The Australian icon celebrates her 36th birthday. It is hard to believe that just over a decade ago, she was a rising star breaking into Hollywood. Today, she sits comfortably at the absolute peak of the entertainment industry. Through her production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, she has championed singular, daring stories, while on screen, her chameleonic range has consistently subverted expectations.
To celebrate her special day, we are counting down the 10 most iconic roles of Margot Robbie’s career—performances that prove she isn’t just part of the Hollywood elite, she’s leading it.
1. Barbie — Barbie (2023)
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The role that permanently altered pop culture history. Playing “Stereotypical Barbie” in Greta Gerwig’s meta-masterpiece, Robbie didn’t just give a beautifully layered, existential performance—she carried a global phenomenon on her shoulders. Beyond her brilliant comedic and emotional acting, Robbie produced the film, driving it to over $1.4 billion at the box office and securing a Best Picture nomination. It is the definitive modern movie star achievement.
2. Tonya Harding — I, Tonya (2017)
This was the exact moment the industry realized Robbie was a force to be reckoned with. Tired of waiting for Hollywood to offer her complex scripts, Robbie used her newly formed LuckyChap banner to buy the rights to Tonya Harding’s story. Her fierce, funny, and deeply tragic performance as the disgraced figure skater earned Robbie her very first Academy Award nomination and proved her genius as a producer.
3. Naomi Lapaglia — The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
The breakthrough heard ’round the world. Standing toe-to-toe with Leonardo DiCaprio in a Martin Scorsese epic is a daunting task for any young actress, but Robbie didn’t just hold her own—she completely stole the movie. Throwing a glass of water in DiCaprio’s face and commanding the screen with a razor-sharp Brooklyn accent, Robbie turned what could have been a cliché trophy-wife character into an unforgettable powerhouse.
4. Harley Quinn — The DC Extended Universe (2016–2021)
Across Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, and The Suicide Squad, Robbie became the absolute blueprint for the live-action comic book anti-heroine. She perfectly balanced Harley’s manic energy, acrobatic violence, and hidden heartbreak, making the character so distinct that it is now impossible to imagine anyone else carrying the mallet.
5. Sharon Tate — Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
In Quentin Tarantino’s 1969 Los Angeles fairytale, Robbie was given a unique challenge: to play a real-life tragedy with very little dialogue. She anchored the film with an ethereal, joyful innocence. The scene of Robbie’s Sharon Tate sitting in a movie theater, happily putting her feet up on the seat while watching the real Sharon Tate on screen, is one of the most tender and heartbreaking sequences in modern cinema.
6. Nellie LaRoy — Babylon (2022)
Pure, unadulterated cinematic chaos. In Damien Chazelle’s polarizing, maximalist ode to early Hollywood, Robbie delivered a tour-de-force performance as a self-destructive, feral silent-film star. Throwing her entire body into every frame—whether she was wrestling a snake or dancing wildly on tables—Robbie showed an unhinged, fearless side to her talent that left audiences breathless.
7. Kayla Pospisil — Bombshell (2019)
Acting alongside heavyweights like Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman, Robbie served as the emotional core of this drama tracking the takedown of Fox News chief Roger Ailes. Playing an ambitious, naive composite character, Robbie’s quiet breakdown during a devastating phone call in her office earned her a second, well-deserved Academy Award nomination.
Margot Robbie on her approach to Hollywood: “I never want to play the same character twice. If it scares me, and if it feels like a massive risk, that’s usually exactly why I want to produce it or act in it.”
8. Queen Elizabeth I — Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
Proving she has zero vanity when it comes to a great script, Robbie underwent a massive physical transformation to play the aging, smallpox-scarred Virgin Queen. Going head-to-head with Saoirse Ronan, Robbie brought a deep, tragic psychological weight to a monarch trapped by the political machinery of her era, showcasing her range as a classical dramatic actress.
9. Jess Barrett — Focus (2015)
An underrated gem in her filmography, this slick caper alongside Will Smith showed that Robbie possessed the effortless, old-school chemistry of a classic golden-age femme fatale. Her sharp wit and effortless glamour proved she could carry a major studio romantic thriller with absolute ease.
10. Cathy — Wuthering Heights (2026)
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Bringing us right to her latest elite milestone, Robbie takes on the iconic role of Catherine Earnshaw in Emerald Fennell’s freshly anticipated gothic adaptation. Reunited with her Barbie and Saltburn collaborator under the LuckyChap banner, Robbie’s continuation of rewriting classic, high-stakes literary material proves her creative reign over modern cinema is only getting stronger.
At 36, Margot Robbie has already built a legacy that most actors don’t achieve in a lifetime. She is an auteur’s dream, a box-office savior, and an industry titan. Happy Birthday, Margot! Which of her legendary roles is your absolute favorite? Let us know in the comments!
