George William Woodyard was born on November 18, 1934 in Charleston, Illinois, the son of Lincoln and Iva Hanna Woodyard. He was the youngest of 9 children.

He received his bachelors of science in Education from Eastern Illinois University in 1954, his masters in Spanish from New Mexico State University in 1955, and his Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Illinois in 1966. He joined the faculty of the University of Kansas that same year, reaching full Professor status at KU in 1977. In the years between receiving his masters and doctorate, Woodyard taught in Illinois high schools and served in the U.S. Army as an English instructor.

Woodyard held a variety of administrative positions while working at KU. He served as both assistant chairman and chairman of the Spanish and Portuguese Department, the Associate Dean of the Graduate School, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and the first Dean of International Studies. He taught several Summer Language Institute courses in Guadaljara, Barcelona, and Santiago de Campostela. Woodyard retired in 2005.

George Woodyard was involved in the Lawrence, Kansas community in several ways. He was a member of the Lawrence Noon Rotary Club, Immanuel Lutheran Church, and served as President of the Board of Directors of the Lawrence Community Theatre. He organized for the creation of the Rotary Centennial Arboretum and helped develop the first Sister Cities Commmittee for Eutin, Germany and Hiratsuka, Japan.

Woodyard's research interests focused on Latin American theatre; he served as editor of the journal Latin American Theatre Review for 40 years after founding the journal. He won several prizes for his work in Latin American theatre. He and his wife also endowed the Woodyard International Educator Award, recognizing KU faculty members who have provided outstanding leadership in international education at the university.

George W. Woodyard married Eleanor Tendick in 1960. They had four children: Shana, Lance, Devon, and Kenda. George Woodyard passed away on November 7, 2010 in Lawrence, Kansas.