He was a significant figure in French theatre during the latter 20th-century, serving as director of the Theatre National Populaire from 1963 and 1972, while his film work earned him both BAFTA Award and Cesar Award nominations.

Wilson was born in Champigny-sur-Marne, Seine (now Val-de-Marne) as the illegitimate son of a French father and an Irish mother.

His professional surname, Wilson, derives from his Irish grandmother; his birthname has not been made public.

Georges Wilson's last film was Mesrine: Public Enemy Number One.

[2] Georges Wilson died in Rambouillet in 2010, aged 88, from undisclosed causes.