George was born in Fort Worth, Texas and grew up in Belton (about two hours drive south). His father is Arthur Coleman "Cappy" Eads, and his mother is Vivian Baker. George's stepfather, Dudley Baker, is a former gynecologist. George graduated from Belton High School in 1985 and from Texas Tech University in 1990, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. To pursue his acting career, he headed to Los Angeles, California, in a beat-up pickup truck borrowed from his stepfather. George has a sister, Angela Eads, who works as an attorney in Waco, Texas.

Aside from CSI, Eads has also guest-starred on ER, and has worked on several made-for television films, including playing Evel Knievel in the 2004 film Evel Knievel. George also performed in the made-for-television movie Crowned and Dangerous with Yasmine Bleeth in 1997.

Eads was the subject of unfavorable publicity alongside fellow CSI co-star Jorja Fox in 2004, when the actors allegedly wanted pay raises for appearing on the hit show. They were momentarily fired by the CBS network as a result, which prompted them to come back to work without their raises.