Contrary to the alluring story from most 1980s United Kingdom press releases, Dolby was not born in Cairo, Egypt; he was born in London, England, UK. His father, Martin Robertson, was an internationally distinguished professor of classical Greek art and archaeology at the University of London and Oxford University, and in his youth Thomas lived or worked in Greece and France. Dolby married actress Kathleen Beller in 1988; the couple have three children together.