 Phillips first enters the historical record as a member of the amalgamation of Lord Strange's Men and the Admiral's Men that performed "The Seven Deadly Sins" (perhaps by Richard Tarlton) between 1590 and 1592.In the surviving "plot" of this performance, Phillips is assigned the role of Sardanapalus; he is one of the few actors not required to play a double role.He is named in the touring warrant issued to Strange's Men in 1592; after the death of their patron Ferdinando Stanley he joined the new Lord Chamberlain's Men, presumably as a sharer.