Robert Hobbs was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1972. At an early age his family moved to Welkom, a small mining town in the interior of South Africa. There he attended Christian Brothers College and fell in love with the stage thanks to school concerts and trips to local Saturday morning cinema screenings.

Following his passion, in 1993 he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a performer's diploma in Speech and Drama from the University of Cape Town.

He secured a number of theater roles, including Macbeth for the South African State Theatre, and his performance in Yasmina Reza's play "Life x 3" earned him a nomination for the Naledi Award for Best Supporting Actor.