George Rhoads was born on 27 January 1926 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was married to Shirley and Marcelle . He died on 9 July 2021 in Loudun, Vienne, France.
He served in the Army during WWII, and studied engineering at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Chicago. He studied painting at the Art Institute of Chicago and an art school in Paris.