s net worth. His business background is better described through his known work rather than guesses about his wealth.
Doug has remained a private businessman rather than becoming a public figure himself. Much of the attention around his name comes from his family rather than his professional activities.
His Marriage to Sarie Kessler
Doug Robbie was married to Sarie Kessler, an Australian physiotherapist. Together, they became parents to four children.
Their relationship ended while the children were still young. Reports commonly place their separation around 1995, when Margot was about five years old.
After the separation, Sarie became the main parent raising the children. The family spent much of its time in Queensland, including around the Gold Coast area.
Margot has spoken warmly about her mother’s role in her childhood. She has described Sarie as a strong woman who had the difficult job of raising four children.
Doug’s role during this period appears to have been different. Reports suggest he was less present in the children’s daily lives, although there is evidence that he continued to provide some support.
Doug Robbie Has Four Children
Doug and Sarie have four children named Anya, Lachlan, Margot, and Cameron Robbie.
Anya and Lachlan are older than Margot, while Cameron is the youngest of the four siblings. Margot is the third child.
The children spent much of their early lives in Queensland. Their grandparents’ property in the Currumbin Valley area has also been connected with their childhood.
Each sibling later followed a different path. Margot became an internationally known actress and producer. Cameron also entered entertainment, while Lachlan has worked in the film industry as a stunt performer and rigger. Anya has generally maintained a more private life outside entertainment.
Although Doug Robbie is mainly introduced as Margot Robbie’s father, his family connection includes all four children.
Doug Robbie and Margot Robbie’s Relationship
The relationship between Doug and Margot has received more attention than any other part of his personal life.
Margot has made comments over the years suggesting that she and her father were not especially close. During a 2016 interview, she was asked about what she had in common with him and replied, “None. Nothing. I’m not like him at all.”
Her comments attracted attention because they were very different from the warm way she has often spoken about her mother.
Margot has also shown that the situation is not something she wants to describe in overly harsh terms. In a later interview, she explained that discussing her father was difficult because she did not want her words to make him sound like a bad person.
Those comments suggest that their relationship is more complicated than a simple story about a famous daughter and an absent father.
For that reason, describing their relationship as distant or complicated is more accurate than making strong claims about what happened privately between them.
Were Doug and Margot Robbie estranged?
Doug Robbie has often been described as Margot Robbie’s estranged father, but the available information does not make the situation completely clear.
Some reports have said that Margot had limited contact with him for many years. Her own comments also support the idea that they were not particularly close during parts of her life.
However, Doug’s brother Wayne Robbie challenged the idea of complete estrangement in 2023. He said that Doug was proud of Margot and did have a relationship with his daughter.
This creates an important difference between reports about the family. Margot’s comments show distance, but another close family member has said that father and daughter remained in contact.
Later reports have also suggested some family contact between Doug and Margot. Neither has publicly given a detailed explanation of their present relationship.
Their exact family situation is therefore best treated as private. There is enough information to say their bond has been complicated, but not enough to claim that they have had no relationship at all.
Doug Robbie Supported His Children’s Education
Although Doug was not the main parent in the children’s daily upbringing after the separation, there is evidence that he supported their education.
One of the clearest examples comes from his son Lachlan.
In a Father’s Day message shared in 2015, Lachlan thanked his father for helping put the children through school and for supporting him when he needed help. He also acknowledged that their family was not a conventional one.
This is useful because it comes from one of Doug’s children rather than from an unnamed person discussing the family.
It also shows why the relationship between Doug and his children should not be described in overly simple terms. Their mother played the main role in raising them, but Doug still appears to have provided support in certain areas.
His Relationship With Lachlan Robbie
Lachlan Robbie appears to have maintained a relationship with his father.
His Father’s Day message showed appreciation for Doug’s support. Reports have also described Lachlan as having more regular contact with his father than some of his siblings.
This suggests that Doug’s relationship with each of his four children may have developed differently.
Claims about his relationship with Anya are less clear because much of the information comes from unnamed sources. For that reason, it is better not to make strong statements about her personal feelings toward her father.
Family relationships can also change over time. Public comments from one period do not necessarily explain how people relate to each other many years later.
Doug Robbie and Margot’s 2016 Wedding
Margot Robbie married British filmmaker and producer Tom Ackerley in Australia in 2016.
Her mother, Sarie, reportedly walked her down the aisle. This attracted attention because of reports about Margot’s distant relationship with her father.
There was initially some uncertainty in public reports about whether Doug attended the wedding. Later information stated that he was present.
Doug Robbie later spoke positively about the occasion. He described the wedding as beautiful and said that he was proud of Margot and all his children.
His reported attendance is another reason it would be misleading to present Doug and Margot as having no contact at all.
Their relationship may have been distant, but he was still connected with an important event in his daughter’s adult life.
Margot Robbie’s Close Bond With Her Mother
Understanding Margot’s relationship with her mother helps explain why so much attention has been placed on her relationship with Doug.
After the separation, Sarie raised the four children and continued working as a physiotherapist. Margot has regularly praised her mother’s strength and support.
When Margot started earning money through acting, she kept track of money she owed her mother for expenses connected with the early stages of her career. After becoming successful, she paid the money back. She later also spoke about paying off her mother’s mortgage.
Sarie has accompanied her daughter to major public events over the years, showing the close relationship they have maintained.
This strong mother and daughter bond does not by itself explain everything about Margot’s relationship with Doug. However, it helps provide context for why Sarie’s role is discussed so often when Margot talks about her childhood.
What Is Known About Doug Robbie Today?
Doug continues to live a much more private life than his daughter.
Reports have connected him with the Gold Coast in Queensland, but his exact current activities should not be assumed without clear information. He does not regularly give interviews or share details about his private life with the public.
There were reports in 2025 suggesting that Doug and Margot were together during an Easter family gathering. This led to suggestions that their relationship may have improved.
However, neither Margot nor Doug publicly explained the meeting or described their current relationship. It would therefore be too strong to say that they definitely reconciled.
What can be said is that later reports suggest there has been some family contact. The details of that relationship remain largely between Doug, Margot, and their family.
Why Is Doug Robbie Famous?
Doug Robbie is not an actor or Hollywood celebrity. Most public interest in him comes from being Margot Robbie’s father.
Margot was born in Queensland in 1990 and later became one of Australia’s most successful international actors. Her growing fame naturally created interest in her childhood, parents, and siblings.
That attention brought Doug’s name into entertainment stories even though he has largely stayed outside the public eye.
His own background is mainly connected with business, farming, and property rather than entertainment. His story is therefore closely tied to Margot’s family history, but he has lived a very different life from his famous daughter.
Final Thoughts
Doug Robbie is an Australian businessman and former sugarcane farm owner who is best known as Margot Robbie’s father. He and physiotherapist Sarie Kessler had four children together before their relationship ended while the children were young.
Margot was mainly raised by her mother, and her public comments suggest that her relationship with Doug has been distant and complicated at different times. At the same time, claims of complete estrangement have been disputed by family members, and Doug reportedly attended Margot’s 2016 wedding.
Doug has kept most of his personal life away from public attention. For that reason, the clearest picture comes from the limited comments made by Margot and other family members. Those details show a family relationship that is more complex than the simple label of estrangement often suggests.
(FAQs)
Who is Doug Robbie?
Doug Robbie is an Australian businessman and former farm owner. He is best known as the father of actress Margot Robbie.
What does Doug Robbie do?
He has been connected with farming and business in Australia and is commonly described as a former sugarcane farm owner. Later reports have also linked him with property investment.
Who is Doug Robbie’s former wife?
Doug was married to Sarie Kessler, a physiotherapist. They separated while their four children were still young.
How many children does Doug Robbie have?
Doug has four children with Sarie Kessler. Their names are Anya, Lachlan, Margot, and Cameron Robbie.
Does Margot Robbie have a relationship with her father?
Margot’s comments suggest that their relationship has been distant and complicated. However, family members have disputed claims that they are completely estranged, and later reports suggest there has been some contact between them.
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