Gough was one of the boy actors in Shakespeare's plays, appearing twenty-third in the list of actors' names prefixed to the 1623 folio. He resided in
Southwark, London; was living in Hill's Rents in 1604, in Samson's Rents in 1605–6, and in Austin's Rents in 1612, where he seems to have stayed until 1622, if not to his death. His death date was found in the monthly account in the register book of St. Saviour's church: "19 Feb., 1624, Robert Goffe, a player, buried." In 1591, as a boy actor, he took the female character of Aspatia in ‘Sardanapalus,’ a portion of a piece by
Richard Tarlton called ‘
The Seconde Parte of the Seven Deadlie Sinns,’ of which ‘The Platt’ is all that survives, and is to be found among the manuscripts (No. xix.) at
Dulwich College, printed in Steevens's additions to Malone's ‘Historical Account,’ and in Collier's ‘English Dramatic Poetry.’ He almost certainly played the role of Juliet opposite the 28-year-old
Richard Burbage in the first stage performances of
Romeo and Juliet circa 1595. In 1603 he had a legacy from
Thomas Pope, whom Malone assumes to have probably been his master, of half of the
testator's wearing apparel and arms. On 13 February 1602 he married Elizabeth Phillips, the sister of
Augustine Phillips, the actor, who received from her brother a testamentary bequest of 10l "of lawfull money of England." Under the name Robert Goffe, Goughe is a witness to Phillips's will, which is dated 4 May 1605. In 1611 he played the Usurping Tyrant in the ‘
Second Maiden's Tragedy.’ If he had been 11 in his first role as Aspatia, and had played Juliet at around age 15, then his Usurping Tyrant role would have been played at age 31. ==Children of Robert Gough==